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The Mole: Future OOTYA Winner? We believe that the Organism Of The Year Award (or better known as the OOTYA) should go to the mole because not only does the mole keep the soil well and healthy, it also makes sure that other organisms have a home. The mole mixes up the subsurface materials with the soil, to make it healthier and better for the Earth. The moles burrows allow the water to infiltrate the ground and helps transport mycorrhizal and other fungus spores. The moles also consume and help control the arthropod population. Soil is important because it helps things grow and flourish. For example, it helps grow crops and food. Soil helps preserve artifacts such as buried treasures and fossils. Disappearing soil is a big challenge the Earth has to face. If the soil disappears, then so does the home of many bugs and organisms. The population is growing too fast and pretty soon; all the soil might be gone. If we run out of soil, catastrophic things could happen. Crops would die, many organisms would lose their home, we would lose the land we walk on, and so much more. Some great empires such as the Aztecs and the Mayans have fallen due to this problem. If their empire can crumble, then so can ours. Therefore, we believe that the mole has taken it onto his shoulders to save the soil. Of course, with the help of other organisms.
Marc Jacobs Fall Collection
Treetastic
Soil whisper
Seed Bombs Marissa and Samantha What you need: Clay powder Seeds of whatever kind Water Buckets/containers Spoon/teaspoon How to make them: 1. Put some clay powder into container . 2. Pour water into container. 3. Put seeds into container. 4. Mix until it has a playdoh consistency. 5. Make into tiny balls. 6. Allow to dry for 5-20 minutes. 7. Throw onto chosen location. Fun Fact: Seed bombs can last up to 3 years without being watered!
Interview with World-renowned Soil Blogger: Ant Hilton Written by: Sammy (What I say is in blue and what he says is in green)
Hi, it’s so nice to see you again! I know, I know, I’m fabulous. Haha. Well how’ve you been since the last time I saw you? I’ve been really well. More people have been picking up on my blog about what’s going on with the soil. That’s amazing! So tell us, what are some of the problems? Well first off, human activities are eroding soil faster then ever before. Wait– let me just stop you there for a second. So you mean that by doing things that we love, we’re putting the Earth in jeopardy? Precisely. Another problem is that it’s disappearing too quickly. That could kill all of our crops! No more fruits and veggies? No more fruits and veggies. This could kill off the world...eventually. Soil is also the home to so many organisms that when all of the soil is gone, so many organisms that are helping the Earth will die off. How can we save the soil? Well, to start off, we can inform people about our predicament. We can also just ensure that the soil in our backyard is healthy. Well that’s all the time we have for today but it was so nice seeing you! You too, you too!
Community Gardens: A new fad sweeping the nation Marissa and Samantha
A community garden is a way for a community to come together and produce fruits and vegetables. At first, community gardens were called victory gardens and were used during WWI and WWII. Back then victory gardens were used for food for communities. People would take food from the victory gardens so that big produce companies would send the fruits and vegetables to the army instead of local stores. The pros of a community garden are knowing where your food comes from, knowing what goes into your food, and having more nutrients than a store-bought product. To the right we have constructed what a propaganda poster for Victory Gardens might look like.
Sammy
Sammy
Prada: Nematode love
Marissa
Have you ever just sat by a flower, or tree, or stick and think about how it was formed? Did you ever stopped and ask: What grew this magnificent rose? Soil. Soil may look simple, but it contains the key ingredient for life. Soil allows all plants to grow, such as trees, flowers, and shrubs. And it is allows for humans to grow (sort of). Because trees provide oxygen (that we breathe) we really owe it to the soil that we’re able to breathe and live.
