Worms Come Up When It Rains

Children are garden worms that wiggle underground, crawl up when it rains, and curl up to hide when the sun comes out. Arms, legs, and core warm up through floor movement while kids respond to sound cues.

How to play

1. Explain that worms live under the garden soil and help it breathe; everyone lies face down like sleeping worms (1 min).
2. With no drum, worms wiggle slowly underground: tummy on the floor, stretching out and scrunching up (1 min).
3. When the drum taps fast like rain, worms come up to the surface: get on hands and knees and crawl quickly (1 min).
4. When the drum stops, the sun is out: worms hide by curling into a ball right where they are (1 min).
5. Switch between rain, sun, and underground, changing faster and faster (1 min).
6. To finish, worms roll onto their backs and stretch as long as they can, hands to feet (1 min).

Rules

• Worms stay on the ground: nobody stands up.
• Rain means crawl, sun means curl up.
• If you meet another worm, go around it, not over it.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the worm scoots while seated using the hands, or does the stretch-and-scrunch with the arms.
• Hearing impairment: pair the drum with a visual cue (fingers raining down, arms making a sun circle).
• More coordination: crawl with one knee off the ground, or crawl sideways.

Learning goals

• Warm up the body by wiggling and crawling.
• Respond quickly to changes in a sound rhythm.
• Learn what worms do for the garden.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Hand drum

Teacher tip

Grass, clean sand, or a swept classroom floor works best. If you can, gently lift a little garden soil beforehand to find a real worm, then cover it back up.

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