Unicorn Class 2012-2013
Magic Garden ABC Book
A is for Apple. The apple is for the compost underground. We
have compost to put the fruit in to help the Earth. Worms eat compost. —Abi, Age 5
B is for Beans that we planted in dirt, sand and soil. It grew in
potting soil and playground soil. Soil has stuff that makes it grow, like humus. —Cole, Age 6
C is for Carrots. We grow carrots and worms help them grow in soil. Soil has nutrients—the food—that sand does not. Carrots won’t grow in sand.
—Coriandra, Age 5
D is for Dig. You can dig soil to plant a seed. Dirt is different than soil; sometimes you can grow stuff in, it but it takes a long time.
—Dariah, Age 6
E is for Earthworm. They dig deep into the Earth to keep warm. They don’t have backbones.
—Isaac, Age 5
F is for Fruit. Fruit is yummy. Animals eat fruit. Fruit goes in the compost.
—Sadie, Age 4
G is for Grow. You put a seed in there—well, first you dig a hole,
then put a seed in and cover it. You water it and water it some more until it grows! —Gredel, Age 5
H is for Humus. Humus helps the plants grow and it is the top layer in the soil. Humus has nutrients in it that feed the plants.
—Hazel, Age 6
I is for Icky soil. It has bugs in it and dead plants. Soil is squishy
and it has worms in it. Soil makes things grow, because soil has worms and worms help the plants. —Jenna, Age 5
J is for Joy. Playing in the dirt and watching the worms squiggle is joyful for me.
—Jameson, Age 6
K is for Kids.
Kids eat food first and then they start to grow, just like worms who eat and grow. And snakes; snakes eat worms. —Sarafina, Age 3
L is for Layers of humus and clay and rock and pebbles. Humus is most important; it’s because it’s more soft than the others.
—Sofia, Age 5
M is for Messy soil. Worms eat messy soil and swallow it and eat rotten plants and make food grows.
—Zeke, Age 3
N is for No. A worm has no hair, no skeletons, no teeth. To they squiggle around.
move,
—Malachi, Age 5
O is for On. Soil is on the earth. Rocks are on soil. There are some bugs that live on the soil…I don’t know all the bugs, but I do know stink bugs, but they stink.
—Coriandra, Age 5
P is for Plants. You have to water plants every single day so they
will grow. Worms help them grow too because they like making them grow. —Clayton, Age 5
Q is for Quiet. Worms are quiet, because they don’t make noises with their mouths, because they don’t have teeth. If they eat a compost apple, you won’t hear it because it doesn’t crunch.
—Jenna, Age 5
R is for Rocks. Rocks and pebbles are at the bottom of the soil jar.
—Tiger, Age 5
S is for Soil. Soil helps plants to grow.
—Sierra, Age 3
T is for Tomatoes. Tomatoes are squishy. Tomatoes grow out of soil because I’ve grown a tomato plant once. Oh, T is also for Topsoil. Top soil is the richest part of the soil. —Tomas, Age 6
U is for Up. Plants grow up. The seed can’t grow without soil. The sun helps plants to grow up, and it wouldn’t help plants to grow down.
—Isaac, Age 5
V is for Very yummy rocks. Worms have a body; they digest in-
side their body. They swallow very yummy rocks to digest their food. —Sebastien, Age 3
W is for Worms. Worms have 5 hearts and they breathe through their skin.
—Yasin, Age 5
X is for X-ray of a worm. If you x-rayed a worm there would be
no bones. Instead you would see segments. The segments let it move. —Tomas, Age 6
Y is for Young earthworm. They grow up quickly—in 90 days!
—Rose, Age 5
Z is for wiggly worms who turn into a Z. I love to pet worms.
—Luke, Age 4
What does a seed need to grow? Why do we plant seeds in soil? How is soil different than dirt? These questions and more guided the Spring, 2013 learning expedition of the Unicorn Class at Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences and began our investigation of soil, sand, dirt, clay, worms and composting. Each preschool and kindergarten student conducted experiments that related to our expedition, such as planting seeds in sand and soil. Each student predicted how seeds might grow, and observed how soil separates in jars with water. Each student tested out different foods that worms eat. Our class learned about worm anatomy and the ways worms help break down compost and turn it into rich soil that will help any garden grow. To create this book, each Unicorn student chose a letter of the alphabet and thought about how it related to our expedition. They molded their letters out of clay and shared an interesting fact. Each student created first and second drafts of their book page. Our ABC Magic Garden Book shares what we learned about seeds, soil and worms. We hope you learn just as much as we did.
Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences 5912 Jaguar Drive Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507 505.438.8585 www.santafeschool.org