Recommended time
Minimum 2 hours

Although the field trip to conduct the Underground Network soil experimentation tests most likely will not require traveling far, it should be coordinated as carefully as a full-blown trip:

• Make a contingency plan in case of unexpected events such as bad weather.
• Discuss safety and appropriate conduct.
• Map out a schedule to ensure that sufficient time is allotted for all activities.

Make sure that participants have a clear focus and goal on the day of the trip:

• Everyone should work with a partner.
• To ensure that all the activities are covered, make a list of the activities and either assign or have partners volunteer to do specific activities.
• Assign special tasks, such as taking photos and recording video clips.
• Discuss how the equipment and materials will be shared.
• Review the field trip journal worksheets and the activity descriptions as a group.

For soil structure tests:

• Soil sample
• Spray bottle of water
• A quart-size jar with a lid or a 2-liter bottle
• Funnel, if using a 2-liter bottle
• Pencil or small stick
• Ruler
• Empty soup can with both ends removed
• Watch with a second hand
• Permanent marker
• Clipboards, field journal worksheets and extra paper
• Pencils and pens
• Optional: Pure samples of sand, silt and clay for comparison (contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District for information on how to get samples)

For scientific variables measurements:

• Celsius thermometer
• Soil thermometer, if available (can be purchased at garden stores)
• Cardboard tube (can use paper towel roll)
• Clipboards, field journal worksheets and extra paper
• Pencils and pens

For drawing and writing about organisms:

• A metric measuring tape
• Five sticks, stakes or pencils
• A piece of string or yarn at least 2.5 meters (8 feet) long with a loop tied at one end
• Two permanent markers of different colors
• Trowels or spoons
• Paper plates or white paper
• Hand lenses
• Margarine tubs or glass jars with holes poked in the top
• Ziploc baggies
• Clipboards, field journal worksheets and extra paper
• Pencils and pens

General

• Camera that can take still photos
• Camera that can record video
• Hand-held tape recorder (to record people talking and insect or animal sounds)
• A copy of One Small Square by Donald Silver or a similar book for looking up insects, worms and animals

Extension activities
Make a terrarium (a mini-ecosystem, like an aquarium, but with soil) to continue observing living things in soil. Check out the following sites for suggestions on how to make one:

San Francisco Exploratorium
In the "learning how to observe" section of this article, a third-grade teacher describes how her class makes terrariums using 2-liter soda bottles.

North Dakota State University
General suggestions for making a terrarium.

Franklin Institute
Lots of links to sites about ecosystems and related topics such as aquariums, ant farms and terrariums.