Organism Magazine

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ry inside!

The Scoop

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Photos of Na-

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Amazing na-

ture draw-

ings

Mite May 2013 Special Edition

Micro-organism of the year; The Mighty Mite

Soil is very important to life on

Earth for many reasons. Soil

is home to many microorgan-

isms, including Mites. In the lab comparing Micro-organisms, it proved that even

the smallest pinch of dirt can contain many different organisms. Micro-organisms

are part of the process of decomposition, which is the breaking down of organic

matter into fertile soil. Without soil, there would be no place for mites to decom-

pose to produce more soil. Also without soil because the mites would die off from

absence of shelter, the food chain would be thrown off without decomposers. Not

only can the lack of soil affect micro-organisms such as mites, but also humans.

One way soil can be significant and useful to humans is it can be used as the foun-

dation of buildings. Soil can also help with maintaining the ecosystem. Soil poten-

tially has the ability to reduce climate change. The surface of the soil captures car-

bon dioxide preventing the carbon to be released into the atmosphere and therefore

reducing climate change. Also, because the surface of the soil holds water, it saves

water because the plants can absorb water as needed naturally. Even though soil

may seem an inert substance that only has the ability to grow plants, it has many us-

es that can be vital to humans.

Right now, something is happening to all of our precious soil. Much of our

topsoil, about the top two inches of soil with the most nurturance, is disappear-

ing and it is our fault.

When farmers get pieces of land, they usually chop down all the trees and

take out all of plants so they can plant crops. Because there are no more roots to

hold the soil, and because there is no more organic matter to be made into hu-

mus, the soil becomes less compressed.

This also happens when they plow the field. This means it is much easier

for the wind or rain water to blow or wash the soil away.

Why does this matter? Well, the earth doesn’t have unlimited soil, and you

might not have heard that it takes about five hundred years for soil to be made.

That means we might soon run out. With the soil gone, all that’s left would be a

wasteland of bedrock. Winds would pick up the soil and create huge dust storms,

blotting out the sun. We would also not have anywhere to farm or any place for

trees. All in all, it would be very bad.

Mites are arthropods that are extremely helpful to the soil. Each mite is an

invertebrate, meaning they have no spinal cord, and their legs are jointed together.

They can greatly range in size, from microscopic to large. So large, that if one

crawled up your leg, there would be a very high level of freaking-out. They help

soil decompose. They do this by breaking up organic material, and then mixing

those pieces into the soil. This also mixes in air, so water can get into the soil.

These smaller pieces help small organisms perform the decomposition process.

There are many different types of mites, and the ones beneficial top soil is named

soil mites.

By Emily, Catherine, and Sophia

Which compost worked it best?

A contest of the plants...

20%

15% 65%

Winner!!!

See the Hottest New Film

Spring Flowers

The “Organism” staff decided to visit a real community

garden in Pasadena, CA, so that we could give our read-

ers an inside look on what is really going on. We were

educated by the amazing staff at the garden. They told us

the efforts that they had put into the garden. The commu-

nity had decided (3 years ago). And since then, they have

been working on the plan and design. But the process is

long, and finally, a year they found a location. It as a large

lot owned by caltrans. They are now starting to make their

creation come true, and they are getting the community

and volunteers together to start creating this small slice of

earth in the center of the city. It is really incredible what

they are planning to create, a beautiful, lush,

crop-filled garden. It is so nice to see that a community

can come together to create something so beautiful. It is

such a pretty and great place to be.

Community Gardens: The REAL Scoop

By Sophia F.S.

They require less water. Living in Southern

California which is the desert, water shortages are

becoming more frequent.

They have developed a resistance against pests and

diseases. By reducing the bad pesticides, it lets

natural and good pesticides take over to produce a

healthy plant.

By planting native plants, they will attract native

pollinators and animals. The native pollinators will

make the native fruit taste and grow better and the

native animals such as insects and birds will keep

away mosquitoes and plant-eating bugs.

Also by planting native plants, we can help to restore

ecosystems destroyed by development.

-Emily B.

The Importance of Native

Plants

http://nativeplantsocietyneohio.org/

Native Plants

Underground Sapling World

Catherine S.

