Dirty hands were on the schedule for the EcoThink students this month. First they took samples from the parking lot trees, the front garden, and the rain garden, mixed them with water, and then allowed them to settle into sand, silt, clay, and organics. We then explored the textures of different soils with our guest Claudia Christensen Garcia from Portland Public Schools and Erica Stokes from West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District. For some of the students, it was their first time making 'mud pies'! They were able to make observations about the soil balls that they made as they smelled and squished it through their fingers. We all realized how we need to amend the soil in several of our gardens to make it a better environment for the plants that we will add next month.