One Wild and Beautiful Life I stare at the flower. I want to write about its normality. It is ugly. I am scared of the bush filled with bees mocking me with their inability to notice me. The heat drizzles down my neck onto the bones of my back which are jutting rocks falling into my legs with the subtle agility of a cheetah, something I did not know the sun possessed. My eyes are linked with something special. It is not beautiful. Its sleek body fell from the stars and I cannot see its eyes. This body is encompassed in a sun that is extraordinary. A sun who is not wasted by beating down on me and the displays of war. My eyes are transfixed onto a head filled with pulsing chambers of dust and old pianos; this is a wise soul. A soul so unfitting for something bringing terror in it’s wingspan. A wingspan so beautiful for such an ordinary creature. A creature so unfitting for a child’s eyes to behold because no one will listen to this story. A bumble bee who became a hero throughout a poem. Tell me you are not smiling now. A child is crying for parents they do not have. People are starving. Bones stick through skin. Flower dresses are lost in memories that should not have ended. The world is ending. There is no water. 6 million people were killed. Genocide is everywhere. I AM JUST ONE PERSON. I am afraid sometimes. When there are no lights in my house and I hear footsteps. When I see scary things. When I think that one day my mom is not going to walk into my room and smile. When I watch people cry and read about everything wrong with this world. When my favorite shirt is dirty. And there is now. I am not afraid now. It is 5:07. Soon it will be 5:08. I am going to go live. - Emma
Barbaric Yawp I ran along side of the painted fields with fireworks flaming in between the crevasses of palms. Palms that sweat with the crackle of each pound to the earth. I could not have learned to outrun my shadow on the broken bodies then. The youth filled my brain and the soil was rich. Rich with organism that hum the same tune I hear when I feel infinite. The soil lifted me further as I ran. As I took pictures of the wind with my mind. I have created the perfect image inside of the canvas of my mind. Black night, the waves crashing in their own destruction. Survival of the fittest. Broken cities tower my soul, luminous lights, cracked water. My hands balled into their own fury. The world is screaming. Into my mouth Into my eyes Into my ears Into my skin The vein of the leaf runs like shallow string. This line of emeralds does not run smooth. It folds into its own flesh and rips like green paper. It is leaving its other half for another corner of the universe. We are doomed because we do not realize the galaxies inside our own. Inside our fingertips. I am made up of you. Of your decomposed molecules. The mother who danced late at night with her baby makes my smile. The trees make my eyes. I am wise because the wrinkles of happy people make my mind. But, I have love because the soil tells me to listen. The universal heartbeat is strong. The one billion organisms in a teaspoon are pounding on my feet. They are making me. What Chemistry! - Emma
One Wild and Beautiful Life Marissa How can society evolve so much? One day we go from walking around The next we have cars and planes How can nature evolve so much? One day we go from living in a cave or in straw shacks The next we have mansions and skyscrapers How can learning evolve so much? One day we go from all knowing one thing and agreeing on it The next everyone has different opinions on the world How can life evolve so much? Who chose how humans grow and learn?
Barbaric Yawp Marissa Everyone rose from a single seed Everyone dies in the Earth First, you stand on four, then two, then three Then your body becomes one with the dirt Your body meshes with the land The land you’ve walked on for many, many years The land you’ve stepped on, laughed on, Cried on The land that has gave you food, health, Weakness The land that has giving you visions, dreams, Nightmares The land you’ve walked on, ran on Crawled on The land you’ve changed, evolved, Ruined Doesn’t everyone die without reason? Why must we die? To give our place to someone else? “Every time someone dies, another takes their
Barbaric Yawp Sammy
The dirt Crumbles through my Fingers. The worms giving Me light kisses. The rocks protrude out, The sharp edges nicking Me. But that doesn’t matter, Because now I am one with the Earth. I dance on the grass, The dull blades Barely pricking my Feet. I sing to the birds, Their melodic Voices chirping back At me. Where did this Come from? Who decided to make The wondrous creatures? A squirrel’s feet Goes pitter patter As he runs by me. Who made you? I wonder. And the world is Suddenly The most mysterious It will ever be.
Arlington Gardens Sammy Tuning out the commotion Surrounding me, I listen and watch. Buzzing bees gather around The cave of leaves that lie above me. In the distance, an army of lupines get Ready to march into battle. The smell of honey wafts off of The be hive next to me. The flowers’ scent gets Carried into my nose by the Blowing wind. The dirt surrounding my feet Gets kicked up and into my face. The smell getting stronger The nearer it gets. A lunchbox lay beside me. One that has the sensation Of seaweed on the sandy seashore. As I look To my right, I notice Camille Taking notes profusely, As if she was reading an informational Source for an Essay. Leaves blowing in the wind At the pace of a Track runner at the fastest. I crouch down and notice A lone, Poppy flower Sitting under the bench. I allow the sounds that I tuned out To infiltrate my brain. And the beauty that was Once surrounding me, Is now Nothing.
Contest Time!!! Questionnaire made by: Emma
The Chance of a lifetime! If you get the quiz below right, you get a rake signed by master gardener Leigh Adams! Five people will be chosen, first place gets the signed rake, and the other four winners get a free one year subscription to Mammal Weekly! Hurry because winners will be chosen by order of arrival.
Why is soil important? Why are we loosing soil? How many microorganisms are in a tablespoon of dirt? What is a victory garden and when did it start? How does a mole help soil?
