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Soil is the loose layer on top of the ground. Plants grow in it.

Soil is made of tiny bits of broken rock, bits of old dead plants and animals, water and air.

Soil is full of life! A spoonful of healthy soil has more tiny living things in it than there are people on the whole Earth.

Earthworms eat old, rotting leaves. Some worms pull leaves down into their tunnels. Worms help to keep soil healthy.

Experiment: Soil detectives

1. Spread the soil thinly on the white plate.
2. Look with the magnifying glass. Use the stick to push things apart.
3. Sort what you find: little stones, bits of leaves or roots, and any tiny animals.
4. If you find a tiny animal, look, then put it gently back outside.
5. Drop a lump of dry soil into the cup of water and watch closely. Do you see bubbles?
6. Wash your hands well.

What I found	How many?
Little stones	My guess
Bits of leaves or roots	My guess
Tiny animals	My guess
Bubbles in the water?	My guess

Questions

1. Draw what you found in your soil. Label one thing that is living and one that is not living.

   🍎

2. Did you see bubbles when the soil went into water?

   yes / no

3. Why should we look after soil?

Sources for every fact on this sheet: echoesof.science/school/soil/sources/

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