Soil unit soil magazine kallie alex jay

SOIL We have all the dirt!

Volume 1, Issue 1 5/29/2014

Organism of the Year goes to‌

Earthy Poetry!

The life of a tree!

Arlington Garden: A History

Photos of nature at its best!

Organism of the year goes to...

Dirt magazine is proud to present the organism of the year award to‌the

nematode!

We decided to award this organism because of its hard work and dedication to making soil a better place for all creatures underneath the soil and above. Some of the work that this organism does is helping to prevent soil loss, eliminating pests that harm plants and soil health, providing dead organisms for the soil to absorb minerals from, and regulating the natural ecosystem.

Healthy soil is important on our earth because it provides a living, dynamic ecosystem critical for life. Soil is a basis for a good agroecosystem that provides healthy crops to feed humans. Soil enables crops and plants to grow, which means all farming and food production depend on soil. Soil is a habitat for billions of organisms that contribute to our great biodiversity. In turn, they provide essential nutrients for forests and crops. These forests and crops are habitats for animals as well as sources for timber and homes for humans. Soil also provides antibiotics to fight diseases and serves as a filter for waste water. Soil is a foundation for our buildings, roads and railways. Most importantly soil provides a base for a safe playing field for soccer so you never have to experience turf burns ever again.

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We have all the dirt!

Soil erosion is a naturally occurring process that affects all landforms. It refers to the wearing away of topsoil through physical forces.. The three parts of soil erosion are: soil detachment, movement, and deposition. Topsoil is high in organic matter, fertility, and soil life. Topsoil loss results in losing biodiversity, uprooting organisms, and decreasing organic matter. Half of the topsoil on the planet has been lost over the last 150 years. It takes about 100 years to form an inch of topsoil. Therefore, maintaining healthy soil demands care and effort.

The nematodes are roundworms with tapered ends, and are usually 1 mm in length. They play an important role in soil and crop ecology. The beneficial nematodes serve as a biological pest control agent and regulate the natural ecosystem and help with creating soil nutrients. Some nematodes feed on plants and algae and some feed on bacteria and fungi. Some even feed on other nematodes. The beneficial nematodes attack 250 types of soil pests such as white grubs, fungus gnats, leatherjackets, weevils, shore flies and many more. They enter through a body opening or through the cell wall and release toxin bacteria which kills the hosts larvae within 28-48 hours. Then the bacteria creates a food source so it can reproduce. Then the nematode exits and begins looking for a new host. Nematodes are a helpful organism that make earth healthier, and without them all would be lost.

Volume 1, Issue 1

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They limit the impact on human safety (by eliminating the need for chemical pesticides) and that of other animals. Nematodes only get rid of pests and unhelpful organisms. They control the balance between bacteria and fungi. Nematodes help control diseases and recycle nutrients. So while nematodes are small and often unnoticeable they have an enormous impact on humans and our earth. In addition, scientists are able to use nematodes as bio indicators of the structure and function of soil health. This helps humans take action to support soil health. As Homer said so elegantly in the Odyssey, “I would rather be tied to the soil as a serf than be a king of all these dead and destroyed.� This quote exemplifies how the nematode is a devoted organism to our critical environment and shows why he has been voted as organism of the year for 5 years in a row.

Earthy Poetry Swallowed.

By Kallie Above me, I hear birds chirping, The wind carrying their songs through the trees.

I see the sky as it rests against a telephone pole, Trees swallowing its presence.

Barbaric Yawp: A Nematode’s View of Soil

By Kallie I fill with the sharp air of earthy soil, The dampening dirt encompasses me, I feel connectedness to the millions of organisms that surround me.

I am now a nematode.

The organisms in the soil break it down further Creating healthier and more bountiful soil the next time around.

I hear bees tauntingly buzzing past my ear, The engine of a passing car reminds me Reality is not so far away.

You may break down in one form, But live better in the next!

Bacteria, Fungi, and Worms alike, All do Earth a favor as they mix!

I smell dirt, musky and light Running through the air and choking my breath.

I smell a the freshness of mint and piney sap, They mix together in harmony.

Sure you can recycle all you want, Hope Earth with be its best, But microorganisms do all the real work, Forming a foundation for all plants!

Smooth glossiness glides beneath my fingers, A cool powder meets my fingertips.

I see Zia writing intently, A tree encompassing the background.

A single marbled tile, Cement hinders each piece from connection.

Upwards is brightness, Piercing the tree and casting a shadow across the earth Where I lie.

An oasis surrounded by human devastation.

What have we done?

Beauty swallowed by dust.

