The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) have developed a series of educational materials intended to teach children the importance of healthy soil.  Created as part of the 2015 International Year of Soils, the curriculum is for children ages 5 to 14 and focuses on healthy soil for our food, environment, livelihoods and well-being.  The material includes word games, puzzles, drawing activities, and other interactive lessons.

“The ‘DIG IT – Secrets of Soil’ project — developed by NACD in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Soil Science Society of America — has been highly successful in reaching U.S. students to help them gain an appreciation for soil and the food and other products that come from it,” said NACD President Lee McDaniel. “We are proud to partner with FAO to expand the reach of these quality educational resources across the globe.”

Originally produced in English to complement the exhibit on soils at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the materials have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Arabic and Russian, and the content has been slightly adapted to suit the needs of different FAO member countries. All of the booklets are available for download on the FAO International Year of Soils website.