Lighthouse Initiative for Texas Classrooms

Soil Tests

(Download the MS Word version of this document.)

Purpose

To test soils for a variety of substances.

Procedure

  1. Obtain several different soils samples; have students bring them in.
  2. Purchase soil test kits.
    • N-P-K test kits (available in most science catalogs at a very reasonable price) are both user friendly and efficient.
    • Texture test kits (also available in most science catalogs) are also very user friendly and efficient.
  3. Have students test their soils according to the instructions in the kit.
  4. Have students research the types of crops/flowers/trees that would grow in their soils.

The activities you can do with this are varied; it lends itself to graphing, predicting, interpreting, etc.

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