“One Wild and Precious Life” Poem by Alex Above me, the light blue sky is dotted with white clouds.

The birds twittering in an undetectable language all around me while the construction of a house is fighting to be noticed in the background.

Ahead of me lies a vast meadow of life sprayed with bright petals.

The sound of a pencil scratching away at a paper full of imagination and depth.

As I am grasping for my pencil, the soft velvet of a bright pink petal brushes up against my fingers.

Reaching down sifting the base of life through my fingers.

Soil Looking to the future that lies ahead, the bright red of a flower shimmers in the light.

To my right, the tall stalk of a purple lavender plant sways in the ever present wind blowing the scent of sweet lavender to my nose.

Isn’t everything extraordinary?

I’ve learned to notice as much as I breathe and to love as long as I live.

“Barbaric Yawp” Poem

by Alex The earth under my feet crumbles behind me with one step... disappearing quickly.

I am almost gone.

My death becomes a fertilizer to the soil.

Jay’s picture of a tree

As I lay there in the soil, fungi will grow over me while worms decompose larger parts of my body.

Finally its just the soil, me and the soil.

Tune In A canopy is keeping me safe from the disturbing reality of life It is a family tree, I feel connected to my nature family as I sit beneath it I can just make out a telephone pole in the far distance Keeping the area connected through screens But why, I ask?

Connect to nature Follow my lead Sit in the crumbling periwinkle flowers and smell the gorgeous smell of the great outdoors with me Take a slim moment to discover the crisp language of the birds hovering around you The distinctive touch of a twig mirrors the feel of the pencil I'm writing with right now I see a small human being Flowing her thoughts through her pencil to her paper as water does Behind me I feel the prompt presence of a living creature with arms reaching all around me The succulents are mighty They invite the wind to skip through their branches and say hello Who wouldn't want to sit in nature with a sight so beautiful, I ask?

What does soil even do?

-Jay Unknown photographer Jay and Hannah writing poetry

Unknown Photographer Olivia doing Tree pose in The labrinth

Soil is my friend I walk on it everyday Yet after 13 long years It still invites me to walk on it, Very generous!

When you think of soil You don't think of a camaraderie usually You don't think of what supports your own body or your own home I think of it as a friend, Because it is always there for me!

Its nematodes and amoebas are its mouth Its bacteria are its eyes The pH balance is its personality, and The little creatures lurking around in it are its friends!

Can't we all be friends?

We are all equal, we are all living things!

-Jay

History of Arlington Gardens: By Kallie Arlington Gardens was originally part of the Durand estate from 1904 to 1964. The grand estate was encompassed by large gardens. Eventually after 60 years, the house and gardens had stopped being taken care of, and Caltrans bought the land for storing construction equipment. In 2002, the city decided that the sight should become something other than an empty lot, and 2003, it was decided that it should become a garden. To start the garden, the entire community had to help out. People donated plants and other structures the garden needed, and the City of Pasadena Water and Power helped fund and work to start up the garden. With many more contributions like these, Arlington Gardens now has thousands of plants and is a beautiful example of a sustainable public garden.

Ranney Court Tree

by Alex The tree located on Ranney Court is known to much of the Westridge community as “the big tree.”

This tree’s scientific name the Cinnamomum camphora. This is a large evergreen tree that can grow up to 20-30 meters tall. The leaves of the camphor tree have a waxy appearance and can be used as medicine for cold sores. However, in large doses, the leaves can be toxic to humans. During the springtime, the seeds sprout into beautiful white flowers. The tree on campus has been here for over 150 years which is a longer time period than the school itself. There is so much history behind this tree. It has witnessed so much since the beginning of the school and even before that. Westridge students have climbed this tree for 100 years. The tree is a great place to gather and talk about the day’s mysteries and experiences.

Letters from the Editors Dear Readers, During the soil unit, I have learned and experienced many new things. Although everything we did was fun, my favorite experience was learning about community gardens and creating the propaganda poster. This is because learning about the gardens I realized how important food is for our health, and how much growing your own food can impact your health. Since I feel community gardens are such a help, making the propaganda poster was fun and has made me realize how important it is to spread the message of community gardens, and growing your own fruits and vegetables. It has even encouraged me to make my own little food garden in my backyard.

Another one of the things I enjoyed about the soil unit was the fieldtrips. Although I was skeptical about them at first, going to Arlington Gardens and getting rid of invasive plants in Rubio Canyon were both really fun learning experiences. Being at Arlington Gardens is what inspired be to right about its history in our magazine for my article.

