Author Description

These activities, for grades Kindergarten through six, bring the natural world inside, deepening student understanding of and connection to all living things. The activities begin with an exploration of soil. Teams of students design and construct terrariums for the classroom. Sowbugs, earthworms, and crickets are placed in the terrarium habitat and students observe and record changes over time. There are detailed instructions on setting up and maintaining the terrariums, along with concise and interesting biological information on a number of possible small organisms (such as sow bugs, earthworms, and snails) that can become terrarium inhabitants. Special features include an optional soil profile test for older students and making 3decomposition bags to learn more about the natural life cycle.