Seventy thousand different types of soil exist in the United States alone. Young scientists learn about the importance of soil to the food supply. They test soil for a variety of factors and determine the best place to set up a community...

Fourth graders research soil layers and create a soil profile in a jar.  In this soil profile lesson, 4th graders working in groups, research a given layer of soil, make a 3-5 minute presentation to the class, and complete a...

Students examine the soil in their local area and create a soil profile. They record observations in the field and the classroom. They create their own display of the soil profile as well.

Students make predictions and analyze soil. For this soil properties lesson, students make predictions about soil properties for various soil samples. Students examine the types of soils and record their observations. Students analyze...

Explore the consistency of the earth's layers and soil through modeling. By conducting an engaging experiment, learners develop a model for the earth's layers and a soil profile using edible materials. Each material is chosen based on...

Students study and classify soil. In this soil science lesson, students classify soil by texture and size and study soil horizons. Students label the soil types with their specific soil horizon and learn about permafrost. Students...

Students create soil profiles, including rock, clay, silt, sand, and humus, in clear plastic cups out of edible materials.

As an example of nature's water filtering system, young ecologists conduct an experiment in the lab. They construct a funnel out of a plastic bottle, fill it with specified layers of materials that simulate layers of soil, then run muddy...

Learners model the soils layers using Oreo's. In this lesson students use their favorite food items to create a model of soil layers. A discovery lesson from a youth camp is adapted for classroom modeling and discussion of soil...

Students investigate the different levels of the rain forest by comparing it to an apartment.  In this ecology lesson, students practice using forest related vocabulary words and complete a vocabulary data sheet.  Students...

Students explore the Earth's crust by researching pH levels and acidity. In this environmental safety lesson, students identify the pros and cons of acidity within soil and how it affects plants. Students collaborate in a pH level...

Expose the beautiful mystery of bulbs as young botanists learn all about these fascinating plants. They glean information from a short text before observing actual bulbs (consider an onion), and comparing their findings with predictions....

Young scholars visit the Greenheart Canopy Walkway. In this environmental lesson, students experience a coastal rain forest ecosystem. Young scholars interact and explore the different layers of the rain forest.

Fourth graders explore different levels of soil. In this soil instructional activity, 4th graders investigate the amount water that can be absorbed by topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock.

Young scholars assemble a shoe box following a layered pattern alternating between soil and artifacts. The layers of artifacts begin with the grandparents and end with the student's own personal possessions.

Students simulate the search for water in Mars using simple apparatus. In this space science lesson, students explain how soil temperature affects the cooling of probes. They graph the data collected from the simulation.

Students gather information about the English countryside by researching books and the Internet. Then they recognize that parts of England's topography consist of hills made of chalk that are covered by layers of grass and soil. Students...

Learners design and create a compost pile in order to study the Nitrogen Cycle. They then use the scientific method to determine if plants grow better when they add organic matter from their compost pile to the plant's soil.

Young scholars explore the active layer above permafrost and investigate various factors on the insulation value of the active layer.  In this energy transfer lesson, students conduct and experiment to determine the effects of snow...

Students make models of sedimentary rock layers to explain how rocks form layers and represent ancient environments. Layers of sediment and fossils are added together to simulate the environment and connections to sedimentary rocks are...

Fourth graders explore landscapes. In this landscape lesson, 4th graders investigate different elements of landscapes. Students design a visual presentation using photographs taken during a nature walk.

Students construct and maintain model of natural habitat, suggest improvements to the model of the natural habitat to make it more realistic and habitable, and demonstrate careful observation and recording of how animals survive in their...

Students create their own rainforest environment. This tropical rainforest lesson, introduces where rainforests are located, their real world connections, and their structural make up. It includes further resources online.

Students create a compost cake. In this gardening and decomposition science lesson, students review and describe the "nutrient cycle." Students create a compost pile, measure and record the dimensions and temperature of the pile, and...