When the dust storms of the 1930s threatened to destroy U.S. farming and agriculture, Hugh Bennett knew what to do. For decades, he had studied the soils in every state, creating maps showing soil composition nationwide. He knew what should be grown in each area, and how to manage the land to conserve the soil. He knew what to do for weathering and erosion.

To do that, he needed the government’s help. But how do you convince politicians that the soil needs help?

Hugh Bennett knew what to do. He waited for the wind.

This is the exciting story of a soil scientist confronting politicians to encourage them to pass a law to protect the land, the soil. When the U.S. Congress passed a law establishing the Soil Conservation Service, it was the first government agency in the world dedicated to protecting the land, to protecting the Earth.

No matter where you live, you can learn all about the amazing things that happen on farms. Farm Anatomy Activities for Kids combines the joy of hands-on experiments and activities with easy-to-understand lessons that teach you all about farm life.

This farm anatomy activity book helps you think more like a farmer and understand how nature, crops, and animals shape the way we live. You’ll learn about all the different parts of a farm, the plants and animals you might find there, and how farms create the food you eat and the material for the clothes you wear. This book will need to be returned. 

Farm Anatomy Activities for Kids includes:

• Educational lessons―Learn about the various parts of a farm, how they raise plants and animals, and the ways farms connect to your daily life no matter where you live.
• Ways to play―Try out cool experiments like growing crops without soil or making a mason bee house.
• Journal prompts―Reflect on what you’ve learned about farm anatomy with the thoughtful writing prompts paired with each activity.

Take kids on an educational journey down to the farm without ever leaving home.

A girl and her father buy plants, potting soil, and a window box at the supermarket, ride the bus to their apartment, and put together a colorful gift for the child’s mother. Rhyming verse carries the brief story, while wonderful, warm, full-color illustrations present scenes from novel angles, and depict a loving family with a sense of intimacy, sincerity, and joy.

Author Mary Appelhof provides complete illustrated instructions on setting up and maintaining small-scale worm composting systems. Internationally recognized as an authority on vermicomposting, Appelhof has worked with worms for over three decades. Topics include: bin types, worm species, reproduction, care and feeding of worms, harvesting, and how to make the finished product of potting soil. This book needs to be returned. 

Activities for all grade levels, nicely supplement Mary Appelhof’s book Worms Eat my Garbage. After completing the activities in this unit, the student will understand the physical characteristics of the earth worm, understand the behavior of the earthworm, understand the needs of the earthworm, understand the habitat of the earthworm, and understand the relationship of plant, mineral, and animal kingdoms to the earthworm. This book needs to be returned. 

Sally is a young girl living in rural Alabama in the early 1900s, a time when people were struggling to grow food in soil that had been depleted by years of cotton production. One day, Dr. George Washington Carver shows up to help the grownups with their farms and the children with their school garden.

Back in the 1830s, John Deere was a young blacksmith from Vermont, about to make his mark on American history. He moved to Illinois, where farmers were struggling to plow through the thick, rich soil they called gumbo. Hee tinkered and tweaked and tested until he invented a steel plow that sliced into the prairie easy as you please. Long before the first tractor, John Deere changed farming forever. This book will need to be returned.

Make plantable greeting cards… use peanut butter, chocolate chips, and cereal to learn about soil aggregates… find out how plants clean water… create your own ethnic vegetable garden…. and more. Students can become a certified Junior Master Gardener by completing all eight subject units in Level 1.

A teacher’s guide is also available. This book needs to be returned. 

Students will make plantable greeting cards… use peanut butter, chocolate chips, and cereal to learn about soil aggregates… find out how plants clean water… create your own ethnic vegetable garden…. and more. Students can become a certified Junior Master Gardener by completing all eight subject units in Level 1.

The teacher/leader guide is designed to accompany and correspond to the Junior Master Gardener Handbook. The Junior Master Gardener curriculum has eight instructional chapters, each with teaching concepts or categories that have corresponding activities. The teacher guide also contains a wide variety of group activities. This book needs to be returned. 

Crawling through the dirt, worms are hard at work, helping plants to grow. Worms help the fruit and vegetables we eat by loosening the soil and feeding the plants. Read and find out about these wiggling wonders! This book pairs well with lessons on compost and soil health.