Properties of Soils

Students will examine different types of soil that have been mixed with water and allowed to settle. They will then investigate soil components and how air space allows soils to hold and transmit water. After this lesson, students will be able to list aspects of soil composition; appreciate that soils are living and dynamic; recognize that soils vary in composition; describe where nutrients in soils come from; recognize that plants take up water and nutrients from the soil; and recognize that growing crops can deplete agricultural soil of nutrients.

The Growers’ Academy is a sixteen-week course which includes classes on topics such as soil preparation, nutrition, and community responsibility. Each class includes a 45-minute classroom lesson and 45 minutes working in the Center’s new Community Garden. The Growers’ Academy and Community Garden are sponsored and fully funded by our partners, CF Industries.