BEST Digs Soil – bESTology Week 4

BEST Digs Soil! bESTology Week 4

      Image: soils.org

Healthy soil is the FOUNDATION to a healthy life.  

Soil is the thin layer of material on the Earth’s surface, consisting of weathered rock, organic materials, air and water. Plants establish themselves in soil and grow, providing the world with food as well as contributing to the regulation of water and atmospheric gases. Therefore, healthy soil plays a role in a healthy climate regulation.

Over 20 soil types are found across the United States, each suited to grow and nurture healthy plants. The soil of the Great Plains yields corn and wheat while the northeast provides maple syrup and the southwest delivers cactus fruit.

Let’s lay a rock solid foundation of health. Healthy bodies, healthy atmosphere, healthy plants are all traced back to healthy soil.

Resources 

• Healthy Soil – Let’s Grow in our Knowledge
• USDA – Soil Health Interactive Map
• USDA – Soil Health Resources
• Agriculture Atlas Map
• Historical Summary of Crop Rotation Experiment in Alabama
• Soil Surveys by State
• Soil Science Society of America – great resource
• How Soil Forms
• Earthworms – USDA
• Worm and Soil Facts
• Worms – Soil Quality
• National Geographic Soil Quiz
• Journey 2050 – farming and soil game for iPhone or iPad
• Pay Dirt Game Specific Rules
• Soil Testing – Georgia Cooperative Extension Service

Grainstorming

We are what we eat! As a team, generate a list of foods you have eaten during the past 24 hours. Sketch a map of the United States and place a dot on the state you believe the food was grown, harvested or raised. Discuss the pattern that evolves. For example, grains grow in states such as Kansas and Oklahoma. Grainstorm the type of soil needed to grow healthy plants in each region. Compare your map to the Agriculture Atlas Map listed above.

BEST Farm Journal

Dig deeper into this topic! Using the above resources, determine the consistency of soil in your state. Name the types of rocks and organic materials as well as the percentage of each. Research the earthworm species that contribute to healthy soil in your community or region. Document your findings in your BEST Farm Journal.

BEST Connection

The healthier the soil the greater the harvest, therefore healthy dirt pays. Pay Dirt but with a new twist.

Construct a 3-D model of one quadrant of the 2015 Pay Dirt BEST playing field excluding the deepest level that contained the lithium crystals and core samples.

Design a new game based on farming using the same quadrant layout. Consider incorporating the following: cover crops, layers of soil, silos and worms. Write a set of game rules including a scoring strategy and share with your teammates. Post a photo of your 3-D model on the BEST Facebook page.

Community Connection

To determine the health of soil requires a soil test. Contact your local Cooperative Extension Agent to obtain a soil test kit to analyze the soil either around your home or school. Follow the instructions provided by the Georgia Cooperative Extension Service listed above to collect and submit samples. Once the soil is tested, analyze the results and recommendations. If needed, devise a plan to improve the soil’s health.

Enrichment (Fertilizer for the Brain)

Just as plants need healthy soil and proper environmental conditions to grow, we need food (fertilizer), water (rain) and exercise (tilling) for healthy bodies. Design a Corporate Wellness plan for your team by setting goals for healthy eating and exercise. Persuade all team members to participate. Organize a celebration when goals are achieved.

Challenge: BEST challenges all teams to collectively walk/run 100 miles (The BEST 100!). Put your shoes on, chart a course and let’s go. When the BEST 100 is achieved, post a photo of your team’s celebration on the BEST Facebook page.

Bloom’s Taxonomy: analyze, brainstorm, chart, compare, consider, construct, contact, design, determine, devise, discuss, document, follow, generate, name, organize, persuade, place, post, research, share, sketch, submit, use, write

Workforce Skills: reading comprehension, active listening, speaking, active learning, coordination, monitoring, writing, instruction, learning strategies, persuasion, science, judgment and decision making

Download a PDF copy of BEST Digs Soil – Week 4 bESTology  Click HERE!

Be sure to share bESTology on Facebook.  Hit the LIKE button above to share!

While the information contained in this website has been compiled from sources believed to be current and reliable, Friends of BEST in Alabama, Inc. (FBA) cannot be held responsible for any errors, omissions or content changes. Links made from this website are to reputable organizations at the time of posting. However, FBA cannot be held responsible for content on such linked websites. The existence of such links does not represent an endorsement by FBA of any views expressed or products or services offered.