Case study: Save Our Soils
Photo acknowledgement: Manchester Environmental Education Network (MEEN) https://www.meen.org.uk/saveoursoil
- Primary
- Indoor & Outdoor
- Experiment, Field trip, Game, Gardening / school garden / allotment, Hands-on activity, Workshop / training
- United Kingdom
Save Our Soils
Save Our Soils’ is an environmental education programme aimed at teaching inner-city primary school pupils about soils and soil health by using a range of hands-on activities, experiments and collaborative and outdoor learning. It highlights and focuses on two key issues affecting soil health in urban areas: contaminated land and impoverished soils.
The project was devised by Manchester Environmental Education Network (MEEN), a small charity based in Manchester, England, that promotes sustainability within schools. Three Manchester primary schools participated in the initial phase of the project, working with MEEN and a range of other experts from local universities, Debdale Eco Centre, construction firms, growers and Councillors from local government to develop pupils’ curiosity about soils, take action to improve soils and consider new ways of working in school grounds for soil health outcomes.
Objective
The main objective of Save Our Soils is to educate pupils on the importance of soils and to explore the impact of poor soils on their school’s community, as well as helping to shift perceptions of soil as ‘dirt’ to something that should be valued, protected and improved. The learning process is largely activity-based and covers issues including soil composition, contamination, biodiversity and plant growth. It also aims to help schools develop short and potentially longer-term sustainable solutions to enhance soil health within their grounds while exploring the links between environmental (un)sustainability and children’s health and wellbeing.
Approach
Groups of primary school children engage in learning about soil health through planned activities, experiments and visits to partner organisations. The first phase of the project included trips to Debdale Eco Centre and labs at the University of Manchester and the University of Salford. Those groups then focus on both sharing and applying the knowledge they have gained by taking action to improve soil health within their school grounds. Examples include developing a fact-based ‘Contamonopoly’ board game about soil contamination, planting trees on school grounds and building boarders to stop soils being washed away. School groups are also invited to attend and participate in MEEN’s Save Our Soils Intergenerational Conference, where young people run workshops and give talks alongside a variety of adult experts.
This approach aims to use collaborative partnerships and a combination of indoor and outdoor learning to engage pupils in diverse and engaging learning about soil health and its importance for other social and environmental issues and concerns. By giving pupils the opportunity to share and apply their knowledge, it also encourages self-directed, collaborative, exploratory and intergenerational learning.
The continuation/expansion of the programme is dependent on securing further funding.