FOURTH GRADE INTEGRATED UNIT Soil Recovery: Putting Your Soil Samples Away for Next Year (Spring 2016)

THE UTILITY AND ADVANTAGE TO SOIL RECOVERY It is important to conserve your soils so that you have them for your next class Here is a way to have your students assist with the process: You can discuss the value of soil and the great expense gardeners go through to maintain fertile and well balanced soils in their gardens. Have the students imagine ways to recover the soil so that they can engineer an effective soil recovery system.

ONE SOLUTION The dry soils are easily poured back into the bags from which they came. A goes into A, B Into B And so forth… Wet soils need to be dried first. There are 7 different soils in all. Use 7 Stream Tables from your FOSS Kit Line them with butcher paper and tape the paper in place Label each prominently: 1, 2, 3, 4, A, B, C

USE PAPER TO LINE YOUR STREAM TABLES AND LABEL THEM.

ASSEMBLE YOUR 7 VOLUNTEERS

BASIC SET-UP INCLUDES THE PREPARED TRAYS, THE WET SOIL VIALS, 50 ML SYRINGES, AND A CLEAN WATER SOURCE

FILL THE SYRINGES

SHAKE, FLUSH, DUMP ADD WATER TO THE VIALS, CAP THEM, SHAKE THEM, AND THEN DUMP INTO THE APPROPRIATE TRAY.

“CLEANED” VIALS ARE PLACED INTO RECEIVING BUCKETS

GRADUALLY, YOU HAVE A SLURRY OF SOILS

IN 3-4 DAYS OF HOT, DRY WEATHER AND YOUR SOIL IS READY TO BE HARVESTED

LOOSEN THE TAPE AROUND ALL THE EDGES THAT IS HOLDING THE PAPER IN PLACE

PULL THE EDGES TOGETHER TO FORM A FUNNEL AT ONE END

CAREFULLY PLACE THE ROLLED “POUR SPOUT” INTO THE OPEN MOUTH OF THE MATCHING BAG (BY LETTER OR NUMBER)

TWO STUDENTS WORKING TOGETHER CAN FILL ALL THE BAGS IN 10 MINUTES MAKE SURE ALL BAGS ARE ZIPPED CLOSE PLACE BAGS AND VIALS (CLEAN, DRY, AND CAPPED) IN BOX AND STORE FOR NEXT YEAR