School Gardening Part 2: Soil and Compost

Positives

• Younger students will love the creative lesson that compares soil to a cooking recipe.
• The resource provides a wealth of background information for teachers to help them start and maintain a successful school garden.

Additional Prerequisites

• This is the second part of a six-part school gardening series from the New York Botanical Garden.  Part One provides important information to get started with a school garden project.
• The series has resources for students in grades K-8, this part, however, has just one lesson for grades K-3.
• The NYC Compost Project link brings you to the main page for the Bronx Green-Up program. Under the Learn tab, there is an informational video about composting.
• There is a link to Cornell University Soil Testing where teachers or schools can pay for more comprehensive soil testing. There are also links for reading a soil test and reviews of tests, however, these links are broken.

Differentiation

• The lesson plan is engaging for lower elementary students, and upper elementary or middle school students can conduct the soil testing outlined in the Tip Sheet.
• These resources on soil health can connect to many different science topics including ecosystems, microorganisms, pH, parts of a plant, photosynthesis, and more.
• To connect this resource to climate change, students can brainstorm how climate change may impact soil health.
• The video Why Is Soil One of the Most Amazing Things on Earth? can help connect soil health to climate change as it explains the carbon storage ability of soil. It is also engaging if you are using this resource with older students.