Make your own soil profile

Another ELI in our soils series is 'Soil layers puzzle'. Seven soil layers cards are provided and pupils are asked to arrange them in the correct order to make a soil profile. They are then encouraged to compare different soil profiles from different parts of the world.
Many more soils activities can be found on our website using the search engine or the index or by clicking on Teaching strategies.

Smelting iron ore to iron

Have you tried the ELI 'A smelter on a stick; smelting iron ore to iron on a gas burner'? This ELI gives a simple introduction to the smelting of metal ores by reducing them to the metal with charcoal. This linking of a small-scale activity to the real world of the blast furnace requires bridging skills.
Many more Earth-related innovative activities can be found on our website.

Make your own soil

Investigate the type and origin of the ingredients of soil with this Earthlearningidea, 'Make your own soil'. Using a little water, pupils mix together the organic and inorganic components of a typical soil. What is missing?

This activity can be used in any lesson about the environment, rocks and landscape, agriculture, gardening or investigations out of doors. More soil activities can be found on our website.

ELI has reached 1 million downloads!

The ELI team is celebrating! By the end of June, over one million activities had been downloaded from the website!

Also, we have published a new activity in our soils series today - 'Soil layers puzzle; make your own soil profile and investigate others'.

 

Pupils are given a jumbled set of seven cards cut from the diagram above. Once they have worked out what an idealised soil profile looks like, they compare it with ones outside or ones shown in photographs. They are encouraged to try to work out why soil profiles differ and what factors are involved in causing those differences.

This is one of over 160 Earth-related teaching ideas which are FREE to download from our website.

Smelter on a stick

Today's new ELI publication is 'Smelter on a stick: smelting iron ore to iron on a gas burner'. In this activity, pupils can demonstrate how iron ore can be smelted to iron, using a “micro-smelter” on a gas flame. It is a simple introduction to the smelting of metal ores by reducing them to the metal with charcoal. It is very popular!
Other ELI activities related to ores are listed on the home page of the website.
Let us know how you get on with this activity by putting a comment on this blog.

Soil doughnuts - investigating types of soil

The new ELI this week is 'Soil doughnuts; sorting out soils'
Give the pupils a variety of different soil types ranging from very sandy, through loam to heavy clay. They can then use the table provided to work out which soil type they have. They soon realise that sandy soils allow water through easily and clay soils do not. Gardeners usually prefer loam soils. For a farmer or gardener, it is important to know the soil type so that it can be managed properly and crop production increased.
Along with the other soils activities in the ELI soil series, this can be used in any lesson about the environment, rocks and landscape, agriculture, gardening or investigations out of doors. It is messy, but fun!

Make your own soil

Today's new ELI is 'Make your own soil'. This is an investigation into the type and origin of the ingredients of soil. Pupils mix the ingredients provided to make their own soil. They can then suggest what is missing and what happens to the soil if they vary the amounts of each ingredient.
This activity can be used in any lesson about the environment, rocks and landscape, agriculture, gardening or investigations out of doors.
This is the first of a new ELI series on soils. Other series of activities can be seen on the website in Teaching strategies.

Artificial glaciers help farmers in India

To offset the disruptive irrigation effects brought on by global warming, the small village of Stakmo, India has been developing a method for creating its own artificial glaciers. The process involves diverting unused autumn and winter runoffs into specially constructed rock reservoirs that hold the water. As the weather grows colder, the collected water freezes, maintaining the supply of water until spring when it begins to melt. This innovative technique provides water to farmers during the planting season when natural glaciers still haven't thawed due to their higher elevations.
This information has been added in the 'Extension ideas' of 'Modelling for rocks: what's hidden inside - and why?'

All about soil

It's important for pupils to know about soils. Have you tried Earthlearningidea 'Permeability of soils; the great soil race'? Why do some soils let water through faster than others? If you wanted to make a football field, which would be best - a soil that lets water flow through quickly or a soil that holds the water? What problems might there be if water ran through a soil very quickly? If you wanted to grow vegetables, which would be best, a quick flow soil, or a slow flow soil or a medium flow soil? Find out the answers by setting up this simple activity.
Read the post before this to see what worms can do to layers of soil in only 15 days.
Send us your soil activities and we will publish them.

How to find water, oil or gas

This Earthlearningidea activity is about permeability of rocks. Ask your pupils to collect some local rock samples of similar size and put them all into a container of water. Watch for bubbles. The 'bubbly' rocks have spaces between the grains that air and water can flow through - so they are permeable (liquids and gases flow through permeable things). If these 'bubbly' rocks can hold water, then they can hold oil and gas too.
After carrying out this activity, your pupils will be able to test rock permeability and put rocks in order of permeability. They will be able to make 2D and 3D models to show different sorts of permeability/impermeability and explain why some impermeable rocks are impermeable. Hopefully they will also be able to tell you where to drill for water, oil or gas!
Please let us know how they get on by writing your comments on this blog.

Modelling for Rocks - New Earthlearningidea

Our December activity 'Modelling for Rocks: What's hidden inside - and why?' has now been published on our website. This activity investigates the permeability of rocks and how they let water, oil and gas flow through. At the end of the activity, pupils will be able to test rock permeability and put rocks in order of permeability. They will be able to make 2D and 3D models to show different sorts of permeability or impermeability and be able to apply their knowledge to real world situations. They will understand that rocks which are good for holding oil, gas or water must be both porous and permeable. They will investigate their local rocks and assess their potential for extracting water, oil or gas, or for sealing water storage lakes and oil/gas traps.
Please try this activity with your pupils and let us have your comments and suggestions. Some photos of pupils carrying out some permeability tests would be most welcome.