in

Healthy Soil

All about Healthy Soil Fun Earth Science Facts for Kids - Image of a Farm That Needs Healthy Soil - Healthy Soil quiz
All about Healthy Soil Fun Earth Science Facts for Kids - Image of a Farm That Needs Healthy Soil

The next time you’re in a woodland or forest area, look at the ground. Do you see any bare spots? The only bare areas you’ll see are probably trails made by animals or people. Everywhere else, the ground is covered with fallen leaves, grasses, weeds, moss, pine needles or mushrooms.

All about Healthy Soil Fun Earth Science Facts for Kids - Image of a Farm That Needs Healthy Soil
All about Healthy Soil Fun Earth Science Facts for Kids – Image of a Farm That Needs Healthy Soil

Mother Nature has a pretty smart strategy for keeping the planet healthy. Here’s how the plan works: when plants and animals die, they break down into nutrient rich compounds. These compounds keep the soil healthy and fertile. This natural process also ensures that the Earth doesn’t become polluted with the remains of dead animals and plants.

Fallen leaves, grasses, weeds and sticks help prevent soil erosion. Wind and water can wash the soil away, but these natural mulches help keep the soil in place. Farmers and gardeners have learned that they can have healthier farms and gardens if they use this approach too.

Fun Facts About Healthy Soil for Kids

  • Healthy soil is dark and rich. Water drains out of it, but not too quickly.
  • Healthy soil has a lot of organic matter, such as old leaves, manure and worm castings in it.
  • Manure – or animal waste – makes a nutrient rich fertilizer for plants. Dig it into the soil and watch those plants grow.
All about Healthy Soil Fun Earth Science Facts for Kids - Animal Manure Used as a Fertilizer for Healthy Soil
All about Healthy Soil Fun Earth Science Facts for Kids – Animal Manure Used as a Fertilizer for Healthy Soil
  • Fresh manures smell bad and they can burn plants. Manure should be composted first.
  • Speaking of composting, it’s a great way to keep food and garden scraps out of the trash can. Spread these composted scraps on your garden to build healthy soil.
Fun Kids Science Facts All About Healthy Soil - an Example of Composting for Healthy Soil
Fun Kids Science Facts All About Healthy Soil – an Example of Composting for Healthy Soil

Healthy Soil Vocabulary

  1. Strategy: plan
  2. Fertile: rich, capable of producing life
  3. Pollute: contaminate, dirty
  4. Mulch: cover for bare soil
  5. Compost: intentionally break down organic matter

All About Healthy Soil Video for Kids

Check out this cool video about Healthy Soil for kids:

Healthy Soil Q&A

Question: Are weeds bad for your garden?

Answer: Weeds aren’t bad. They’re doing the job of keeping the soil covered. Sometimes though, they crop up where they’re not wanted. In this case, it’s okay to pull them out, but be sure to cover the ground with mulch or other plants.

__________

Question: Why is healthy soil important?

Answer: All animals living on land need plants to survive. Even if you’ve sworn off salad and broccoli, the chickens, beef or pork you eat lived on grains and plants. Without healthy soil, we can’t grow the food we need to survive.

 

Enjoyed the Easy Earth Science for Kids all about Healthy Soil info? Take the FREE & fun all about Healthy Soil quiz and download FREE Healthy Soil worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.