GET THE DIRT ON DIRT!

Get to know a wonderful world hiding beneath our feet! This week’s activities get down and dirty to explore soil, compost, worms, roots, and more!

Learn

THE NATURE OF COMPOSTING – learn all about composting in this series of videos, activities, and online discussions in this digital lesson created by Earth School and TED-Ed.

SOIL STORIES – What is soil made of? In this activity by Project Learning Tree, students learn about the composition of soil through a simple backyard experiment. This lesson is also available in Spanish. 

THE EARTHWORM – Take a closer look at an overlooked hero of the garden, the earthworm, from National Geographic Kids.

Games & Activities

MAKE YOUR OWN WORMERY What’s a wormery you ask? A wormery is kind of like a hotel for worms that lets you see how worms break down compost and other materials into new soil. Make your own using this activity from Science Sparks.

SEED BALLS Make seed balls using seeds, dirt, clay (or mud) with this easy activity by Kids Gardening.

HOW TO MAKE A MUD PIE – A fun and simple sensory activity, perfect for spring! Brought to you by Rhthyms of Play.

Arts & Crafts

W IS FOR WORM – Letter tracing and coloring pages for kids by Growing Up Wild.

MUD PAINTING – You’ll be surprised at the differnt colors and textures you can make with just two simple ingredients: dirt and water! Make your very own mud paints with this activity by Kids STEAM Lab.

Videos & More

THE DIRT ON DIRT – Learn with Sid the Science Kid as he explores dirt in this series of eight short videos by PBS Learning Media and KCTS 9.

COMPOSTING FOR KIDS WITH PEPPA PIG A great introduction for younger students all about why we compost from Composting Home and the Peppa Pig YouTube Channel.

HOW DIRT WORKS – Take and even deeper look into how soil sustains plant and animal life, regulates water, filters pollutants, cycles nutrients and supports structures in this short video by The Nature Conservancy YouTube Channel. 

WORMS ARE WONDERFUL – Ever wonder what those little earthworms are up to? Learn why worms are wonderful with SciShow Kids.