The Essentials: Soil and Water

Hello Family and Friends!

We kicked off our lesssons with a lecture and lab on soil. Each student brought soil from that host families’ house, and we tested for organic matter (with hydrogen peroxide) and applied Munsell’s color chart for classification. After a lunch at the mall, Airport Junction, we headed to the neighborhood Block 7 to observe soil erosion effects first hand. Walking around Block 7, we learned how most families clean their yards by removing the plants, but this puts the land at risk for water erosion. Erosion pulls away the fertile topsoil, pilling it in the road and ditch.

The next day, our teacher Tiego began with a lecture and lab about water. With different water samples, we tested for turbidity, pH, conductivity, temperature, and total dissolved solute. These lectures on soil and water provide a foundation to the environment and resources available to the animals we will learn more about!

Thursday afternoon we visited a local private school, Maru-a-pula. We enjoyed lunch there and played sports with the local students. We all played a game of Ultimate Frisbee, followed by hacky sac, while some students played soccer, netball, basketball, or rugby.

Have a great weekend!