United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Southeast Coastal Plain and Caribbean Soil Survey Region #15 Go to Accessibility Information
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Educational Materials Related to Soil

[A cartoon image of "Scientific Knowledge Worm." S.K. Worm is the official annelid, or worm, of the USDA Natural Recources Conservation Service.]

Dirt, ground, earth, soil—common names for the remarkably useful loose stuff that forms where the Earth meets the sky. Because soil is so common, people tend to take it for granted—to forget that life as we know it could not exist without soil.

This page provides links to educational materials that teach the significance of soil.

For Young Children

The following documents require Adobe Reader.

NRCS Activity Book (PDF; 425 KB)
NRCS Coloring Book (PDF; 483 KB)

For High School Students

Basics of Soil

The following document requires Adobe Reader.

From the Surface Down (PDF; 1.3 MB): An introduction to soil surveys for agronomic use.

Activities/Demonstrations

How much soil is there?
 

Fact sheet

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Soil Survey Fact Sheet (PDF; 318 KB)

What is Soil? (A PowerPoint Presentation)

 Soil—What is It?

Poster

Soils of Alabama Poster

Video

Soils of Alabama; #43 in the "Discovering Alabama" series.

Websites

Soil Basics 101: An overview of soils by Texas A&M University.
Tidbits for Teachers and Students: The NRCS site for educational materials
National Soil Survey Science Education Site: Provides links to various soil information
S.K. Worm Answers Your Questions About Soil: Fun educational site for children
Dig In, Hands on Soil Investigation:  National Science Teachers Association's book
World Soil Resources: Links to various soil information
History of NRCS: Lots of historical information about the agency that does the soil survey
 

Journal Articles

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Bama Soil—The Official State Soil of Alabama (PDF; 61 KB): Julie Best. Alabama's TREASURED Forests, Summer 2001 v20 n3 p28(2). 
100 Years of the National Cooperative Soil Survey—and Still Learning (PDF; 65 KB): Julie Best. Alabama's TREASURED Forests, Winter 2000 v9 n1 p10(2).
Dirt (PDF; 63 KB): Joanne Wilke, FALCON, Dec. 1996/Jan. 1997, pp. 34(4).
Tips on Protecting Your Soil (PDF; 58 KB): U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Feb. 1992, n.p.
She Digs Her Dirty Job (PDF; 81 KB): Diane Stott is a microbiologist who studies dirt because the world needs soil to produce food. Time for Kids, Jan 6, 1999 p6(1). Used with permission from Time for Kids.
Assault of the earth (PDF; 884 KB): Elena Wilken. World Watch, March-April 1995 v8 n2 p20(8). Used with permission from Worldwatch. Abstract: Mankind has not been kind to the soil in its pursuit of food. Over the centuries, farming practices have eroded the soil and led to soil degradation, leaving farmers with the problem of producing food from sterile land. With nearly all the 'world's most productive cropland' being cultivated and a rapidly growing population, mankind needs to enact and implement soil conservation and soil formation policies to either sustain or increase the current pace of agricultural production.