Possible/Expected Discoveries

1. Use eyes, nose, and touch to find bits of leaves, rocks sand and decaying matter in the dirt.
2. Compare 2 kinds of dirt. Differences, similarities?
3. Make mud.
4. Stir some dirt with some water in a jar. Shake it and watch and see what happens. The dirt particles slowly fall to the bottom.

Some soil forms from rock through a process known as mechanical weathering. Other times, it forms through chemical weathering, where weak acids such as acid rain react with rock and over time break it down into soil.

Soil is loose material which lies on top of the land. It has many things in it, like tiny grains of rock, minerals, water and air. Soil is important for life on Earth. Because soil holds water and nutrients, it is an ideal place for plants to grow.

Living organisms present in soil include archaea, bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, algae, protozoa, and a wide variety of larger soil fauna including springtails, mites, nematodes, earthworms, ants, and insects that spend all or part of their life underground, even larger organisms such as burrowing rodents.

Four basic processes occur in soils— additions, losses, transformations (changes), and translocation (movement). A PowerPoint presentation provides some examples. Experiments demonstrate these soil processes.

Water is made of tiny units called molecules, which are combinations of even smaller units called atoms. A molecule of water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The scientific formula for water is H2O. Water can be found in three physical states: liquid, solid (ice), or gas (steam or vapor).

Soil dug out of the ground (not bagged potting soil) Before the lesson fill each jar about halfway with soil. Divide the children into small groups of three of four. Give each group a jar with soil in it. Go around to each group and add water to the jars until it is almost to the top. Put the lids on the jars and tighten them.

Our kindergartners are required to know how we use rocks and soil in everyday life. So we take a walk around the school and campus to look for things made of rock. The kids are very literal and usually only point out things that are very obviously made from rock (like–say–rocks).

The kids record their findings in their science journals. And then we bring some dirt in for a more formal investigation the next day. We methodically use the sifters and divide the particles into different bowls according to their sizes. When we’re done, the kids can clearly see that soil is made up of tiny, little rocks.

The children were very engaged in caring for their plants right up until our last days of school. It was messy with dirt spills and overcrowding and stuff other than plants being sprayed, but they were learning about taking turns, patience, and caring for living things.