I was delighted to meet the girls as they began this third grade year by coming to the Lower School Science Center for the first time as science students! They have gotten off to a good start. Our first topic is dirt. However, it’s
not just dirt…it’s soil! The girls closely observed the different characteristics of the 3 types of soil: sand,
humus, and clay. They discovered
that sand has the largest particles, is the least sticky, and allows water to
move through it the most rapidly. Clay,
on the other hand, is the opposite! The girls looked at the particle sizes with an electronic microscope, squeezed soil samples through their fingers (great fun!) and conducted "soil races" to gather their data.
Excitement was high as they broke apart rotting logs to discover the organisms which were using the logs as their homes or as their restaurant. Decomposition doesn't just happen, it is caused by the action of living things and it results in the formation of humus. As she watched an insect scurry toward the safety of the log, one child exclaimed, "This is the best science class ever!"
