My Science Box

Getting Ready
For habitat survey:

1. Contact the proper authorities/property owners/neighbors to obtain permission to bring your students to your chosen survey site.
2. Copy Habitat Survey Sheets. Make extra copies of the last 2 pages for the vegetation and insect surveys to bring with you in case students find more examples of plants or insects than their sheet allows them to fill in.
3. Prepare “creek kits” with: petri dish, pH paper, water, paper towels, ziplock bag, spoon or small hand trowel, hand lens or magnifying glass, 4 meter length of string tied into a knot every 1 meter, scotch tape, and stakes.
4. Prepare teacher bag.
5. Arrange transportation to and from the survey site.

For classroom analysis:

1. Set up an example of a Soil separation test and a Tullgren funnel test at each of those stations.
2. Prepare 2 stations around the classroom with the materials needed to conduct that test and a printout of the instructions.

• Soil separation: 15 ml tubes, alum, ruler, labels, 2 different soils labeled in plastic cups, spoons
• Tullgren Funnel: lightbulbs, funnels, cheesecloth squares, funnel holder, petridishes or cups, labels, 2 different soils labeled in plastic cups, spoons