“Caring for our soils” – session 4 of the IYS Soil Education project

A local and Wimmera (regional) exploration of soils based on the topsoil samples that children collected from home, their Soil stories about their soil and their soil tests. This time we share their results across class and the 8 Wimmera towns of this project to get a regional view of soil, and understanding of the implications of the tests for key principals in caring for soils, especially in this dry El Nino year, covering:

1. a regional definition of soil

2. range of our soil colours and signs of soil health

3. pH and soil texture across the region and ways to care for soils with different values

4. a Soil Star- for a long term, global scale, momento linking person-soil-IYS-star stuff for the Christmas tree.  (photo attached)

This is Session 4 of a 4-session program funded in schools by the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority, and created for the schools by Jeanie Clark , enviroed4all® , Warracknabeal

Dates: October 28- November 16 in 12 sessions involving 200 children and their teachers at 8 Wimmera schools, Victoria, Australia

Natimuk PS y 3-6 Oct 28

Marnoo PS F-y6 Oct 29

Yaapeet PS F-y6 Oct 30

Rainbow P12S y2-4 (2) Nov 5

St Mary’s PS Warracknabeal y3-4  Nov 6

Jeparit PS F- y6 Nov 11

Nhill P12 S y5-6  (2) Nov 13

Our Lady Help of Christians PS F-y2 and y3-6  Nov 15

Wimmera Home Educators Group y4-8 tbc