Soil Soup
Soil Soup
Appropriate for Grades: 2-5
Learning Standards Covered: 3.ESS.1, 3.ESS.3
Program Length: 20 minutes
Recommended Group Size: 30 students or less per presentation
Vocabulary: sand, silt, clay, horizon, humus, organic matter, invertebrate, organism, ecosystem, habitat, decomposer, pore space, erosion
Learning Objectives:
- Learn the basics of soil composition
- Gain an appreciation for the importance of soil to human life
- Gain an appreciation for the amount of time it takes for soil to form
- Recognize soil as a non-renewable resource (in terms of a human lifetime)
Program Description
Students learn about the different components of soil by attempting to "make" soil in the form of "soil soup." Students take turns putting the different components of soil into a bowl and mixing them together to see if they can create soil. We discuss what it really takes to make soil, how long it takes to make soil, and why it is important to protect the soil that we have.
