Name: _______________________________________________________ Date Conducted: ______________

SOIL RECIPE

Introduction
Soil is produced when rocks undergo physical and chemical changes, and further altered by biological activity. It is a mixture
of minerals (broken rock particles), air, water, and organic matter. However, these components may not all be present at the same
time. Factors that affect soil formation include climate, parent rock composition, and topography of the area, organisms present,
and time. In this activity, you will make soil and observe the different soil components. Keep in mind, however, that what you
accomplish in the laboratory is a simulation of what nature’s forces take many years to produce.

Objectives:
Make soil from rocks and dried leaves
Examine the different components of soil

Materials:
Magnifying glass mortar and pestle spoon paper towels
1/4 cup sand 1/4 cup soil 1/4 cup pebbles 1 cup dried leaves
Clear jar with lid (medium-sized about 6 inches)

Procedure
A. Making the soil
1. Grind 1 cup of brown and crispy dried leaves using mortar and pestle.
2. In the clear jar, mix the dried leaves, some sand, pebbles, and soil.
3. Observe and compare this mixture with the soil sample provided by your teacher.
4. Record your observations on the activity sheet.

B. Layering the Soil

1. Fill up the jar almost to the top with water. Cover the jar tightly.
2. Carefully shake the jar 20 times to mix its contents.
3. Leave the soil and water mixture undisturbed to allow everything to settle.
4. Using the spoon, remove any floating particles and put them on the paper towel. Then, slowly pour out the water. Avoid
disturbing the layers.
5. Examine each of the layers closely with the magnifying glass.
6. Record your observations on the activity sheet.

Observations
A. Making the Soil
Put a check mark (/) on the components that are present in the samples.
Soil Sample Leaves Other plant Pebbles Animal Live Sand Physical characteristics
materials matter animals Color Texture
Activity soil
Real soil

Are there other materials in the soil samples you observed that are not listed in the chart above? List down these materials.

B. Layering the soil

Drawing the different soil layers.
 What did you observe about the size of the particles in the different soil layers?

What did you observe about the color and appearance of the water when added slowly to the small jar?

Post-laboratory questions
1. In what ways did the activity soil resemble real soil? How were they different?

2. How will you make the soil more like real soil?

3. Where does sand and organic matter in natural soil come from?

4. Why is plant material, sand, and other rock materials important components of soil?

5. What are the ways of separating the components of soil? Give at least three ways.