“The Earth’s arable surface” workshop developed by The Nature School

The workshop begins with the teacher gathering the pupils for form a circle outdoors. Using a long rope of about 10 meters, the teacher asks them to grab the rope and form a circle that they put down on the ground together. When the string is on the ground, the teacher explains that the circle represents the Earth’s surface. The pupils are asked to think about the composition of the Earth’s surface and informs them that water constitutes about ¾ of the surface. Then the teacher explains that the circle can also be a pie chart and divides ¾ of it using 2 pieces of shorter rope and places a jar of water in this part. Then the pupils are asked to think further about what forms the final quarter of the Earth’s surface. The teacher divides the remaining ¼ into two parts using a short rope. In one part, which is 1/8 of the earth’s surface, there are mountains, glaciers and other barren land which is marked with a large stone. Three quarters of the remaining eighth is too dry or wet to use for food production, and is therefore marked with an empty jar. The remaining part, which is 1/32, about 3%, – is arable land which is marked using a bowl of soil. This represents approximately 1.8 ha/person, 18,000 m2. The exercise provides them with a tangible understanding of the limited space available for food production. Then the pupils are tasked to discuss a number of questions in pairs:• What do you think when you see that there is such a small area that can be cultivated? • What feelings do you get when you see how little space there is actually available to grow food on? • How should we use this part of the earth wisely? • How can we use the school playground or allotment that we have access to, knowing this?

The next activity is find out what local soil looks like. The pupils are divided into pairs and given petri dishes and spoons to collect different soil samples. The pairs collect samples from a few places and then come back and use a loupe magnification device to see what they can find in the soil. Meanwhile, the teacher asks probing questions to make them reflect further. For example, whether they can smell something from the soil? Do the soil samples look the same? How does the soil feel between their fingers? -Can they detect any organisms or traces of organisms in the soil? What happens if they pour soil into a glass of water? This provides the pupils with sensual experiences of the soil and helps them to make a connection with nature in their everyday environment.

In the final lesson the pupils are tasked to collect leaves from the park and add them to the school’s growing boxes in the school playground to demonstrate the process of soil formation through the decomposition of organic matter. During this lesson, pupils learn that leaves provide food for the microorganisms in the soil.

This workshop is interesting for its use of outdoor learning spaces and its sequential approach, gradually building pupils’ understanding of soil-related concepts. Through a series of practical activities, students gain insight into the significance of soil, its composition, and its role in sustaining life.