FerienKinderUni: "Soil research workshop - What a mess!"

Monday, July 24 to Friday, July 28, 2023 9.00-16.00 (ALL DAY)

Age 8 to 12 years
Number: max. 18 children
Time: daily from 9.00 - 16.00
Location: Tropical Greenhouse of the University of Kassel, Steinstraße 19, 37213 Witzenhausen
Registration: binding until: 15.07.2023 . Tel: 05542-72812, tropengewaechshaus[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
Costs: 100 - 120 €/child according to self-assessment (reduced on request) incl. materials

Children should wear sturdy and weather-appropriate clothing.
With agricultural engineer Ines Fehrmann and student Tony Lindenau.

Soil: we walk and stand on it, we eat plants that grow in and on it, we use it for works of art; we build playgrounds and schools on it, but what actually is soil?
For five days, the children explore the secret goings-on in the dark under expert guidance. With sensory experiences in the tropical greenhouse and in the teaching and learning garden, with practical investigations and free research assignments, they explore the miracle of soil, its inhabitants and find out why this "dirt" is so important to us. The children decide democratically how the program should be adapted to their wishes.

They have to answer a whole series of questions. On Monday, the questions are: What is soil - is it alive or dead? Has soil always been there? How long does it take for it to develop and how does this development take place and what does the climate have to do with it? The children explore the diversity with all their senses, feeling, smelling, hearing and seeing different types of soil. After all, there is soil in the desert, in the rainforest and in the sea, in the garden and in the field.

Soil animals take center stage on Tuesday. The researchers will take a close look at the inhabitants of the soil, as there are often more creatures living in a handful of soil than there are people on our planet. The aim is to find out which of them has which task.

Wednesday is reserved for the plants that grow in the soil - what exactly do they need it for? Does every plant like the same soil? What happens to the leaves when they fall to the ground? Why are there old leaves under some plants in the greenhouse? The children explore the basics of agriculture and horticulture, discover what makes fertile soil and how it can be preserved.

On Thursday, the focus is on people who need the soil and influence, cultivate or perhaps destroy it. How much fertile soil is there and is it enough for everyone in the world? How does it influence people's lives and what does that have to do with us? We cannot live without soil, but the soil flies away or flows away - how does this happen and how can we stop it? The children find out the answers in practical experiments.

On Friday, the children will follow the path of water through the soil. Where does the rain go? Isn't our drinking water also in the soil? Can we manage to build a water filter from soil so that "dirty water" becomes clear again? The importance of soil during heavy rainfall or drought also needs to be researched.

Between the research tasks, there is plenty of time to get creative and design soil artworks - from tree faces and colorful soil pictures to clay artworks. Walks in the surrounding area show us examples of soil care or sealing, and of course there is also time for soil stories and games. To keep up with the strenuous research work, we prepare a "down-to-earth" meal together at lunchtime - whatever the soil has to offer!

Further information
Tropengewächshaus Universität Kassel
Steinstraße 19, 37213 Witzenhausen
Tel.: 05542-981231 Email: tropengewaechshaus[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
Homepage: www.tropengewaechshaus.de