Edible Dirt
Brief Description
Make a dirt cake and learn
about soil along the way.
Objectives:
The student will be able to:
• Identify the three
basic soil horizons.
Materials Needed:
 Clear plastic cups (1
per person)
 1 large package
chocolate sandwichtype cookies (Oreo is
an example.)
 Chocolate ice-cream
sprinkles.
 ¾ lb. gummy worms
 12 oz. miniature
chocolate chips
 Green-colored
coconut (toss coconut
with green food
coloring.)
 4 Tbs. butter or
margarine
 8 oz. cream cheese
 1 cup powdered sugar
 3 ½ cups milk
 2 – 3 oz. packages
vanilla instant
pudding mix

12 oz. whipped
topping (Cool Whip is
an example.)
Preparation:
• Crush cookies
• Mix the pudding
and creamed cheese
mixtures for the
whole class.
Background:
Soil is made up of living and non-living materials. Soil is essential to
our every day life. Plants need soil to survive. We need plants to survive.
Also, soil provides a home to many living organisms. Insects, worms, and
microscopic organisms live in the soil. When you walk into your back yard
what you see is not just dirt but a world of living and non living material.
From a profile view of soil you can see different layers. These layers are
known as horizons. The top layer is the A horizon, or the topsoil. The next
layer is the B horizon, or the subsoil. The last layer of soil is known as the
R horizon, or the bedrock. The number and thickness of horizons may
vary with each different type of soil. There are over 70,000 different kinds
of soils in the United States.
Activity:
1. Crush and set aside cookies.
2. Cream together butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar.
3. Mix together milk, pudding and whipped topping.
4. Blend together the creamed mixture and the pudding mixture. Mix
well.
5. Set the plastic cups out. Fill with layers as described in steps 6-8.
6. Bottom layer: Begin with a layer of crushed cookies. Mix
chocolate chips with half of the blended pudding mixture and
smooth it over the cookies. This is your bedrock layer.
7. Middle layer: Add more crushed cookies, then a blended pudding
layer and the gummy worms. Save one worm for the top! This is
the subsoil layer. Earthworms and tree roots live here.
8. Top layer: Finish with a layer of chocolate sprinkles. Sprinkle with
green coconut “grass” and poke a gummy worm through the top to
peek out of the soil. This represents the topsoil. Plant roots grow
here. It takes nature over 500 years to replace one inch of topsoil.
That’s why scientists and farmers work hard to protect it from wind
and water erosion.
9. Enjoy!
Extensions:
Dirt Babies
Exploring Turf
Watershed and Envirosnacks
Evaluation:
Have the students draw a picture illlustrating the three soil horizons.
For older students: Label the layers and explain their purpose.
18
Florida Agriculture in the Classroom ©