My piece is drawn about what we learned during the soil unit. It is

called Underground Sapling World because it depicts all the tunnels and

roots under the ground. It also shows all the organisms living there like

the worms, ants, and red mushrooms. It is like a whole different world

down there.

Images from:

(http://en.allexperts.com/q/Entomology-Study-Bugs-665/2008/8/Tiny-round-shiny-black.htm http://boards.cannabis.com/hydroponics/197410-tiny-black-bugs-my-roots.html )

Emily B.

Letter from the Editor

By Emily B.

My experience in the soil unit was very positive. Along the way, we

learned many facts about soil, exploring concepts such as “Why is soil im-

portant?”, “How is soil formed?”, and “What is soil degradation and why does

it matter?” We also learned about the benefits of having a garden and visited

places such as Arlington Gardens, the Pasadena Community Garden, and

Descanso Gardens as inspirations of planting our own garden!

The first day of the Soil Unit we focused on the concept “Whey does soil

matter and how is it formed?” By researching

our soil organism of the year, mite, and learn-

ing about the im- portance of a Victory Gar-

den, we were learning the importance of soil to

both of these things. Without soil, the mites

would have nowhere to live and the Victory

gardens wouldn’t be successful because there

would be nowhere suitable to plant food.

The second day we learned more in depth,

how soil is formed. We also went to the Ar-

lington Gardens and acquired an understand-

ing of why it is good to plant Native plants

in California. Native plants require less water,

which helps to save water, something that is

very important in an effort to reduce the water

shortage. By observ- ing nature using 5 differ-

ent senses, we changed our perspective to how beautiful nature really is. Then

using our qualitative observations from nature, we wrote a Wild and Precious

poem. The next day we visited the Pasadena Community Garden and learned

about the different types of soil and that here in Southern California, we have

sandy soil. For the last couple of days, we concluded the soil unit, by tying

everything together that we learned, and created this, our soil magazine!

Nature at its Peak

By Emily B.

Above me the gentle hum of a large bird with inert wings soars ever so fluidly

Circular bulbous balls of light mimic the contour of Orange Grove Blvd.

Wind whistling through the dense growth alludes to increasingly growing footsteps

The fresh hint of the watery succulent compliments the deep, Earthy scent of the dirt scattered

among the musty crumpled leaves worn by climate and time

The unique foreign texture of firm yet smooth, waxy skin brushes my arm

This work of art is the center of attention surrounded by a force field of clearance with a radius of 7

feet

The harsh sun lashes down upon the delicate environment finding its way into every nook and cran-

ny

Our shadows stand out against the arid compacted soil

The components of the ecosystem work in different ways, but unite as a solitary active form

We are lucky as to experience this raw, pure, natural form of nature before our society takes over

We are the Earth By Emily B.

The earthy soil cakes my feet still wet from April showers

The Marigolds hesitantly poke their colorful heads above the ground, while the tulips eagerly push

their heads out from beneath

The wind roughly blows through the grass, but their strong roots keep them grounded

We are direct citizens of the Earth

We strongly cling to people, so attached to them

Some of us are shy and self-conscious, while others are avid to put ourselves out there

Even though something may go wrong, our family and friends are always there to support us

We are each individual plants living and acting as one whole ecosystem

Returning back from where we originated, sprouting ideas to make the place we live a more fertile

ecosystem

Letter from the Editor

.

The soil unit was really fun and I actually learned a lot from it. I learned

all about the or- ganisms in the soil, about

types of plants, and soil itself. It wasn’t what I

learned about soil that made this experience so

amazing, though, one of the best things was

visiting the gardens.

On the second day, we went to the Arling-

ton Gardens. The garden was amazing. Most

of the flowers were in bloom, and there were

bees and butterflies. It was so calming and re-

laxing, and I could see why so many people vis-

ited. Over the week, we visited many more gar-

dens, like the Pasa- dena Community Gardens,

and found out why soil was so important. These

trips also allowed us to see how bad it would

be without soil.

