Soil Activities & Education
What lives in the soil?
Go on a hunt for soil life with 6 easy-to-do activities. While on your scavenger hunt, use the common soil organisms guide to identify the soil life that you find along the way, and check out the videos below for more information on some of the hunt’s activities.
Looking for Life on Logs with Miranda Sikora (Activity 2)
Building a Winogradsky Column with Dana Johnson (Activity 4)
Searching for Invertebrates with Dr. Tim Berry (Activity 6)
A simplified guide to the small and large creatures that live in the soil. This guide focuses on soil animals and other visible organisms.
Arthropods – DIY Funnel Exploration
Learn how to make a Berlese-Tullgren Funnel to capture and see the backbone-lacking animals (invertebrates) of the soil. Invertebrates include insects and spiders.
Nematodes – DIY Funnel Exploration
If you have access to a microscope, use this guide to extract nematodes from the soil and see the creatures that live in soil water.