The final activity that I really loved was creating a magazine based on the soil unit. I loved learning how to create a magazine as well as learning a lot about nematodes, and how they help the soil. Through the soil unit in general, I learned a lot about how soil helps the Earth, and why it is so important, but at the same time I had lots of fun. -Kallie

Dear Readers, Soil! Who knew how important soil is in our world and how my own knowledge and actions can impact soil’s health? Over the last several days, I have been given the opportunity to think deeper about the critical importance of soil to life on Earth.

Westridge’s 7th Grade soil unit has brought forward many aspects of soil and its impact on our survival. I have learned about soil’s role in our entire ecosystem and the importance of maintaining healthy soil environments for humans, animals, plants, and even micro-organisms. Trips to the Arlington Garden and Rubio Canyon enhanced my ability to appreciate soil at another level and realize the connections to my circle of obligation.

First of all, we walked with our friends to Arlington Garden with the intent of experiencing firsthand how soil affects all types of life from tall strong trees, to twittering birds and beautiful insects, to underground worms, nematodes, pests, soft fresh grass, prickly plants, and noisy humans. I walked the Labyrinth as I allowed my troubles to go away. When I exited the Labyrinth, I found a safe secure spot to perform the yoga pose called the Vrksasana (tree pose). It was definitely calming but difficult to keep balance. I then became a scientist and collected many soil samples in petri dishes. I included dirty pond water, flower petals, ice-cream mixed with dirt, and so on. These samples allowed me to make my hypothesis and data table. My hypothesis was if many samples of soil are collected, then the dirty pond water will end up having the most bacteria. After five days, it turned out that the dirty pond water had only three types of bacteria while air had four. The flower petal with human finger bacteria had the most different types of bacteria. It was interesting to find out how many different kinds of bacteria grow on various samples. Next, we analyzed a couple of poems to inspire us to write our own poetry about nature. My poems were inspired by the meadow field that I sat in. I was glad we were able to write from what we saw at the moment and not just from previous experiences. This also let me realize that soil was part of everything around me. Arlington Gardens was landscaped and created as a community garden for people to enjoy, and I did.

We also learned a great deal about historical victory gardens, community gardens, and urban farms. It was interesting to find out that victory gardens were started during World War I to help support families that couldn’t afford food during the rations. I think it was a smart plan for people to start that because so many families had members fighting in the war and this was a great way to support them. Today community gardens are a growing success in many communities as families try to eat more healthful organic food at a lower cost. I have seen a community garden in Pico Rivera near my grandmother’s house. Urban farming is interesting because of the methods they use to support themselves. Many urban farms use fields for many purposes and switch them out seasonally in order to conserve soil.

The Golden Ratio was an enjoyable part of the unit because it reminded me of The Number Devil we read in 5th Grade. The Fibonacci sequence is a repeating series that is found in nature. One problem posed by Fibonacci, an Italian mathematician, over 800 years ago in 1202 was about the rabbit’s reproduction. It was a fun challenge to try to remember the pattern involved in solving the problem. I felt proud to have been able to recall and figure out the riddle quickly and then be able to explain it to my fellow classmates. It was also interesting to identify the Fibonacci numbers in nature. We found them in flowers, pinecones, apples, and trees.

When we got to soil organism of the year, I was really excited because I was going to get to learn about an organism I didn’t know about -- the nematode. This nematode plays a big role in our society. I realize the great importance of the nematode in poisoning pests that negatively affect soil and our livelihood. It was interesting to learn how the nematodes invade their enemy’s bodies, give out poison to kill them, eat their insides, and reproduce their young in order to start the cycle again. Since nematodes are so microscopic, most people are unaware of their important work towards helping to maintain healthy soil.

During Dirt Demystified, we were given the opportunity to once again analyze poems by Logan and Whitman. Saint Phocas as Fertilizer was definitely a twist on how one views soil because of the language he used as well as how he alluded to how we give back to the soil at death because all of our nutrients enter the soil as we decompose. The From This Compost poem was a new take on a deteriorating corpse becoming beautiful springtime images of grass, birds, animals, all because of the rich organic death of life. It was a struggle for me to write my own poem about death and sadness and then becoming part of soil in interconnected ways.

Our trip to Rubio Canyon was adventurous. We scavenged for mustard plants finding what seemed to be millions of seeming less harmless plants waiting in prey until you least expected it. We learned that they were non-native plants infecting the beautiful canyon not allowing native plants to grow in splendor. We were asked to remedy this invasion by pulling out all the mustard plants in sight.

