Bring In the Clean-up Crew
http://www.nps.gov/olym/hand/Item/decomp.htm
Purpose: To observe the rate of decay of various materials.
Materials: Small hand shovel, glove, various items that can fit into a sock, 4 old cotton socks.
Procedure:
Take the materials to a garden or a place that people won't mind you digging four holes.
Dig four holes in a row about an inch apart. The holes should be deep enough for the socks to be place in tow first and still have an inch of their tops sticking out of the ground.
Mark each sock with a permanent marker, labeling the material inside. Weigh the material before placing in the ground.
Bury the socks.
Make a map of the area recording the date time and place of each part of the experiment.
Record on your calendar a period of one month as the date to check the data. Check the weight of each item.
Bury the sock again.
Continue to record the date that you will record the data.
Check on your materials once a month. Once the ground freezes, wait until spring.
Questions:
What item decomposed first? Why?
What item decomposed last?
What is in the ground that helped breakdown the materials that you brought to school?
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