How do you build a city out of mud?

How do you build a city out of mud?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS:
What do you see in these places that you could use to build a house?
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DISCUSS:

What kinds of things are good to build houses with?

What makes them good for building?

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DISCUSS:
What would be good about living in a house made of pillows?
What would be bad about living in a house made of pillows?
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DISCUSS:
How is the wet mud different from the dried mud?
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DISCUSS:

How could you figure out what kind of soil is best for building a house?

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Step
01/16
Find a partner.
Decide who will be Soil Captain and who will be Water Wizard.
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Step
02/16
Get your supplies. (You’ll get more supplies later.)
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Step
03/16
Soil Captain & Water Wizard: Examine each pretend soil closely. What
do they look like? What do they feel like? What do the soils do when
you stir them with a toothpick?
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Step
04a/16
Discuss:
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Step
04b/16
Here’s what we noticed.
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Step
05/16
Get the rest of your supplies.
You’ll need a cup of water and a spoon.
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Step
06/16
Soil Captain: Hold one of the Mystery Soil cups steady.
Water Wizard: Carefully add 1 spoonful of water to the cup.
You just need a little bit—it’s better to add too little than too much!
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Step
07/16
Soil Captain: Use a toothpick to mix Mystery Soil A for 5 seconds.
Water Wizard: Continue mixing the Mystery Soil A and the water for
another 10 seconds. Both: Repeat for Mystery Soil B and C.
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Step
08/16
Test #1: Big Clump. Mud needs to clump together. To test this, try to
lift a clump of mud up with your toothpick. If a big clump of mud can
stay on the toothpick, it passes the test!
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Step
09/16
Discuss:
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Step
10/16
Water Wizard: Turn cup A upside down on your plate.
Soil Captain: Use a pencil to write the letter A on the plate.
Both: Repeat this for cup B and cup C.
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Step
11/16
Test #2: Brick Builder. Work with your partner. Using your toothpicks,
spoon, or even your fingers, try to form your mud into a shape. If the
mud stays in the shape you make, it passes the test!
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Step
12/16
Discuss:
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13/16
Test #3: Not Too Sticky. Work with your partner. Use your fingers (or
a toothpick) to see if the mud sticks to you! If the mud does NOT
stick to you & easily comes off your fingers, then it passes the test!
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Step
14/16
Both: Use a paper towel to wipe off your fingers and clean up.
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15/16
Discuss:
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16/16
Discuss:
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DISCUSS:

What tests could you do to see if your mud changes in extreme weather, like hot sun or rain?

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soil


1 of 12

tiny pieces of rock and other materials that cover the ground
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sandy soil


2 of 12

a type of soil that has a rough texture; water easily flows through it
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clay soil


3 of 12

a type of soil that has a smooth texture; water does not easily flow through it
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weather


4 of 12

what the air is like at a particular time and place
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mixture


5 of 12

a combination of two or more things
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material


6 of 12

what something is made of, like metal, wood, or plastic
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texture


7 of 12

how something feels to touch, such as rough or smooth
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investigate


8 of 12

a process to figure out the answer to a question or to understand how something works
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property


9 of 12

something you can observe about an object or material
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model


10 of 12

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with
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observe


11 of 12

to pay close attention to something
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experiment


12 of 12

a test used to discover new information about a question
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Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students explore a unique building material: mud! The properties of mud depend on the properties of the soil it's made from. In the activity, Mystery Mud, students use models of sand and clay soils to investigate how the properties of soils can differ. They use their observations as evidence to classify each soil model based on whether or not it would make mud that’s good for building.
Preview activity
Number of students:

I have a Mystery Pack

Mystery Mud Tester worksheet 1 per student
Mystery Mud Tester Answer Key teacher-only resource 1 per class
Cornmeal
3 teaspoons per pair
Dixie Cups (3 oz)
3 cups per pair
Flour
3 teaspoons per pair
Paper Plates
1 plate per pair
Paper Towels
1 paper towel per student
Plastic Spoons
1 spoon per pair
Solo Cups (9 oz)
1 cup per pair
Toothpicks
3 toothpicks per pair
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs. You will need access to water for this activity.

Prepare Dixie Cups

Divide your Dixie cups into three equal piles. Use a marker to write “A” on each cup in one pile, write “B” on each cup in the second pile, and write “C” on each cup in the third pile.

Add 2 teaspoons of cornmeal into each cup that is labeled “A.” This is a model for sandy soil.

Add 2 teaspoons of flour into each cup that is labeled “B.” This is a model for clay soil.

Add 1 teaspoon of flour and 1 teaspoon of cornmeal into each cup that is labeled “C.” Gently shake these cups to mix the cornmeal and flour together. This is a model for a mix of sand and clay soil.

Prepare Water Cups

Fill each Solo cup about a quarter full of water. Each pair of students will only need a few spoonfuls.

Teacher Tip

Making a mud model is very fun, but it can also be distracting! We recommend waiting to distribute the cups of water and spoons until Step 5 of the activity, after students have explored the dry soil models.

Exploration

12 mins

Hands-On Activity

35 mins

Wrap-Up

8 mins

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