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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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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). |
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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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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.). |
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Soil and stone |
Indicator species |
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Observe different plants which grow spontaneously locally, investigate how/whether this relates to the soil there. |
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Soil and stone |
Indicator species |
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Identify common local plants and discuss what they can tell us about the soil conditions (e.g. rushes indicate wet, nettles indicate rich soil). |
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Soil and stone |
Indicator species |
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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). |
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Soil and stone |
Indicator species |
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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). |
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Soil and stone |
Indicator species |
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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. |
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The animal, fungus and bacteria kingdoms |
Animal families, homes, names, footprints and other signs |
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Visit a farm and learn about how the farmers care for different animals and what the animals contribute to the farm. |
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The animal, fungus and bacteria kingdoms |
Animal families, homes, names, footprints and other signs |
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Listen to different birdsong in the forest and garden. |
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The animal, fungus and bacteria kingdoms |
Animal families, homes, names, footprints and other signs |
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See, touch, smell, hear different signs of animals, such as feathers, bones, skulls, fur, footprints, poo, bird song. |