Digging into Soil (available as a free download) includes 10 lessons written to help educators use a garden program to teach students about soil. The target audience for Digging into Soil is grades 9 -12 and the activities are linked to high school level Next Generation Science Standards. The lessons can be adapted for middle school ages too and are designed to not only teach students about soil basics, but also to help them understand the important role our soil and soil life plays in our ecosystem and why we must work harder to protect it. Incorporating hands-on activities and extensive projects linked to current events, the goal of this Guide is to make soil real to participating students.The lessons are flexible enough that they could be implemented with or without a garden program, but being able to see the principles presented play out first hand in the garden is extremely beneficial. Students’ sense of ownership and pride in their garden adds to the motivation to learn about soil health.
Digging into Soil: A Garden Practicum is an activity guide written by KidsGardening in cooperation with The Lower Sugar River Watershed Association as a complement to the booklet “S” is for Soil.