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Not only is mud the perfect medium for scientific experimentation, observation, and inquiry, but most preschoolers love to play with it. The following are some ideas for backyard mud science.

Stick-in-the-Mud Sun Dial Shadow Maker: Hammer a stick vertically into a flat area of mud and watch its shadow as the sun moves across the sky. Use another stick or sharp rock to make marks in the mud to measure the shadow's length and location at different times of the day.

Mud Bricks: Collect samples of topsoil, sand, clay, gravel, and dry leaves and grass. Use plastic storage containers as brick molds. Create various recipes and stir together ingredients into brick batter. Pour each mixture into a brick mold and label each container with its ingredients. Allow the mixtures to dry in the sun for two days. Pop the bricks out of the molds and observe the results. Allow children to play with the bricks and build walls with successful bricks.

Prospecting: Equip children with trowels or small shovels and allow them to dig through layers of soil and observe the changes as they dig deeper. Have them collect different-looking soils and place them in containers for comparison and identification.

Soil Layer Discovery: Fill a jar half full of dirt. Add water and fill to full. Close and tighten the lid. Shake the jar vigorously. Set the jar down and let it sit until the dirt settles into layers. Carefully pour off the water and insert a clear straw to take a core sample. Observe the layers.

Mud Pie: Have children measure out different amounts of water to stir into same-size soil samples in pie tins. Observe and discuss the changes in consistency of the pies as more water is added. Note how much water is required before the soil can no longer absorb it and the water pools on top.

Plant Nutrition: Plant seeds in three pots using different types of soil, i.e., potting soil, compost, and a sample from a dry area outdoors. Compare how fast seedlings appear and how successfully the plants delevop.

Create Soil: Compost food scraps, newsprint, egg shells, etc., and observe the transformation from waste into dark, moist soil. Use it to grow vegetables.

Worm Bin: Create a worm bin with a glass front panel for observing worms within soil.

Root Vegetables: Plant vegetable seeds in a narrow glass terrarium and observe the growth of the vegetables.

Mud is fun, inexpensive, and rich with possibilities for preschool science. Young children learn much just by getting their hands dirty.

Learn more about this author, Sara Mcgrath.
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