On Thursday, May 1st, the Ocean County Soil Conservation District (OCSCD) and Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP) joined Whiting Elementary School for a fun and educational Earth Day celebration. The event was thoughtfully planned by Dr. Evelyn Swift, Principal, and teachers Stephanie Boyd and Colleen Goetz, who created a school-wide experience to inspire environmental awareness among students.
As part of the celebration, OCSCD’s Education Outreach Coordinator, Becky Laboy, and BBP’s Lab and Field Technician 1, Paige Radcliffe, brought soil science to life by leading an engaging, hands-on soil program for students in grades K through 5.
The program highlighted the importance of healthy soil and its role in supporting life on Earth. Through interactive discussion and activities, students dug deep into the concept of a soil profile—learning that beneath their feet lies a fascinating world of layered horizons, each with its own characteristics and role in the ecosystem.
To keep the lesson rockin’ students created their own soil profile craft using different colored soils dug locally within the Barnegat Bay watershed. With a template and an index card, students carefully glued layers of soil to represent the horizons: A (topsoil), E (layer of eluviation), B (subsoil), and C (parent material), based on a creative and educational activity available on the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) website. This tactile and visual project not only reinforced their learning but gave each student a memorable keepsake of their Earth Day experience.
To learn more about the soil profile activity, visit the USDA NRCS educational resources page: A Soil Profile | NRCS. For more fun soil lessons and activities, visit OCSCD’s Lesson Plans and Resources for Educators webpage.
OCSCD is proud to support environmental education and celebrate Earth Day by planting seeds of curiosity and stewardship in young learners. Events like these are a testament to the power of partnerships and the impact of early environmental education in fostering future conservationists.