Another of my favorite things to do was make the cover of our magazine

and our propaganda poster. It was fun because I love doing art projects. Our

group worked very well together and finished them in no time. In doing so, we

had to do a lot of research about the mite. I learned how needed and important

any organism is, no matter how it looks.

This week and a half has been so much fun. By the end of the second to last

day, we had planted about three gardens that day. We have weeded, found

bacteria, written two poems, walked a labyrinth, mulched, written, cut, glued,

researched and in doing so, had more fun than the soil in Westridge.

Catherine

Mother Soil

Made from the dirt,

You and I.

From the soil,

We are grown.

We are born,

And we feed on all the riches

The soil brings.

We make shelter

And are blessed with

Scenes of rolling hills

And thick green forests.

When is it our turn to give back?

We will get old,

And the soil still stands,

Helping, mothering,

Nurturing us.

We will return to our mother,

The one who fed us,

And sheltered us,

Disappearing into the ground.

-Catherine S.

My Oasis

Above me,

Leaves sway slowly as a breeze

Presents an oasis in a desert of sun.

The sharp cry of a bird cuts through the sky overhead.

Far away,

The silhouette of a palm tree stands

High over everything.

All around,

Leaves and twigs rustle gently with the breeze

As bees buzz around

And seemingly ages away, cars wiz on by.

Nearby,

I smell the slightly sweet, airy scent

Of poppies that burn light fire

And the sweet and lightly sour scent

Of clovers scattered like sand,

And the damp, earthy smell

Of the soft ground.

Right beside me,

The silky soft petals of the poppies

Brush my hand

Like the giant, fluffy clouds in the sky.

To my right,

A tree sits silently,

An umbrella from the sun

For animals and people.

In front of me,

A ladybug saunters on by,

With a shell like flames,

And spots like the night sky,

And wings like stained glass.

Everywhere,

The poppies fade into a giant orange bonfire,

The clovers into a sea of green,

The ladybug, just a spot,

As I walk by.

The sun is high in the sky

As I leave my oasis.

Just how long will this oasis stay?

Sophia F.S.

Letter From the Editor

.In this soil unit, we have been

learning about all the benefits

of soil to our community and in our

lives. We have learned about garden-

ing, nature, and the affect soil has

had on our history and culture. We

learned about victory gardens,

which were gardens planted to

keep people healthy and fed

around WWII. We also

learned about community gar-

dens. There is such a long process to

make one, and it takes the whole

community to come together. We

learned about trees and gardens around our school, and how they are benefi-

cial.

This unit was fun and challenging, filled with hands on activities and les-

sons. We learned how nature is in math and science. We wrote poems, and

learned about history. And there was a lot to learn and see. I am proud of all

the mini projects and magazine that my group worked hard on. I liked having

all the visitors come and teach us about their experiences with soil. And I am

proud of the poems and writing reflections that I put effort into throughout the

unit.

Barbaric Yawp Poem

By Sophia F.S.

I run down the hill, screeching to the birds above.

The sound of gravel sliding pierces through my ears.

My veins run under the trees, under the houses, under the cities.

I am quiet and not to be seen,

Yet I pity those who do not respect me.

I shout my barbaric yawp from the center of the earth to the air you breath.

I am walked all over, yet I am unfazed.

For without me the world would be in feculence.

For you need me.

One Wild and Precious Life Poem

I squint in the warm glaring sun, cascading a golden shadow across my hairline.

I see a sea of green, like a painted canvas, with violet flowers splattered throughout.

Above me, the scent of warm caramel.

Purple petals fade into trees. They smell like a warm beach at dawn.

To the right is a bunch of vines, covered in magenta flowers, and encasing a wood bench.

I slowly put my hand along the rim of the bench, to feel the smooth surface.

I slide in and gaze at the garden, filled with green leaves and red flowers.

The smell of fresh peeled oranges fills my mind as I inhale, and the sound of my friends

at my side vanish as I close my eyes.

The sound of the wind hitting the dark soil echo's in my ears.

My hands run over the leaves falling onto my clothes, felling the rough and soft edges.

I slowly blink my eyes open to immediately spot a far away tree, each leaf spotted with

sun.

But this mirage is slowly disappearing.