In this activity (page 1 of the PDF), learners will test cups full of potting soil, sand, and sphagnum moss to see which earth material is able to soak up the most water. Using a scale and a simple calculation, learners determine the amount of water held by a material, in reference to its original weight. Learners can use this data to make inferences about the material's ability to preserve something buried and discuss preservation and decay. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Bogs.