Soil Erosion Hands-on Science Kit

Making Mudslides and Worms

If you’re looking for ways to create mudslides or “soil worms,” you’re in the right place. The Soil Erosion Hands-on Science Kit provides all of the supplies (except for a bag of topsoil) to conduct four soil erosion experiments:

Mission 1: Operation “Soil Texture”

Students create “soil worms” out of samples of sand, silt, and clay. This experiment demonstrates the differences among the three main types of soil particles. It also shows the relationship between soil texture and soil erosion.

Mission 2: Operation “Shake, Rattle, and Roll”

Students place a sand/silt/clay mixture into a container of water, then shake. They watch as the larger sand particles settle to the bottom first, followed by a layer of silt. The tiny clay particles remain suspended in water for a long time. Like the first experiment, this activity demonstrates differences among sand, silt, and clay. It also links soil texture and soil erosion.

Mission 3: Operation “Raindrops and Bombs”

Students create rain (using spray bottles) on pans of bare soil, soil covered with a small amount of straw, and soil covered with large amounts of straw. They observe how raindrops splash soil particles onto “splashboards”—pieces of cardboard placed in the pans. This experiment demonstrates how ground cover protects the soil from splash erosion.

Mission 4: Operation “Undercover”

Students apply rain on large pans of bare soil, straw-covered soil, and grass-covered soil. This mission dramatically demonstrates how ground cover can protect the soil from the scouring power of run-off.

Target Age

These activities target students from kindergarten through sixth grade.

Kit Supplies

Here’s what you’ll receive in the Soil Erosion Hands-on Science Kit:

Materials for Mission #1

• 10 plastic bags of sandy soil
• 10 plastic bags of silty soil
• 10 plastic bags of clay soil

Materials for Mission #2

• 10 clear, 16-ounce plastic containers with lids
• A large plastic bag containing a mixture of sand, silt, and clay
• A 1/8-cup scoop

Materials for Mission #3

• 18 square, disposable cake pans, 8" × 8" × 13/4"
• 18 cardboard splashboards
• 6 sprinkling containers
• 6 small bundles of straw
• 6 large bundles of straw

Materials for Mission #4

• 3 rectangular, aluminum cake pans, 151/2" × 101/2" × 2"
• 1 rectangular, disposable cake pan, 13" × 9" × 2"
• Rye grass seeds
• Bag of straw
• 3 sprinkling containers (same ones used for Mission #3)
• 3 clear, 32-ounce containers

Other Materials

• 40 Top-Secret File Folders
• 1 Soil Erosion Teacher’s Packet, which includes The Disappearing Earth book, the Mission Possible teacher’s guide, a Secret Agent Worm poster, 40 E.A.R.T.H. stickers, 40 Secret Agent Worm bookmarks, and 6 activity sheets.

Replacement Pack

A replacement pack includes items that are used up each time you run the experiments. It includes 10 bags each of sand, silt, and clay soil; 40 top-secret file folders; a 1-gallon bag of soil mixture (sand, silt, clay); 18 cardboard splashboards; 6 small bundles of straw; 6 large bundles of straw; 1 packet of rye grass seed; and a 1-gallon bag of straw.

Learning Standards

Find out how the Secret Agent Worm materials meet National Science Education Standards and Illinois Learning Standards.

To Order

Soil Erosion Hands-on Science Kit: $210
Product Number: AK-11
Order a Soil Erosion Hands-on Science Kit online.

Replacement Pack: $68
Product Number: AK-11.1
Order a Replacment Pack online.

To order a Soil Erosion Hands-on Science Kit or replacement kit by phone, call our toll-free number: 1-800-345-6087.

Visa and MasterCard accepted

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Association for Communication Excellence