The story for kids
Under the ground. We got as tiny as an ant and went down under the soil. Down here, roots grow, and worms and ants live. Carrots and potatoes grow under the ground too, the ones we eat!
Facts
- We shrank to the size of an ant and went down under the ground.
- Roots grow here, and worms and ants live here.
- Carrots and potatoes, which we eat, also grow under the ground.
Numbers
- Magnification
- ×100
- In a handful of soil
- billions of living things
For grown-ups
Soil is a living system: mineral particles, water, air, decomposed organic matter and countless organisms. Earthworms loosen the soil, fungi and bacteria break down remains, and roots absorb water and mineral salts.