Here are some resources that I think would be interesting for K-12 teachers, university professors, extension agents, scouting pack leaders, envirothon team leaders, or anyone else involved in shaping young minds.
Networking with Colby & ColbyDigsSoil.com
The Soil and Water Conservation Society Network (you don’t need to be a society member to join)
Blogs
Soil PSA’s from the SSSA (short, educational Youtube videos)
Doctor Dirt provides “resources [that] have been developed primarily for K-8 teachers and students. Hands-on, exploratory learning activities based on methods of scientific inquiry will encourage interest in science, soil, engineering, agriculture, and natural resources.”
The Soil Science Society of America provides a wealth of information for K-12 educators including:
Example soil science lessons and activities
Young Scientists’ Soil Glossary
Glossary of Soil Science Terms
DIRT! The Movie “takes you inside the wonders of the soil. It tells the story of Earth’s most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility–from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation.”
The EPA provides a website where you can identify the watershed where you live. A watershed is an area of land on which any drop of water will eventually flow to a specific point in a stream (kind of like water in your bath tub flowing toward the drain).
The Canon Envirothon is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization established to coordinate the delivery of an environmental education program for high school students throughout North America. The environmental education program consists of the annual Canon Envirothon Competition in which winning teams from participating states and Canadian provinces compete for recognition and scholarships by demonstrating their knowledge of environmental science and natural resource management.
Find a local Envirothon program near you
This is the Soil Science Society of America’s soil outreach website.
This is a website dedicated to being a resource for those interested in finding out more about soil science, including shared photos, job listings, and more. Also, the banner used for ColbyDigsSoil.com was created using photos from soilscience.info.
Professional Societies to Dig
Soil Science Society of America
Soil and Water Conservation Society
Other Societies, Organizations, Centers, etc.
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Soil and Wetland News
Scholarship Opportunities
Product Plugs for Good Causes
Groundwater Flow Model (a fundraiser for the Soil and Water Conservation Club at Iowa State University)
Rain Barrels (a fundraiser for the Soil and Water Conservation Society at NCSU)
Thanks, Colby, this is great inspiration. I’m just starting up Soil Samples Plus because I’m trying to figure out how to be a “freelance soil scientist” in Chicago. Some of your resources I’d already found, others are new. Wish me luck!
Thank you for visiting the website. I’m glad these links were of use. Good luck!