Soil Property Pudding Cups {a.k.a. Dirt Pudding Cups}

May 19, 2013
Soil Property Pudding Cups {also known as Dirt Pudding Cups} are a fun and delicious way to help kids learn and remember the four soil types.  Such an easy hands-on activity for the kiddos to do!

Soil Property Pudding Cups Image

My 1st grade class has been cooking again!  Actually, we should make that assembling ... not exactly cooking.  Assembling Soil Property Pudding Cups, to be exact.  

Most people call these Dirt Pudding Cups, but this version has been tweaked to more specifically go along with our first grade soil property science unit ... so Soil Property Pudding Cups is what these shall be.

I just love it when a cooking with kids project brings together what we've been learning - relating content to food with a hands-on activity is fun and really cements information in students' minds.  And that's just what we did with the different soil types with these super fun pudding cups.

Soil Property Pudding Cups are a fun and delicious way to help kids learn and remember the four soil types.

I must admit, I had to brush up on the four soil types with a little research before I first taught this science unit.  In case you're a little rusty on it like I was, the four types of soil are:

  1. Clay - the hard-packed clumpy stuff
  2. Sand - the gritty stuff
  3. Silt - the stuff somewhere between clay and sand in consistency
  4. Loam - the best stuff, which just so happens to be a mixture of all the other three types of soil stuff.

We had fun doing a bunch of experiments with the soil types.  Like seeing how much water each would hold.  And which would clump up.  And how grass seeds would grow in each one.  {By the way, grass will grow a bit in sand ... which we didn't think it would ... but it absolutely wouldn't grow in clay.  But loam is where it's truly at!}

And then we had tons of fun making these scrumptious Soil Property Pudding Cups.

Dirt Pudding Cups Image

To make the pudding cups, we used chocolate pudding for the clay, graham cracker crumbs for the sand, and crushed Oreo cookies for the silt.  Students made layers of each in their cups.

I called them up in small groups to a table with the ingredients laid out.  That way, grown-up guidance and help could be given as needed.

Once their soil layers were done, then they got to do the most fun part of all -- create their loam!

What six year old wouldn't love to stir up a cupful of pudding and graham cracker crumbs and Oreos? Shoot, I'm an adult and I liked it.  

Yes, since loam is a mixture of the other three types of soil, they got to stir everything up together to create the best kind of soil for growing things - the loam.

Now, what six year old wouldn't love to stir up a cupful of pudding and graham cracker crumbs and Oreos??  Shoot, I'm an adult and I liked it.

Then they planted some grass ... a.k.a. green apple Twizzler pieces.

How to Make Dirt Pudding Cups Image

And don't forget some worms to help improve the soil quality!

How to Make Soil Property Pudding Cups Image

And then don't forget to dig in.  

Yes, because this is one time it's okay to eat dirt.

Soil Property Pudding Cups with Gummy Worms and Licorice Grass Image
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dirt pudding cups, dirt pudding cups recipe, soil property pudding cups, soil property activities for kids
Desserts
American
Yield: About 4-6 pudding cups

Soil Property Pudding Cups {a.k.a. Dirt Pudding Cups}

Soil Property Pudding Cups {a.k.a. Dirt Pudding Cups}

Soil Property Pudding Cups {also known as Dirt Pudding Cups} are a fun and delicious way to help kids learn and remember the four soil types. Such an easy hands-on activity for the kiddos to do!
prep time: 20 Mcook time: total time: 20 M

ingredients:

  • 1 (3.9 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 2 c. milk
  • About 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
  • About 1 c. crushed Oreo cookies
  • Twizzler Green Apple Pull-n-Peel licorice
  • gummy worms

instructions:

How to cook Soil Property Pudding Cups {a.k.a. Dirt Pudding Cups}

  1. With the 2 cups of milk, prepare the pudding per package directions. Refrigerate until set.
  2. In a clear drinking glass or clear plastic cup, layer about 1/2 cup of pudding, one or two tablespoons of graham cracker crumbs, and about 1/4 cup of crushed Oreos.
  3. Cut licorice into pieces about 1 inch long; peel off a few strands and "plant" them in the pudding mixture as grass. Add a gummy worm or two.
Created using The Recipes Generator
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Soil Property Pudding Cups {aka Dirt Pudding Cups} ~ A fun & delicious way to learn and remember the four soil types. Such an easy hands-on activity for the kiddos to do!  www.thekitchenismyplayground.com

7 comments

  1. These are great! I should have come to you this weekend - I'm speaking at career day *gasp* for second graders this week. These puddings would be great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just feed them something, Dorothy, and you'll be GREAT! As my husband says to me ALL the time, just remember you're smarter than them. :-)

      Delete
  2. LOVE these!! Learning + Chocolate! What a fantastic combo! ;) Thanks for sharing!! Pinned ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. How many does this make?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I absolutely LOVE this! I am homeschooling my kids and we are doing this tomorrow! I love how it goes with the lesson but so fun! I feel like kids actually remember stuff, when they have something to relate it to like this! I will be checking out your other articles as well :)

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