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Nature Nuggets

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Soil-Ology – Keep Soil Alive!

Did you know that one tablespoon of a healthy soil has more organisms in it than there are people on Earth?! Yes, soil is the most diverse ecosystem on this planet. Interesting, right?! Soil is a natural body made up of mineral, air, water, organic matter and lots of living organisms. It’s hard to believe but without soil, the Earth’s land would be a lifeless slab of rock!

In order to understand the importance of soil, World Soil Day is celebrated every year on December 5th and this year, the theme is “Keep soil alive, Protect soil biodiversity”. Let’s dive into the latest edition of Wisdom Nuggets as we learn more interesting facts about #WorldSoilDay!

“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all.” – Wendell Berry.  

Millions and millions of microorganisms present in the soil interact with plants in fascinating ways. Communities of trees are interconnected by an underground network of Mycorrhizae (fungi that live symbiotically between and within plant roots).

Credits: Volterra.bio

This network not only transfers water and minerals to other plants, but also chemicals that help plants to communicate with one another! Just like humans communicate with one another through the network of “internet”. Watch this video and understand the importance of soil management for a sustainable living and remember, Soil is No Dirt!  

If you are an educator – share your own curriculum linkage here across any of the subjects and we’d take up the selected ones in our next edition of Wisdom Nuggets with yout . 

Get creative and link the environmental education
with your favorite subject
in the curriculum!

  1. Language – Create a Word Bank of all the words related to soil. Categorize them into various Parts of Speech and Figures of Speech. For example- The sofa is fertile soil for a couch potato. Display these in the classroom.
  2.  Social Studies – Refer to this Soil Map of India and find our the crops that grow in the region. Prepare a list of crops that a particular kind of soil supports.
  3. Math – For each of the soil type in India, find out the ratio of soil types to the crops each one support and fill in the table below. You may refer to the list prepared in the Social Studies link above. The first one has been filled for your reference.
S. No.Soil Type Crops grownRatio
1.Lateritetea, coffee, rubber, cinchona, coconut, areca nut, cashew nut1:7
    
  1. Science – Observe the soil in and around your home carefully and note down your observations in the following table. The first one has been filled for your reference.
S. No.Source of soilLiving organisms found (including plants)Any other observations
1Flower potCurry leaves plant, wild grass, Small wormsThe worms are digging small burrows in the soil.
2   
3   

Do you know that whenever a natural grassland or
forest is converted to a cropland, and each time
that cropland is tilled, the soil creates hugh
amounts of carbon emissions? Yes! A mis-treated
soil is a significant contributor to the carbon
emission in our atmostphere. Take these simple
actions today and

  1. Watch and Learn – Watch this interesting video and learn how you can be the solution to stop soil pollution. Discuss with your family and friends and challenge them to act upon all these 7 simple ways to be the solution to soil pollution.
  1. Create your own Healthy Soil – Watch this video and learn how you can naturally create healthy soil at home for your plant from your kitchen waste.
Land

As we celebrate World Soil Day Tomorrow, let’s have
a fun DIY activity! Show your creative and
imaginative side and make your very own Grass
Heads! Click here and follow the instructions.
Do not forget to click photos and send them to us
oneplanetacademy@wwfindia.net

Upload the photo on your social media account and tag us @wwfindia with hashtags #WorldSoilDay #KeepSoilAlive  #MyGrassHead #OnePlanetAcademy #DIYActivity

Let’s take this pop quiz and test your knowledge about soil!  

Soil

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