Make the tower:

You will need:

Scissors

Two 2-liter plastic soda bottles

Marking pen or pencil

Ruler

Newspaper

1/4 cup of chopped up vegetable scraps from the kitchen

1 eggshell

1 box of red wriggler worms from a bait shop

Potting soil

1 small house plant from a garden center, one that requires low light because you shouldn't put this in the direct sun when finished.

1. Use the scissors to punch several holes in the bottom of one of the bottles. Ask a grown-up to help you.

2. Draw a line around the same bottle about 4 inches from the bottom. Cut the bottle along the line.

3. Turn the long end upside down and place the smaller end in the top so it fits snugly. This will be your planting container.

4. Draw a line around the other bottle about 8 inches from the bottom. Cut the bottle along the line.

5. Place the first bottle inside the second bottle so the screw top faces down.

Make the compost:

1. Tear the newspaper into very thin strips (tear from the top of the page to the bottom). Soak the strips in water for a few minutes, then let them drain well-you want them moist, not wet.

2. Chop the vegetables scraps and the eggshell into very small pieces. Mix them with the moist strips-about one cup of scraps to four cups of shredded paper.

3. Open the top of the bottle tower and fill it with the paper and scrap mixture. Do not pack it tightly.

4. Gently add the worms to the paper and scraps (they will squirm down in it).

5. Put the top bottle back on the bottle tower.

6. Fill the top of the tower with potting soil and plant your plant. Water it well.

How it works:

Put the worm tower in a cool place inside, but not where the sun shines on it (or the worms will get hot and die). Check it every few days to make sure it is not dry. Slowly pour out any of the brownish water that collects in the bottom; use it on flowers or other plants as fertilizer water. Add more chopped vegetables in 2 or 3 weeks. The worms will eat the paper and the vegetable scraps, turning them into compost. When you notice that the paper is eaten, separate the worms from the castings. Add the compost to potting soil or to your garden. Add the worms to some more paper mixture and put back into the bottom and start over again.