Soil

Bhoomi and Surya help Ajji prepare her garden for vegetables. She asks them to dig gently and break the lumps, because the spaces between soil particles give air and room for roots to grow. In the soil they find small pebbles, plant roots and a few earthworms. Earthworms are natural helpers: they turn and loosen the soil.

Look closely at soil samples from different places. Soil contains sand, insects and worms, and many tiny organisms too small to see with your eyes alone. Plants and animals also become part of the soil when they decay. Soils from different places may be different colours, because they contain different materials.

How is soil made? Rocks are broken apart by the Sun (heating and cooling), water and living organisms, into smaller and smaller pieces. This takes a very long time: thousands of years.

There are different types of soil. Some are good for growing certain plants; some are good for making bricks for buildings. Soil is a precious treasure that supports the variety of living things.