In a plastic shoebox with a loose fitting lid, use about two inches of topsoil kept very moist…a little muddy,but not flooded. Whatever you do, don’t let the culture dry out. If you find that this is happening too quickly, lay a piece of plastic wrap over the box, but under the lid.
To feed, sprinkle Gerber’s multigrain baby cereal on top of the culture and wet it down with DI / distilled /RO water. You’ll probably end up giving them about 2-3 tablespoons of cereal every 3-4 days.
If students need to observe the whiteworms or grindals, remove a spatula of the worm mud and drop it into a cup of RO water and swirl it. Springtails will float to the top and can be poured off. If you carefully drain the muddy water, the worms should gather in a ball at the bottom. Do this a few times until the water runs relatively clear. Use a pipet with a wide opening to remove the worms. If you are feeding fish, you can add these directly to your tank…there is no need to purge them.