Subject Targets:

Earth Science, Life Science, Physical Science, Engineering Design, Math, English Language Arts

Recommended Settings:

• Summer Camps
• Classrooms
• Before & After-School Programs

Each Activity Includes:

• Schedule
• Materials List
• Topic Background Information
• Step-By-Step Directions
• Optional Extension Activities

Curriculum Topics:

• Properties of Dirt
• Mudshakes and Dirt Art
• Weathering
• Soil Erosion
• pH Testing of Soil for Farming
• Animal Soil Engineers Above and Below Ground
• Bug Hunt: Tunnelers, Decomposers and Hunters
• The Wood Wide Web and Fungi
• Malian Mudcloths
• Engineering with Dirt
• Build an Adobe Farm

Reusability and Expansion:

• Refill Kit Available: This product offers affordable refill kits. See the materials tab for details.

Product Orientation:

• Half-hour free webinar orientation for purchases of $500+
• One-hour free webinar orientation for purchases of $1000+
• Additional training available for purchase

Complete Program Includes:

Curriculum Printed Copy Includes:

• Instructor Guide: 1
• Printed Student Journals: 31
• Burrowing Animal Cut-Outs: 31
• Bug Guide: 6
• Sheet of Labels: 1

Curriculum Digital Download Includes:

Instructor Guide only, which includes master copies of all student pages.

Refill Kit Available:

Looking to use your Dirt Camp program with the next group of soil specialists? This refill kit will get them up and running in no time!

• #2 Pencils (12 pk): 3
• Baking Soda (8 oz box): 1
• Blank Paper (8 1/2" x 11", 500 sheets): 1
• Clay (8 lb bucket): 1
• Colored Pencils (12 pk): 5
• Deli Containers (16 oz, 50 pk): 1
• Deli Container Lids (50 pk): 1
• Food Coloring (4 color pack): 1
• Garden Lime (6.75 lb): 1
• Lava Rock (10 cups): 1
• Markers (8 pk): 1
• Masking Tape Roll: 1
• Paper Cups (4 oz): 20
• Paper Plates: 100
• Paper Towel Roll: 1
• Pea Gravel (10 cups): 1
• PH Strips (200 pk): 1
• Pipettes: 50
• Popsicle Sticks (1000 pk): 1
• Silt (32 oz): 1
• Skittles (2.17 oz): 1
• Sphagnum Peat Moss (10 quarts): 1
• Spoons: 50
• Straws: 250
• Sugar Cubes (1 lb): 1
• Table Covers: 6
• Toilet Paper Roll: 1
• Topsoil (18 quarts): 1
• Vinegar (1 quart): 1
• White Liquid Glue (4 oz): 7
• Ziploc Bags (1 gallon): 5

Habits of Mind:

16 thinking habits developed by Art Costa and Bena Kallick to empower students to succeed in a 21st-century learning environment.

• Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations
• Creating, Imagining, and Innovating
• Finding Humor
• Gathering Data Through All Senses
• Listening with Understanding and Empathy
• Managing Impulsivity
• Persisting
• Remaining Open to Continuous Learning
• Responding with Wonderment and Awe
• Striving for Accuracy
• Taking Responsible Risks
• Thinking & Communicating with Clarity and Precision
• Thinking About Thinking
• Thinking Flexibly
• Thinking Interdependently

21st Century Skills:

A set of widely-applicable abilities essential for success in the information age.

• Communication and Collaboration
• Creativity and Innovation
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Flexibility and Adaptability
• Initiative and Self-Direction
• Information, Media, and Technology Literacy
• Leadership and Responsibility
• Productivity and Accountability
• Social and Cross-Cultural Skills

© 2019 Battelle for Kids. battelleforkids.org. All Rights Reserved. Battelle for Kids was not involved in the production of this product and does not endorse it.

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.2: Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.1: Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.G.A.1: Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces. Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1: Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.4: Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.

© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

Next Generation Science Standards:*

• K-ESS3-1: Natural Resources
• K-2-ETS1-1: Engineering Design
• K-2-ETS1-2: Engineering Design
• K-2-ETS1-3: Engineering Design
• 1-LS1-1: Structure and Function
• 1-LS1-2: Growth and Development
• 2-ESS2-1: Engineering Earth's Systems
• 2-LS4-1: Biodiversity
• 2-PS1-1: Investigating Properties of Matter
• 2-PS1-2: Analyzing Properties of Matter
• 3-ESS3-1: Natural Hazards
• 3-LS2-1: Ecosystem Interactions
• 3-LS4-3: Adaptation
• 3-LS4-4: Ecosystem Dynamics
• NGSS Core Idea ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth
• NGSS Core Idea ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes.
• NGSS Core Idea LS1.A: Structure and Function
• NGSS Core Idea LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics
• NGSS Core Idea LS4.C: Adaptation
• NGSS Core Idea PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter
• NGSS Core Idea PS1.B: Chemical Reactions

* Next Generation Science Standards and NGSS is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.

Beth Schadd

Hailing from Wisconsin, Beth Schadd moved to Idaho in 2008 in search of adventure and a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Education from the University of Idaho. As an educator, she has worked with children of all ages in the outdoors and the classroom, as well as coaching various sports.

Beth has developed experiential curriculum for science centers, museums, day camps, and outdoor programs. In 2013, she traveled to China to lead outdoor and adventure camps. Prior to moving to Idaho, Beth worked in labs studying mosquitoes and environmental health, and managed clinical trials. Though she will always be a Cheese Head at heart, she has embraced the great outdoors of the West, enjoying snowshoeing, mountain biking and backpacking, and has become an avid stand up paddleboarder.