Are you studying soil science with your homeschool or science class? Soil science is an exciting and interdisciplinary subject that integrates chemistry, physics, and environmental science. From testing soil organic matter to measuring porosity and permeability, hands-on lab activities will bring the real experience of being a soil scientist to your science classroom or homeschool. In this post, you’ll discover five educational soil science activities to try, including a soil texture jar test, modeling soil horizons, and more. These activities are perfect for helping your students explore the wonders of soil in a fun and interactive way!
Share This Post:
1. Try the Jar Test for Soil Textures
Soil scientists need to evaluate the “textures” of soils: in other words, the proportion of sand, silt, and clay in the sediment part of the soil. But this can be a challenge. How do you separate and measure all those tiny grains?
This most basic method, the “jar test”, is easy to do in a classroom setting. Shake up some soil and water in a jar. Then, watch the grains settle over time. Larger grains settle faster than smaller ones.
You can find the full activity directions for this science project in my blog! Or better yet, you can save time and support my blog when you purchase the printable worksheets and directions for this activity.
2. Build a Soil Horizons Parfait
Did you know soils have layers? Scientists call the layers “soil horizons”. Each of the six soil horizons is given a letter: O, A, E, B, C, and R. The upper two horizons, O and A, are called topsoil. Each horizon has its own unique characteristics and function.
You can teach your students about layers in the soil by building a soil horizons parfait. Perhaps you have made a “cup of dirt” from pudding? With a few extra steps, you can turn this simple snack into a tasty science activity by creating a soil horizons parfait!
You can find the full activity directions for this “snack-tivity” in my blog! Or better yet, you can support my blog by purchasing my soil horizons mini study, which includes printable directions for this activity as well as soil horizon worksheets.
3. Measure Porosity and Permeability
If you’re studying soils, your students will need to know the difference between soil porosity and permeability. While these two properties are related, they are not the same! And what better way to understand the difference between porosity and permeability than a hands-on lab activity!?
Conveniently, soil porosity and permeability can be measured and observed using common household items. You can find the full activity write-up with directions for porosity and permeability in my blog! Or better yet, support my blog AND save time when you purchase the printable worksheets and directions for this lab activity.
4. Test for Soil Organic Matter
If you’re studying soils with your students, you have probably learned that soil is a mixture of sediments and organic matter. But different soils have different amounts of these two ingredients. A soil’s organic matter content is important, especially when considering a soil’s ability to support plants.
To demonstrate this, you can do a cool classroom demo by mixing soil with hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide reacts with organic matter in the soil to make gas (i.e., fizzing and bubbles!). More bubbles = more organic matter in the soil!
Find the directions for a soil organic matter classroom demo in my blog! Or better yet, you can support my blog by purchasing the worksheets and printable directions for this classroom activity.
5. Learn About Decomposers
Decomposers are organisms with a very important job: they help recycle nutrients back into the soil. They help break down dead organic matter into the soil nutrients that help plants grow. There are many types of decomposers, including mushrooms and fungi, earthworms, and microbes.
You can print my free food web poster (including decomposers). To learn more about food webs and the important role of decomposers, check out my complete Food Webs Unit (for purchase).
If you are interested in studying mushrooms, I’ve also created some free mushroom anatomy printables. You can dive deeper into the world of fungi and mushrooms with my complete Mushroom Unit.
Study Soil Science with Wild Earth Lab
Many of the activities from this post come from my complete Soil Science Unit! There’s no need to scramble to put together the perfect Soil Science Lesson – I’ve already created it for you! This set includes tons of activities and lab directions, teaching posters, handouts, and more!
Explore more units from Wild Earth Lab:
If you enjoyed this post, I know you will love using my other science units in your classroom!
Are you interested in more science activity ideas? Subscribe or follow Wild Earth Lab using the links below!
One reply on “Soil Science in Your Classroom: 5 educational activities to try”
This is awesome that you are teaching kids about soil early! I love great earth science stories. Feel free to check out some of mine at http://www.eyeforgeotech.com