Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts has developed a youth education packet, distributed to local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).  SWCDs in turn provide the education packets to their area schools.  The majority of the packet contents are available below in pdf or html format.  The 2007-2008 theme is "Trees - Rooted in Our Future."  2007-2008 will be the last year of MASWCD's state level involvement in the program, while SWCDs will be free to continue at the local and Area level.

The education packets include information which teachers and their students can use to become more familiar with their natural environment and learn what they can do to become better stewards of our land and water.

The packets also include information about contests in which the students can participate:  poster/mural contest and video contest.

Resources relating to Our Soil - A Layer of Life:

               Study Guide (pdf format)

            Study Guide (html format)

               Map of Minnesota soils

               Edible Soil Compaction Demo

             USDA-NRCS on-line soils resources for K-12

                      (link will forward you to their web site)

               "Soil is Alive" activity

               "Soil Builders" activity

               "Soil Must Be Protected" activity

               "Food and Soil" activity

               "Earth Apple" activity

               Lester - Minnesota State Soil

               Glacier Lesson Plan

               Soil Erosion Fact Sheet

The Earth is an Apple, full color demonstration by the American Farmland Trust http://www.farmland.org/img/apple.swf