In Week 4 students shared their understandings of what plants need to survive and began to look more closely at the soil in different areas around the school. We first brainstormed our knowledge to develop a shared understanding which will help guide our learning in weeks to come. Learning about what plants need is going to help us when we start planting.
Sophie identified that plants need water. Baz and Wesley noted that like humans, water helps plants stay alive. Lachlan noted that plants need carbon dioxide, which is that air that humans and animals breathe out. Havi said that plants need sun, although Matilda and Maylin pointed out that different plants like different amounts of sunlight – some plants need more shade. Ayantu shared that plants need soil. Olivia said that the soil helped hold the water in, and Baz said that it was so their roots could dig in. We identified that insects can also very helpful to plants, likes bees and worms, with Archie M noting that things like worms, fertilizer, and compost make soil healthy and nice for plants.
Samples from the Kitchen Garden area, the Prep Courtyard, and behind the Year 2 Neighbourhood were collected to examine. We thought about what we knew about soil already and what sort of things we might find in – things like insects, small stones, sand, and roots and leaves of plants. We then started to examine our soil samples closely, drawing on observational skills that students have been developing in the neighbourhood through other scientific observational drawings, and including things like headings, labels, and lots of detail in our drawings and notes. One of the tests we used was to add water to a jar half filled with soil, shake it, and let it settle – allowing the different components of the soil to separate. This helped us to get a better idea of the structure of our soil, so that we can then determine how much water and fertilizer your plants will need, and what other preparations to the soil to make. Soil is a mass of mineral particles, water, air, and dead organic matter. The size and form of those particles make up the basic soil structure.
- The bottom layer will be the heavier particles, sand, and rocks.
- The next layer will be the silt particles.
- Above that are the clay particles.
- Organic matter may be floating on the surface of the water.
At the end of the session students shared their work with others, giving students an opportunity to notice the many different ways we can collect and share information.
At the end of the session students were introduced to the food dehydrator that we are going to use to help us make our Welcome Teas. As an experiment, four cucumbers were cut up in four different ways and placed in the dehydrator for a set number of hours. Students made predictions about what they thought would happen. Come into the neighbourhood to see the results displayed in jars in the art studio spaces.