Audience
Educators, Students
Grade Levels
Grades 5-8, Grades 9-12, Informal Education
Subject
Earth Science, Planet Earth, Geology
Type
Hands-on Activities, Lesson Plans / Activities, Play and Learn
Earth-observing satellites like the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) help scientists measure land surface temperature, soil moisture, and precipitation daily – important data for farmers and home gardeners.
Did you know that it can take 100 years to create an inch of topsoil? Soil is a complex combination of minerals, organic matter, water, and air. Soil is very sensitive to changes in the environment like rainfall amounts, vegetation, air temperature, and pollution. Your yard can have a different soil type than your neighbor’s yard depending on the plants you have, the amount of shade, the types of rock present, the slope of your yard, and many other small differences.
In this activity, students will experiment with identifying different types of soil and testing soil pH levels.
Click here to download the activity.