Created by Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

Brief Description: Students explore components of soil by sorting samples from different locations.

Objectives:

• Discuss why soil is important to plants
• Explore the components of soil using different senses
• Sort soil based on different properties
• Introduce things that live in the soil and their importance

Materials : Garden journal, writing materials, soil from more than one location, newspaper. Optional – worms, soil books.

NC Standard Course of Study Goals :

Science –1.01, 1.03, 2.03, 2.04

Healthful Living –1.03, 1.04

Math – 5.01

Getting Started / Procedure

• Talk with students about what the difference is between dirt and soil. Dirt is what you sweep up and soil supports living things. Discuss why soil is important for plants (holds water, air, nutrients). What is in soil? Have students think of things that make up soil and then talk about how soils are a combination of sand, silt, clay and organic matter. Soil type, and it capacity to grow plants, is dependent on the mixture of the four components. Sand, silt and clay are all different size particles, sand being the biggest (basketball), than silt (baseball), and clay (penny). Have some of each type for students to touch or show how water moves through each differently.

• Give each student a small pile of soil on a newspaper. Have them examine it and sort it into different groups of things – things that were alive (grass, twig, root), bigger rocks, small rocks, etc. Have students write and or draw what they found in their soil, and draw their soil garden journals. Encourage students to use their sense of touch, sight, and smell to explore the soil and describe it in their journals. Discuss what might be able to live (or not live) in this particular soil. If you have time, give students another little pile of soil from a different location and have them compare. Discuss some of the things you may not be able to see in the soil, such as air and water.

• What might live in the soil, and how they would help the soil be healthier. Worms help aerate with tunnels and their castings (poop) help fertilize. If you have access to composting worms, let students look at the worms and talk about how worms help to break down compost and natural materials to help the soil.

• Hopefully, students should have touched soil and worms by now, that is the fun part. Talk to students about hand washing and ask them if they think this would be an important time to wash.

Extensions:

• Sort soil components by color, hardness, shape and size
• Have students bring soils from home and compare them
• Explore things that live in the soil
• Set up a soil terrarium
• Read soil and worm books
• Have students write a creation story about how soil was made
• Start a worm bin or compost
• Have kids put together a soil book
• Have students conduct worm research