Dirt Camp

• Grades: 1-3
• Number of Students: Up to 30
• Contact Hours: 12+
• Additional Resources: Flyer

Make Like a Mole and Dig into Dirt Camp!

In Dirt Camp, young learners collaborate, reflect and problem-solve their way through a hands-on exploration of the origins and make-up of dirt. Build like a beaver. Tunnel like an ant. Burrow like a crayfish. Experience how techniques from animal, insect, plant and even fungi friends help humans to construct and cultivate. Delve into the differences between dirt and soil and apply this loamy lore to design an ideal farm. Through a multi-subject integration approach, learners will delight in rolling up their sleeves to experiment, engineer and excavate.

Subject Targets: 

• Earth Science
• Life Science
• Physical Science
• Engineering Design
• Math
• English Language Arts

Each Activity Includes:

• Schedule
• Materials List
• Topic Background Information
• Step-By-Step Directions
• Optional Extension Activities

Curriculum Topics:

• Properties of Dirt
• Mudshakes and Dirt Art
• Weathering
• Soil Erosion
• pH Testing of Soil for Farming
• Animal Soil Engineers Above and Below Ground
• Bug Hunt: Tunnelers, Decomposers and Hunters
• The Wood Wide Web and Fungi
• Malian Mudcloths
• Engineering with Dirt
• Build an Adobe Farm

Complete Program Includes:

Dirt Camp comes with all the supplies needed for 30 students to complete 12 one-hour activities:

• Instructor Guide: 1
• Printed Student Journals: 31
• Burrowing Animal Cut-Outs: 31
• Bug Guides: 6
• Sheet of Labels: 1
• Curriculum Digital Download: 1
• Large Storage Tub: 1
• Small Storage Tub: 1
• Hard Plastic Containers (6 quart): 6
• #2 Pencils (12 pk): 3
• Baking Soda (8 oz box): 1
• Blank Paper (8 1/2" x 11", 500 sheets): 1
• Clay (8 lb bucket): 1
• Children's Scissors: 5
• Colored Pencils (12 pk): 5
• Deli Containers with Lids (16 oz, 50 pk): 1
• Food Coloring (4 color pack): 1
• Garden Lime (6.75 lb): 1
• Ice Cube Trays: 10
• Lava Rock (10 cups): 1
• Magnifying Glasses: 10
• Markers (8 pk): 1
• Masking Tape Roll: 1
• Measuring Cup: 1
• Paintbrushes (30 pk): 1
• Paper Cups (4 oz): 20
• Paper Plates: 100
• Paper Towel Roll: 1
• Pea Gravel (10 cups): 1
• Pencil Sharpeners: 6
• PH Strips (200 pk): 1
• Pipettes: 50
• Pitchers: 5
• Popsicle Sticks (1000 pk): 1
• Rulers: 5
• Silt (32 oz): 1
• Skittles (2.17 oz): 1
• Sphagnum Peat Moss (10 quarts): 1
• Spoons: 50
• Straws: 250
• Sugar Cubes (1 lb): 1
• Table Covers: 6
• Toilet Paper Roll: 1
• Topsoil (18 quarts): 1
• Vinegar (1 quart): 1
• White Liquid Glue (4 oz): 7
• Ziploc Bags (1 gallon): 5

Note: Educators will need to purchase 20 lbs of sand separately.

Standards & Alignment:

Habits of Mind:

16 thinking habits developed by Art Costa and Bena Kallick to empower students to succeed in a 21st-century learning environment.

• Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations
• Creating, Imagining, and Innovating
• Finding Humor
• Gathering Data Through All Senses
• Listening with Understanding and Empathy
• Managing Impulsivity
• Persisting
• Remaining Open to Continuous Learning
• Responding with Wonderment and Awe
• Striving for Accuracy
• Taking Responsible Risks
• Thinking & Communicating with Clarity and Precision
• Thinking About Thinking
• Thinking Flexibly
• Thinking Interdependently

21st Century Skills:

A set of widely-applicable abilities essential for success in the information age.

• Communication and Collaboration
• Creativity and Innovation
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Flexibility and Adaptability
• Initiative and Self-Direction
• Information, Media, and Technology Literacy
• Leadership and Responsibility
• Productivity and Accountability
• Social and Cross-Cultural Skills

© 2019 Battelle for Kids. battelleforkids.org. All Rights Reserved. Battelle for Kids was not involved in the production of this product and does not endorse it.

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.2: Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.1: Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.G.A.1: Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces. Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1: Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.4: Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.

© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

Next Generation Science Standards: