United States 

Department of

Agriculture 

Farm Service Agency 

Natural Resources 

Conservation Service 

April 2008 

Farm Service Agency 

Helping People Help the Land 
Soil Is Alive 

What Makes Soil Alive?
 

We can all see things that live on the soil such as plants, animals and people, but did you know there are a lot 

of things that live in the soil? Things living in the soil are called soil organisms. Some organisms are 

big enough to be seen with your eyes, other organisms are so small they can only been seen 

with a magnifying glass or a microscope. The job of the organisms is to keep the soil healthy. Sprintgtail’s “Springtail” is one of the soil organisms that help keep soil alive and healthy. We will follow real-life 

Springtail throughout this activity book as he explores the soil beneath his feet, bugs, storing size 

carbon and mineral matter in the soil, and painting with soil. 

Soil is a living thing – it is very slowly moving, changing and growing all the time. Just like other living things, 

soil breathes and needs air and water to stay alive. Healthy, living soil provides us with our everyday needs. 

Not only the obvious things such as food, grass, plants and trees but also some not-so-obvious things like 

medicines, paint, paper, ink, chalk and shampoo just to name a few. 

Soil Sprouts Life 

Soil supports all kinds of living activities. It nourishes crops that we use for food and trees that we use for 

building materials. Wildlife and livestock survive by eating plants that grow on the soil. We build houses and 

roads on top of the soil. 

soil textures gravely or sandy soil 

Clay feels 

sticky when Loam is a combination 

1 3 wet. of sand, silt, and clay. 14 4 

clay 2 

Sand feels Silt feels 5 

coarse and silky smooth 

gritty. when wet. 13 6

loam 

11 8

7 12 

sand silt 

A different type of soil is written in each picture 

box. Connect the dots to see the type of activity 

for which that soil is well-suited. 

10 9 

5 

loamy organic soil 

11 

steep or stony soil 

4 6 10 12 

1 2 

3 

8 

7 9 13 

14 

36 

37 

15 

16 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 

12 

35 

34 

17 

18 

19 

44 46 45 43

47 

48 

49 50 

13 

19 14

33 

31 

32 

27 

29 28

30 

25 

26 

23 

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22 

20 30 

31 

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3334 

35 

38 37 

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42 

36 

15 

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23 22 

24 

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Page 2 
Soil Is Alive 

Right Beneath Your Feet 

When you look at soil can you see the different layers? These layers in the 

soil are called soil horizons. 

The O horizon is the top layer. It is Soil 

Horizons made up of plant litter and keeps the 

soil very healthy. The plant litter 

decomposes into nutrients 

that enrich the soil and 

form the next layer. 

1. 

The A horizon is the 

living layer. This layer 

is also called the topsoil and is 2. 

where the roots of plants grow best. 

It is also where bacteria and fungi 

live that help the soil stay fertile and 

hold water. Springtail does his best 

work in the O and A horizons. 

The B horizon is a tough layer. This 

layer is also called subsoil; plants 3. 

and animals have a hard time getting 

through the B horizon. This layer has a 

lighter color and is formed from the 

accumulation of clay minerals and other 

compounds that seep down from above. 

The C horizon can be very deep. 

It has less living stuff in it than any of 

the layers above. The C layer is 

formed by parent material that is 

created from weathered rock. 4. 

Below the soil horizons is the 

hardest layer of all: bedrock! 

Can you write the letter of each soil 

horizon next to the numbers in the picture? 

Edible Soil Recipe 

You can make edible soil with food that looks like all the different soil horizons. What you will 

need: Clear cup, cookies, vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding, and sprinkles
 

1. Place a whole cookie at the bottom of the cup. The cookie symbolizes the bedrock found under the soil. 

2. Crumble up a cookie or two and drop the pieces on top of the whole cookie. The crumbled pieces symbolize 

the C horizon and parent material. 

3. Spread vanilla pudding over the cookies. The light pudding symbolizes the B horizon and the subsoil. 

4. Spread the chocolate pudding over the vanilla. The dark pudding symbolizes the A horizon and all the 

nutrients found in topsoil. 

5. Drop the sprinkles on the top. The sprinkles symbolize the O horizon and the plant litter above the topsoil. 

Page 3 
Soil Is Alive 

Bugs in the System 

Let’s take an even closer look at the soil. An area that includes the soil and all living and nonliving things 

within it is called a soil ecosystem. If you look at soil under a magnifying glass, you’ll find some tiny critters 

that are part of a healthy soil ecosystem. They help keep the soil alive and growing. Some of them are 

especially wanted by farmers and ranchers to make their soil better for growing plants. Springtail and others 

like him are good for the soil because they chew up litter like dead grass and leaves into small pieces that 

bacteria and fungi can decompose. Decomposition means the pieces are broken down so small they become 

part of the soil. The decomposed plant and animal material is called organic matter and it is one of the major 

components of soil. 

See if you can find these critters in the soil ecosystem picture. Put a circle around the ones you find or color 

them YELLOW for YES, they are wanted in the soil. 

Springtail Mold Shredder Soil Mite 

Is good for the soil because 

they release nutrients plants 

need and eat diseases 

caused by fungi. 

This fungus decomposes 

plant litter and returns 

nutrients to the soil. 

Shreds a lot of litter for 

bacteria and fungi to 

decompose. 

This bug is good for 

the soil because it is a 

shredder. 

Millipede 

It is called predatory because it 

hunts other soil organisms that 

eat helpful bacteria and fungi. 

Predatory Soil Mite 

Is wanted for fixing 

nitrogen from the air in 

soil so plants can use it. 

Blue-Green 

Algae 

Earthworms move soil from lower 

strata up to the surface and move What else do you see in this 

organic matter from the soil soil ecosystem? surface to lower layers. 

Page 4 
Soil Is Alive 

Soil: The Carbon Catcher!
 

Carbon sequestration is a fancy way of saying carbon storage. Carbon dioxide is a gas that may contribute to 

global warming if released in the air. Storing carbon can help keep our planet cool. 

In Montana, farmers, ranchers, and foresters help keep carbon out of the air by planting crops, maintaining 

healthy grasslands, and planting trees. Farmers help store carbon because the roots of their crops put carbon 

into the ground. When its harvest time, farmers can practice "no-till" or leaving the stumps and roots of the old 

crops in the ground. Plowing or tilling the ground releases the carbon into the air. 

Ranchers help store carbon because the grass their livestock depend on adds carbon to the soil through vast 

root systems that stretch for miles. Because rangeland is the largest portion of Montana's agricultural land, 

ranchers must be careful because overgrazing can cause soil compaction and prevent carbon from entering 

the soil. 

Foresters help store carbon by planting trees and managing forests. Every year, a tree adds a new tree ring; 

this is another layer of carbon that the tree stores. By reducing hazardous fuels, foresters can also prevent 

forest fires. Forest and range fires release the carbon stored by trees and grasses into the air. 

Soil is a great carbon catcher because it holds the roots of crops, grasses, and trees and also catches their 

fallen residue like leaves and pine needles. Over time, the soil stores more and more carbon keeping the air 

clean and free of carbon gases. Now that’s cool! 

Can you help make better air by labeling the different parts of the picture with the following words: 

gases trees roots plowing organic matter no-till healthy air fire

Ways to Store Carbon	 Ways We Release Carbon 

1. 

6. 

2. 

7. 

3. 

8. 

 Forest 

 soil with 

4. 

5.	 lots of roots 

and residue to 

store carbon is 

 one of Springtail’s 

 favorite places 

 to live. 

Page 5 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soil Is Alive 

Minerals Matter
 

What color is soil? It’s not all just brown. Look closely and you will see some different colors. The color of the 

soil depends on what it’s made of. Soil with lots of organic matter usually looks brown or black. Other colors 

like yellow, red, or white come from the mineral matter component of the soil. 

Black/Dark Brown All these words have something to do with soil color. Find and Soil that has high organic matter 

content and nutrients for plants. circle them in the word puzzle. 

Yellow or Gold MINERAL K L S I L T Y O S P 

Soil from certain sandstones. 

Light Brown 

Clay soils with low organic 

BLACK 

ORGANIC 

YELLOW 

E 

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B 

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L 

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A 

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C 

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K 

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A 

O 

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W 

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S 

matter content. Soils formed SANDSTONE A E U V B A S D J O 

mainly in materials left from 

ancient sea beds. BROWN B I R O N Y K V G R 

Red 

CLAY R Q R E D E M S T G 

Soil with high iron content. RED C R E A M Y S P V A 

White or Cream 

Soil with high amounts of lime or

IRON 

CREAM S A N D S T O N E N 

formed in wind-blown silty LIME M I N E R A L Y N I 

material. SILTY T O C C B R O W N C 

Under the Microscope 

These soil photos were taken through a microscope. What color do you think each soil might be? 

Write the color next to the photo. 

When iron crystalizes in soils, it can Under a microscope, sand grains 

look like this under the microscope. look as big as gravel stones. 

1. 2. 

Soil Paint Recipe 

1. Prepare soil samples: 

Collect samples of soils with different colors and textures (about 2/3 cup). 

Remove grass, rocks, roots, and bugs from the samples you collected. 

Air-dry the soil samples. 

Once they are dry, place the soil samples in resealable freezer bags, one for each type of soil. 

Use a rolling pin to break down the large chunks in each sample. 

Pour the contents of one bag into a sifter with large mesh. 

Sift the soil onto a paper plate. Discard the large particles that separate out during sifting. 

Repeat these steps for each bag of soil. 

2. For each soil color, pour the finely sifted soil into a plastic cup, filling them about two-thirds full. 

3. Add enough water to each cup to make a batter the consistency of a “mud-brownie.” Stir until combined. 

4. Add about one teaspoon of acrylic medium (available at arts and crafts stores) to each cup. Stir until smooth. 

 Add more medium if needed. 

5. Be careful. Add only a little liquid at a time. If you add too much, the color will be too light in the paintings. 

Page 6 
Soil Is Alive 

Try out the soil paint you made by painting Springtail in this picture of soil organisms. You can use 

other paint, crayons, or colored pencils too. 

Page 7 
 

Finish

Start

Springtail 

Answer Key 

page 5 page 3 page 8 page 6 

04/08/MT Page 8 USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 

Conserving and protecting the soil is the best way to make sure the soil stays alive and healthy. We can all do 

our part in keeping the soil healthy. When growing crops, we can let the unused parts of the plants return to 

the soil as organic matter. Our food scraps and grass clippings can be placed into a compost bin and put back 

into the soil when they are decomposed. We can also grow grass and trees to cover the soil and keep it from 

eroding (blowing or washing away.) Eroding soil pollutes the air and water and makes them unsafe for all of us 

to breathe and use. 

The Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service are agencies under the United States 

Department of Agriculture. These agencies help Montana farmers and ranchers conserve soil, water, and 

energy while providing high quality food, fiber, and wildlife habitat. By practicing what you have learned in this 

activity book, you too can join Springtail in doing something to keep the soil where we want it to be, “right 

beneath our feet.” 

Help Springtail make his way through the maze to healthier soil. 

Healthy Home 

Happy Animals 

Litter 

Crops 

Earthworms 

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Soil Is Alive 

Spring into Action and Keep Soil Alive