Shovel Full of Soil

Soil is made up of minerals, small rocks, water, gases, and organic matter. The types of minerals and the plants and animals that live in an area affect the soil in that area. The soil in one area may be sandy and light colored. In another area, the soil may be rocky or reddish in color. With the help of an adult, you can examine one shovelful of the soil in your area, then compare it to the soil in another area.

Materials

• shovel
• pen or pencil
• paper

Procedure

Choose a location where you can dig a small hole in the soil. Ask an adult to help you scoop up one shovelful of soil. Observe the soil closely. What color is it? Is it sandy? Is it rocky? How would you describe its texture? Are there layers of soil? What else do you observe? Fold a piece of paper in half. On one half, make a list of your observations.

Choose a second location. With the help of an adult, scoop up one shovelful of soil. Again, observe the soil closely. What color is it? Is it sandy? Is it rocky? How would you describe its texture? Are there layers of soil? What else do you observe? On the second half of your paper, make a list of these observations.

Results

What differences did you observe in the two soil samples? Talk with your family member about the different types of soil you observed. Discuss some of the reasons soil may be different in different areas, and why soil is an important natural resource.