Teacher has down to earth lesson for students

St. Petersburg---At Westgate Elementary in St. Petersburg the students in Karen Stockton's class are constantly conducting experiments.

Some of the experiments are colorful.

Others are lively.

And some are alive and squirmy like these red wiggler earth worms.

Stockton explains," We have worms. We probably have a couple of thousand worms maybe more."

The worms are used for composting. They eat food scraps and then fertilize the soil.

It's all to help the earth but do these students really know what they are getting into.

4^th grader Kassidy doesn't seem to have a problem with it.

"It's worm poop. I was grossed out at first but now I am not because I go used to it."

Stockton says Kassidy's reaction is typical. But she makes sure she prepares students for what to expect early on.

"The first day of school within the first hour we were playing with my earth worms so that kind of got everybody like okay this is going to be a different classroom."

Stockton has been a teacher for 15 years and these days her lessons are bit different. Now her focus is more on conservation, going green and saving the planet.

She says it's an easy lesson to teach elementary students when she can demonstrate how being wasteful has a direct impact on them.

"I have explained to them the connection that if you waste water at home your water bill increases therefore your parents are spending more money and there is less time for your leisure activities."

Stockton also helped start the Green Squad. It's an environmental club at Westgate. There are about 25 members who leave their green calling card all over campus.

Students love her class because they get their hands a little dirty and you don't have to be a book worm to appreciate earthworms.

Stockton practices what she teaches too. She says she has a few thousand earthworms in her living room at home.

"It's like everything else. If you build it they will come. If you live by the way you teach then it makes more sense to them."