Citizen science projects have been found to increase scientific knowledge and awareness among the participants who engage in these collaborative efforts. Providing elementary students the opportunity to collect, share, and analyze data is an effective way to help them develop a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and gain competency in data collection protocols and experimental design. In this article the authors share a citizen science project that involved fifth-grade students collecting soil samples for the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) pedosphere protocol hosted by the Global Learning and Observations to Benet the Environment. The students collected the SMAP data discussed in this article during the 2014-2015 school year. The best practices the authors detail were developed in collaboration with colleagues from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the local Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA), and faculty from a neighboring university.