Get a free trial until June 30, 2026!
New members get full access to our science units, hands-on activities, mini-lessons, & more!

New members get a full, free trial through June 2026!
Back > Share
How do you build a city out of mud?
Material Magic Unit | Lesson 6 of 6
Back > Share

How do you build a city out of mud?

Material Magic Unit | Lesson 6 of 6
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
Video trouble?
Slide Image
DISCUSS:
What do you see in these places that you could use to build a house?
Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

What kinds of things are good to build houses with?

What makes them good for building?

Video trouble?
Slide Image
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?
Video trouble?
Slide Image
DISCUSS:
How is the wet mud different from the dried mud?
Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

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

Video trouble?
Step
01/16
Find a partner.
Decide who will be Soil Captain and who will be Water Wizard.
Video trouble?
Step
02/16
Get your supplies. (You’ll get more supplies later.)
Video trouble?
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?
Video trouble?
Step
04a/16
Discuss:
Video trouble?
Step
04b/16
Here’s what we noticed.
Video trouble?
Step
05/16
Get the rest of your supplies.
You’ll need a cup of water and a spoon.
Video trouble?
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!
Video trouble?
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.
Video trouble?
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!
Video trouble?
Step
09/16
Discuss:
Video trouble?
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.
Video trouble?
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!
Video trouble?
Step
12/16
Discuss:
Video trouble?
Step
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!
Video trouble?
Step
14/16
Both: Use a paper towel to wipe off your fingers and clean up.
Video trouble?
Step
15/16
Discuss:
Video trouble?
Step
16/16
Discuss:
Video trouble?
Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

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

Video trouble?
Slide Image
Slide Image

soil


1 of 12

tiny pieces of rock and other materials that cover the ground
Slide Image

sandy soil


2 of 12

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

clay soil


3 of 12

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

weather


4 of 12

what the air is like at a particular time and place
Video trouble?
Slide Image

mixture


5 of 12

a combination of two or more things
Slide Image

material


6 of 12

what something is made of, like metal, wood, or plastic
Slide Image

texture


7 of 12

how something feels to touch, such as rough or smooth
Slide Image

investigate


8 of 12

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

property


9 of 12

something you can observe about an object or material

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
Video trouble?
Slide Image

observe


11 of 12

to pay close attention to something
Slide Image

experiment


12 of 12

a test used to discover new information about a question
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
Sign up now for more great lessons!
Sign up

Featured Reviews

“The excitement that was built before the hands on experiment was palpable!”
· · Teacher
“The kids loved the hands on learning making clear connections to science concepts. The teacher loved the simple prep and activities. The video step-by-step instructions for students were very manageable.”
· Tara · Teacher
“Students had fun and stayed engaged. I really appreciate the step by step instructions. It makes the experiment more meaningful and the students can follow along.”
· Connie · Teacher
“The students loved the hands-on activity where they got to make sand and then touch it. They enjoyed being scientists and pouring the water in to each cup to make the mud. They loved "playing" in the mud. The whole activity was a huge hit!!”
· Polly · Teacher
“The students really enjoyed the fact that they got to touch the 'dirt' without getting dirty :)! The conversation about where to build a city like this after the activity was also impressive. Thank you! ”
· Edna · Teacher
“As usual, a wonderful lesson in which the hands-on activity brought the topic to life. Students were extremely engaged and the soil tests were fun and informative.”
· Estee · Homeschooler
“My students loved making observations of the different soil types. They also loved learning that mud isn't just goopy and dirty but can be an important natural resource to build homes and schools. ”
· Mandi · Teacher
“Kids liked touching and shaping the different soils.”
· Gaynell · Teacher
“Love EVERYTHING about it! The kids love the hands-on and experiential experiences.”
· Lisa · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Grade 2

Material Properties

Soil Properties

2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-2

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

I have a Mystery Pack

Mystery Mud Tester worksheet 30 copies
Mystery Mud Tester Answer Key teacher-only resource 1 copy
Cornmeal
45 teaspoons
Dixie Cups (3 oz)
45 cups
Flour
45 teaspoons
Paper Plates
15 plates
Paper Towels
30 paper towels
Plastic Spoons
15 spoons
Solo Cups (9 oz)
15 cups
Toothpicks
45 toothpicks
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

Grade 2

Material Properties

Soil Properties

2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-2

Slow internet or video problems?
Credits
 
Materials Lesson 6: How do you build a city out of mud?

How did the lesson go?
Terrible OK Good Great Terrific!

How can we improve it?

If you'd like our team to reply to you, please Contact Support instead.

Thanks for your feedback! If you have a question or need help, please contact us. Please consider sharing your review:

Sorry the lesson didn’t go well. We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Thanks for letting us know. We’ll wait to ask you for feedback until after you've actually taught it.

Thanks for the feedback! We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Is the video not playing properly?

Please follow these steps:

  1. Very rarely a video will fail to completely load in your browser. Try to reload this page to see if that fixes the problem.
  2. If reloading does not help, try our other video player .
  3. If the video still fails to play, open this video in a new tab and please let us know you’re having trouble. We want to fix this issue for you.

Close

How can we help you?

💡For purchasing info, see our Pricing Page

This episode is locked

This lesson is not included in your limited access.

View pricing

This episode is locked

Your membership is expired. The archive of past Mini Lessons is not included in your limited access.

View pricing