Discover Uses of Soil at School

Soil is one of the cornerstones that supports life on Planet Earth. It supports and nurtures plants, provides habitats for creatures great and small, and allows humans to access resources such as crops for food, fibres for clothes, and materials for building. 

One of the best ways to teach your students about the uses and importance of soil is to allow them to experience it for themselves!

This set of differentiated worksheets has been designed to assist your students in exploring how soil is used around the school. Your students will need to become soil detectives as they look for the ways in which soil is used on their school grounds.

Each worksheet has been structured slightly differently to allow for the varying ability levels of the students in your class. Each worksheet is outlined below:

• Worksheet 1 – Students go for a walk around the school and tick the uses of soil that they see on their work. The uses listed on the worksheet are potted plants, compost bin, grass and flower garden.
• Worksheet 2 – Students draw a picture of the following ways that soil might be used around their school: potted plants, compost bin, grass play area, and flower or herb garden. The students are then required to explain why soil is needed in the school.
• Worksheet 3 – Students draw and label four pictures of their choice of soil being used around their school. The students are then required to explain why soil is needed in the school.
• Worksheet 4 – Students draw four pictures of their choice of soil being used around their school, then write a sentence about each picture. The students are then required to explain why soil is needed in the school.

This set of worksheets downloads as a black-and-white PDF or an editable Google Slides file. Please select the editable file if you wish to make any personal alterations to the resource.

So what are you waiting for? Download, print and distribute this resource to get your students out of the classroom and into the outdoors! 

Benefits of Outdoor Learning for Students

Did you know that there are a multitude of benefits for students when it comes to outdoor learning? Incorporating outdoor observation into your curriculum provides a holistic education that nurtures students’ physical, mental and emotional well-being. Some of the major benefits are:

1. An enhanced learning experience
2. The opportunity for scientific inquiry
3. Improved focus and concentration
4. Increased physical activity
5. Reduction in stress levels
6. Increased connection to the environment

There’s never been a better reason to get your students out of the classroom for their soil observation activities!

Download and Print These Uses of Soil Worksheets

Use the dropdown menu next to the Download button above to access either easy-print PDF or the Google Slides version of this resource. (Note: You will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides template before accessing it.)

This resource was created by Kendall Britnell, a Teach Starter collaborator.

More Activities to Explore Why Soil Is Important

Looking for more activities to explore the importance of soil with your students? Explore this great selection of teacher-created resources!

teaching resource

Why Is Soil Important? Teaching Slides

Explain to your students how living things depend on soil with this informative teaching presentation perfect for primary school science lessons.

teaching resource

The Importance of Soil Posters

Show your students how plants, animals and humans need soil to survive with this set of three informative classroom posters to accompany your science lessons.

teaching resource

Soil Word Wall Vocabulary Cards

Immerse your students in subject-specific vocabulary related to soil types and their properties with this set of 16 illustrated vocabulary cards.