|
Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
|
|
Sing a song about soil textures (e.g. "There's three different types of mineral in soil"). |
|
|
Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
|
|
Find out about acidity and alkalinity in soil, how it affects plants that grow there, and how plants affect the pH of the soil (e.g. conifers make it more acidic). |
|
|
Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
|
|
Compare the different properties of sand and clay (e.g. how much water and air it holds, what happens when you stand on it, which holds more nutrients etc.). |
|
|
Soil and stone |
Indicator species |
|
|
Observe different plants which grow spontaneously locally, investigate how/whether this relates to the soil there. |
|
|
Soil and stone |
Indicator species |
|
|
Identify common local plants and discuss what they can tell us about the soil conditions (e.g. rushes indicate wet, nettles indicate rich soil). |
|
|
Soil and stone |
Indicator species |
|
|
Experiment with changing the soil conditions to see if that affects the plants which grow there spontaneously (e.g. in a grassy area with small rushes (Juncus species) growing in a straight line this may be due to soil compaction. One could dig a section in the row and leave another area untouched. Return months later to see the changes in what plants are growing spontaneously there). |
|
|
Soil and stone |
Indicator species |
|
|
Create a story, poem or song about the need for plants to have their own niche (i.e. how different types of plants love being in different places). |
|
|
Soil and stone |
Indicator species |
|
|
Learn that an indicator species is one which, if abundant, healthy and spontaneous (not planted), can tell you something about the local conditions, such as a plant which tells you whether the soil is compacted, wet, dry, acidic, or alkaline. |
