These 3 elements are essential for a healthy, balanced growing environment. They are also useful contexts for learning within the Curriculum for Excellence.
Soil
World Beneath Our Feet was created in response to the 2015 the International Year of Soils and brings together learning resources to support learning and awareness about our soils in the context of CfE
RHS Growing Topic – Earth Matters provides IDL activities and supporting information for teachers and learners.
Earthworms
These fascinating creatures and often easily found in school grounds. Resources
- Go Wild for Worms can be used to introduce worms and their role in ecosystems
- The OPAL Soil and Earthworm Survey was created to find out more about soil and earthworms.
- Build a Wormery – Instructional Writing COACh lesson plan explains how to make a mini, temporary wormery so that worms can be studied up close over a period of a few days.
- Instructions for a more permanent wormery are given at TCV Green Gym – Make a compost-Wormery in a raised bed
Click to access TCV-Green-Gym-Make-a-compost-Wormery-in-a-raised-bed.pdf
Compost
- Make your own – RHS Campaign for School Gardening RHS Growing Topic – Earth Matters includes a section on making your own compost.
- Zero Waste Scotland have produced excellent tips and videos for composting food and garden waste at home (or at school!) Guide to Composting
- Buying compost – Some composts contain peat; peat harvesting destroys peatland habitats and contributes to climate change; buy peat free compost.
- Local authority composting schemes – Local food and garden waste collections are used to create compost; this compost is free; to find out more about the system in East Ayrshire see EAC Compost information
