In this activity, students find the moisture content of a soil sample and compare it to soil samples from different locations around the school. You can record your data and share it on a soil moisture database – use the form at the bottom of this page.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- observe similarities and differences among soil samples
- measure and record changes in soil moisture content
- use a simple formula to determine soil moisture content
- upload the data to a soil moisture database (optional).
Download the Word file (see link at the bottom of the page) for:
- introduction/background notes
- what you need
- what to do
- extension ideas
- student handout.
Record your data on this data collecting form below, and view the results here. Let's see how much soil moisture data we can collect.
Related activity
The activity, Using soil moisture maps, provides the opportunity to use soil maps as evidence to support and/or critique student data. The soil moisture maps also provide practice with interpreting representations. Both activities have links to real-life contexts, making them ideal for the Engage with science capability.
Related content
Explore some of the important science ideas and concepts around soil with these articles:
Useful link
NASA's Eyes on the Earth site shows the positions of their Earth observation satellites. Use the tabs at the bottom of the page to filter for soil moisture, greenhouse gases and other measurements.