These mustard plants fought back by scratching us tooth and nail trying to remain in their chosen habitat. We on the other hand pulled harder to prove our commitment in maintaining a righteous safe home for the natives to flourish. Taia and I must have pulled five large trash bags full. What a feat! I too can impact the balance of the ecosystem on the canyon.

During our last rotation day at Westridge, we did many hands-on lessons about the soil around us. We worked on a compost bin and learned about how worms eat the bacteria that grow on food. We also made seed balls (or bombs) out of clay and seeds. I learned that the clay is intended to help protect the seeds until they are watered and ready to sprout. These are neat because you can basically throw them anywhere there is soil and they will sprout. I think this is special because areas in need can be beautified by seed bombs. We learned how to make decomposable newspaper cups. This is important because it is biodegradable and actually helps the soil. We became landscape artists as we positioned herb garden plants so they could be in the right kind of climate for the best growth opportunities. We discussed Mediterranean climates and what kind of plants are best in this climate.

Finally, we traveled across the parking lot to collect seeds from the wildflowers in front of the school. It was cool to experience firsthand what wildflower seeds look like when they are ready to disburse themselves to reproduce. We were allowed to be wild in this effort.

To conclude, the soil unit was a great experience for me. I hope that I can use my newfound knowledge to spread awareness of the importance of soil to other people.

~Alex

Letters from the editors cont.

I had a great time during the soil unit! Every day was a new experience. I had not recently been to the Arlington Gardens, and it was amazing to see the labyrinth that was built and actually get to walk through it! I enjoyed that very much, because it was so relaxing and calming. At Arlington Gardens, we had a period of time when we got to just simply sit somewhere inside the garden and write a poem. I really had fun with that, and it gave me a great opportunity to connect to nature and practice writing as well. By the way, that is a great combination of activities.

When we learned about victory gardens, I was inspired. I ended up going home a couple days later and going to Home Depot and buying a bunch of fruits and vegetables to plant in my backyard! It was fun to plant them! I am now growing my own little victory garden in my own backyard.

I have cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, and strawberries!! I am so excited. It is such a satisfactory feeling to eat a fruit or vegetable that you grew in your own garden mostly because you know where it came from and what it went through before going inside of your mouth!

I loved climbing high into the mountains when we got to weed mustard seed plants! It was so fun. We learned all about mustard seed plants and how they are an invasive species, and then we got to pick them out of the ground. I even got to climb up to almost the very top of the mountain!!

When my group and I got to make a propaganda poster encouraging growing your own garden, I really got into it. I thought of our slogan; “Turn-up the Turnips!”. We colored it and made it look awesome, but when I tried to draw a hand, it turned out a little bit weird… we ended up fixing it though!

Overall, I learned a lot about everything. I did not just learn about soil, but I learned about commodity corn, propaganda, mustard seed plants, nematodes, victory gardens, how to connect to our Earth, and much more! I would definitely do this again, it was an awesome journey. Almost every day I faced a challenge, whether it was big or small. It helped me learn, and I had lots of fun!

-Jay

Zia adding soil to her newspaper pot During: Seed balls and newspaper pots Where: Pitcairn lawn

A lovely tree!

During: Tree walk Where: Behind Ranney Court

Jay Segal’s photograph montage!

A pretty plant in the garden During: Herb gardening Where: Herb garden behind commons

The group of professionals that came to teach us Louise holding a handful of dirt with a about gardening, trees, and small plant in the middle much more!

During: Herb gardening During: Their introductory Where: Herb garden behind commons talks Where: MUDD

A closeup of a beautiful pink flower!

During: Herb gardening

Alex posing with her newspaper pot During: Seed balls and newspaper pots Where: Pitcairn lawn

Kallie fabulously posing for a picture!

During: A short amount of free time Where: MUDD

A bunch of leaves on a tree During: Tree walk Where: On path

Ted Tager teaching us how to make seed balls and newspaper pots!

During: Seed balls and newspaper pots Where: Pitcairn lawn

An inchworm looking around on Louise’s finger Where: Herb garden behind commons

A basil plant placed in the sun During: Herb gardening Where: Herb garden behind commons

Left to right: Lucy, Nicole, Louise, Faith, Aleen A group of girls sifting clay to make seed balls!

During: Seed balls and newspaper pots Where: Pitcairn lawn

Propaganda Poster

Buy the Best Nematodes at Nemagarden.com!

Perfect for the garden and healthier soil!

00 % Call 555-NEMA today!

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Not

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NOT AVALIBLE IN STORES (or anywhere else) Nemagarden is not responsible for any deaths by nematodes or creatures of the garden. Why are you reading this the advertisement is up there.