Soil Sampling

Source:

Grampian National Nature Reserves, activity guide (SNH)

Time

30-40  minutes

You will need

• trowels
• mixing saucers
• water
• magnifying glasses
• recording sheets & pencils
• soil key

Did you know?

Charles Darwin spent much of his life studying earthworms. He noticed that small objects and even large stones gradually sink down through through the layer of vegetation into the soil. He worked out that this was not due to their weight but because earthworms move soil through their bodies. They lift soil from below and deposit it on the surface. Large objects work their way down as tiny amounts of soil are continuously being shifted upwards from around and below the objects. 

Before the activity

Collect buckets of different soil types, peaty soil, sandy soil, clay soil and garden loam. Mark the areas in the school grounds where the children can safely take a soil sample for themselves.

Ask the children to think about what soil is made of. Show them some soil and ask them to describe it. Explain that different plants grow on different soils.

The activity

Divide the class into groups of about 4. Give each group a set of equipment and show them the sampling stations. Get them to investigate each soil sample. They can record the colour or colours.  What does it feel like is it gritty or fibrous? Can they see bits of decomposing plant material (organic matter)? If they can roll a small sample into a sausage easily then it contains a lot of clay. Put some of the soil on the saucer and add a little water. Can they now make out any small stones or bits of vegetation? Get the children to record their findings for each sample and to use the soil key (see downloads). 

Suggested Follow up

Visit a beach with a sand dune system and compare and contrast the change in plants as you walk towards the sea. Look closely at the roots of the dune grasses and touch them where the wind has exposed the roots. The roots are designed to cling onto shifting sand and they feel almost 'sticky' to touch.

Think about pioneer species. Look at walls and ledges in the school ground. Which types of plants seem to thrive where there is not much soil (mosses), which seem to be able to live on bare rock (lichens)? You might even be able to find some tree seedlings, such as birch, pine or willow that are growing on gravel or stony ground. Try to imagine the parts of Scotland that were scraped bare of soil after the last ice age and imagine how soils were gradually built up by the pioneer species.

Downloads

Soil Key

Additional Information

Soils  booklet in the Scottish Natural Heritage series,  Scotland's Living Landscapes

Curriculum Links

Science - main

Age Range

1,2,3