Digging Deep: Year 3B Discovers the Magic Beneath Our Feet!

This term, the Year 3 children turned into real-life explorers, diving into the exciting world of rocks, fossils, soil and healthy eating! But the star of the show? Soil – that easily overlooked, crumbly stuff under our playground that’s actually a superhero in disguise! Through hands-on experiments the children discovered that soil isn’t just dirt – it’s a living, breathing treasure chest that grows our food, holds plants and is a home to many little creatures that live underneath.

Riyanshi, “ we first put soil in the pot, put our plant then we added water and the plant grew big!”

Jaxx excitedly shouted, “Soil is like the Earth’s skin – we have to look after it!”

The class explored the three main types of soil –gritty sand, sticky clay and crumbly loam – and examined their texture, colour and how each one behaves. Sandy soil was the speedy drainer (perfect for carrots but slips through your fingers like beach sand!)clay soil turned into sticky, moldable playdough that holds water and loam was crowned the “Goldilocks soil” – just right for most plants because it has many nutrients. The children were delighted as they squeezed wet clay between their fingers. They even made their own mini soil shakes in jars, shaking them up and watching the layers settle – a magical rainbow of sand, silt and clay!

Perhaps what really blew their minds was learning how incredibly slow and delicate soil formation is. The children were amazed to learn that it can take up to 1,000 years to form just one centimetre of topsoil! They marvelled at the tiny bits of rocks, decaying plant remains, the crawling earthworms, ants and spiders that make soil so full of life.

After the lesson, the learners promised to be more gentle on the soil.

Arthur O, “I used to think dirt was boring, but now I know it’s important!”