Digging Through the Layers of Soil Science

Who are we? A Foundation with a goal to provide science-based information to help educate people about the benefits of soil science and crop nutrients. With whom do we partner? Discovery Education International Plant Nutrition Institute The Fertilizer Institute Smithsonian Institution 2

Educational Materials

From the Ground Up: The Science of Soil Six interactive lesson plans Six educational videos highlighting soil science Teacher Toolkit Five family activities (both English and Spanish) Four career connection profiles Exploring Plant Nutrients Interactive Tool

Virtual Field Trip: Fertigation & Farming Thursday, December 3 rd at 1PM EST Let It Grow Contest Now until Spring 2016 Grand Prize $5,000 agricultural grant (classroom garden) and more! Five $1,000 prizes

 High school lesson plan supplements.  Adhere to Next Generation Science Standards and NSES.  Hands-on, Internet, critical thinking and math activities.  Six 45 min. lessons.  Reviewed by the Smithsonian Institution.  Aligned to your state’s standards (generate the reports on NFL’s website Nourishing the Planet in the 21 st Century High School Curriculum

High School Lessons: In Search of Essential Nutrients Properties of Soil Plant-Soil Interactions Plant Nutrient Deficiencies Fertilizers and the Environment/Nourishing the Planet in the 21 st Century

11 Nutrients for Plants…Nutrients for People Humans and plants need many of the same nutrients grow big and strong.

Pre-test and Post-test Assessment For high school and middle school lessons, pre- and post-test are available for download at Also available on the USB flash drives.

Virtual Classroom Videos Hosted by the Nutrients for Life blogger, Dee McKenna Dee interviews horticulturists, farmers and more to help students relate the information they learn in the classroom to the real world Master gardener, former educator, and a stay-at-home mom with three girls who like to play in her garden 5-10 minutes each Great as ‘bell-ringer’ or ‘warm-up’ activities Available online or on the Foundation’s Curriculum USB flash drives

Thank you to the Foundation’s 2,000+ donors that make these materials possible!

Julie McGuire Education Specialist