Launching page for student activities : USDA ARS

Experiments and Activities for Students:

Experiment	Purpose
Mud Pies for Sale	Will different soils hold different amounts of water?
Does Dirt Really Matter?	Does soil type affect plant growth?
Rain, Rain Go Away	Will the amount of water a plant gets affect its growth?
Parts is Parts	Is all soil the same?
Go Baby Go!	How does the particle size in soil affect the way water moves through the soil?
Seeds and Soil	Does soil type affect seed germination and sprouting?
Heeeelp Meeeee! I'm Drooowwwnnning!	How does groundwater affect plants?
The Quicker Picker Upper	Do all soils have the same saturation rate?
Are seedlings afraid of the dark?	Determine the effects of light on seedlings germinated in the dark vs. the light.
Greenhouse Better for Plants?	Determine if brightness of light will alter the growth rate of a plant.
Does Crowding Affect Plants?	Determine the effects of growing plants close together vs. growing plants farther apart.

Activity	Purpose
Dirt is Dirt!	To see that soil is made up of different parts.
Dirt is Dirt! Part 2	To see that not all soil is the same.
When Water Hurts	To see how plants help prevent soil erosion.
Soil Recipes	Identify components of soil and how those components determine soil function.
Dirt Cleans Up	Demonstrate filtering and percolation properties of three soil types.
Are All Soils Created Equal	Demonstrate the natural fertility rates of three main soil types.
Overcoming Soil's Oddities	Demonstrate the structure of given soil samples.
Let me out	Discover the flow rate of three main soil types.
How Fertile can you get	Ddemonstrate the linear properties of flow rate in a Mariotte siphon or bottle.