Centre: Soil Sensory Tub Explicit / Intentional Teaching Centre: Making Soil

Invite children to explore and investigate
different types of soil using their senses.
Looking, feeling and smelling the different
types of soils.
Resources:
 Variety of types of soil
 Magnifying glasses
 Sensory tray
Key questions:
 What can you find in the soil?
 What does it look like?
 What does it smell like?
 What does it feel like?
Mat session:
 Empty out a pot plant
 Discuss what the plant is growing in
 Invite children to investigate the soil, use
key questions to promote discussion
Introduction:
 Explain objectives
 Explain activities
Key questions:
 What does the plant grow in?
 What does the soil feel like?
 How does the soil smell?
 What does the soil look like?
Invite children to make their own soil by
selecting and mixing different soils and soil
components together with using either their
hands or tools provided.
Resources:
 Variety of types of soil and soil
components (e.g. white sand, dirt, wood
chips, small pebbles)
 Mixing bowls
 Empty pots
 Gardening gloves (optional for children)
 Spoons, scoops, tongs

Centre: Planting Seeds Conclusion: Centre: Pouring Soils

Invite children to plant seeds into different
types of soil/soil components. Over the next
few days/weeks, children can care for their
seeds to investigate which soils/soil
components seeds can grow in.
Resources:
 Plant seeds (e.g. herb seeds)
 Variety of types of soil and soil
components (e.g. potting mix, dirt, beach
sand, pebbles, children’s soil from ‘Making
Soil’ activity
 Water in spray bottles
 Recycled tins or small pots
 Masking tape & marker (to label the pots)
 Invite children sit in a circle on the mat Invite children to explore the properties of
 Invite children to discuss their findings different types of soil and soil components
Question prompts: What does soil feel like? using a range of pouring tools provided.
What does soil look like? What does soil smell Resources:
like?  Variety of types of soil and soil
components
 Funnels
 Water wheels
 Cups, jugs, spoons
 Water
 Large tub/tray (or in sandpit)
Key questions:
 What makes the wheel spin fast/slow?
 What goes through the funnel
fastest/slowest?
 Centre: Sediment jars Objective/s: Centre: Soil painting
Invite children to make their own sediment  Use descriptive language to describe soil Invite children to make their own ‘soil paint’ by
jars. To create the sediment jars, fill jar to ¾ mixing soil with glue then paint using the ‘soil
full with water, pour soil into the jar, screw on paint’.
lid, shake jar, place jar down and watch the Resources:
soil separate.  Soil mixed with PVA glue (soil paint)
Resources:  Paint brushes
 Recycled jars/containers/bottles  Variety of resources to paint on (e.g.
 Water paper, bark, leaves, rocks)
 Soil
 Funnels
 Scoops/spoons

Assessment and Recording

Children’s use of descriptive language should be recorded through anecdotal notes (particular children who have been struggling may require the use of
running records to assess the full extent of their language ability).

Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.

Outcome One: Children have a
strong sense of identity.
Children feel safe, secure and
supported.
Children develop their emerging
autonomy, inter-dependence,
resilience and sense of agency.
Children develop
knowledgeable and confident
self-identities.
Children learn to interact in
relation to others with care,
empathy and respect.
Outcome Two:
Children are connected to and contribute
to their world.
Children develop a sense of belonging to
groups and communities and an
understanding of the reciprocal rights and
responsibilities necessary for active
community participation.
Children respond to diversity with respect.
Children become aware of fairness.
Children become socially responsible and
show respect for the environment.
Outcome Three: Children have a
strong sense of wellbeing.
Children become strong in their
social and emotional wellbeing.
Children take an increasing
responsibility for their own
health and physical wellbeing.
Outcome Four: Children are
confident and involved learners.
Children develop dispositions for
learning such as curiosity,
cooperation, confidence, creativity,
commitment, enthusiasm,
persistence, imagination and
reflexivity.
Children develop a range of skills
and processes such as problem
solving, inquiry, experimentation,
hypothesising, researching and
investigating.
Children transfer and adapt what
they have learned from one context
to another.
Children resource their own
learning through connection with
people, place, technologies, and
natural and processed materials.
Outcome Five: Children are
effective communicators.
Children interact verbally and non-
verbally with others for a range of
purposes.
Children engage with a range of
texts and gain meaning from these
texts.
Children express ideas and make
meaning using a range of media.
Children being to understand how
symbols and pattern systems work.
Children use information and
communication technologies to
access information, investigate
ideas and represent their thinking.