Letters From The Editors Dear readers, During this soil unit, I have had so much fun! My favorite part has had to have been the gardening day. I feel that being able to see the before and after really shows what hard work can do. The herb garden and seed bombs were my favorite rotations though. The herb garden because I put the pebbles down and around the stones. I enjoyed the seed bomb rotation because I got to get super dirty and because I was able to plant plants that I will later be able to move into my home garden. I feel like out of everything, the biggest challenge I faced was when we went to the Pasadena Community Garden. That was super challenging because there were spiders everywhere and even though I was freaking out on the inside, I think I put up a good façade of not being scared...at least I hope I did. I have to say that my proudest moment would have to have been walking out of the Community Garden because I am no longer arachnaphobic. Over the last week and a half, I have learned so much about soil and I am now aware of a lot of the problems that are revolving around that subject. The biggest surprise of all was when I found out we were going to make a magazine. That was a little scary because I’ve never made a magazine before! I have to say, this magazine turned out pretty good though. I am very proud of all the work I have put into this unit and I am now able to say that I came out a different person (out of the unit). This was probably my favorite unit out of the two because of all of the hands-on work. Sincerely one of your editors, Sammy
Dear Readers, When we first started soil unit I wondered why we need to know this and what we were going to do. The first few days (that we’re packed with field trips) seemed meaningless even though we were surrounded by such a beautiful landscape. This got me thinking: is it possible that because technology has evolved and changed and made almost everything doable that the newest generation has gotten used to sitting inside and not caring about nature? The answer is yes. Now everyone is stuck on what new iPhone is coming out in nine months, what movie is going to hit the top box office, and what new video game is going to come out, Because we had spent so much time worrying about this we have taken our attention away from the one beautiful planet that we are now destroying with air pollution and global warming. After we started getting more involved with everything I found the unit much more fun. Today (which was out last day of activities) I thought it was fun that since we learned about the different plants and the problem with soil we were able to put our knowledge to work by helping Westridge. We got to make our own seed bombs, and plant a garden outside the Commons with herbs. Sincerely, Marissa
Dear Readers, I came to school, the day of the soil unit knowing absolutely nothing about soil or that we were even doing a unit on it. And now I understand exactly how important it is to us and that soil keeps us alive and without it, we would perish. I enjoyed the soil unit a lot more than I expected and the knowledge of a brilliant, amazing, vibrant, GIANT ecosystem that I never thought about or even knew about is right under my feet is eye opening and makes me feel alive and connected. My favorite activities were a tie between the Fibonacci numbers, the different stations where we learned about gardening and the Discanso gardens. I loved the Fibonacci numbers because one, I love patterns and problems like this and I understood it right away which doesn’t happen that often in math for me and two, when I went outside and looked at the plants up close, I saw how many of the plants were Fibonacci numbers. I also really loved the different stations for gardening because I felt super green and I got really dirty and learned a lot. I was amazed by how important trees really are and I went through the rest of the day looking at trees differently. Planting herbs for the commons garden felt really satisfying and one of the best feelings was stepping away and looking at all the plants we had managed to plant. Lastly, going to Discanso gardens was beautiful and I loved hiking. The last time I went to Discanso I was helping out with a bunch of energetic four year olds and going there again with the newfound knowledge of plants and soil made it much more interesting and relaxing then the last time J One thing that challenged me this week was trying to participate in class more and get my hands dirty and not be afraid of bugs.
I don’t participate enough in class sometimes and it leads to not taking chances. I really wanted to put myself out there and take risks and I feel like by doing that I learned a lot more. I really proud of myself when we were learning about the Fibonacci numbers because I understood them and it felt good to be able to say the answer and get what I was saying. The soil unit taught me so much and I want to help the environment. I had no idea how much soil we are loosing and how badly it is going to affect us. The pesticides and chemicals we are putting into the environment are killing the organisms and making it so they provide for the plants needs which is putting a whole ecosystem in danger. Every time I walk somewhere I try to remember exactly what soil is and how much we rely on it. I see plants, trees, soil and even bugs with so much more appreciation. This has been a really cool expierence and I would love to do it again. I could easily go speak at Harvard about soil. “The conscience is the most flexible material in the world. Today you cannot stretch it over a molehill; while tomorrow it can hide a mountain.� ~Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
Which nature Element Are You Most Like? You’re favorite food
Anything with meat
Salad You’re nails are: The movie that always makes you cry Titanic
Always painted
Plain
The Not ebo o
Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield?
k
No
Yes Best Celebrity Couple Ever? Elounor
Fav band
Perfect Shoe
Brangelena 1D
Heels
The wanted nv
Earth You love to live!
Air You flow in the wind
Fire You’re spicy!
e
Co rse
Water You go with the flow!
Sands