# data[].attributes.body
All five sense could be used when dealing with dirt.  Our unit on the five senses has a central idea of  "how we use our senses to perceive and organize the world. " I love that we could change the texture of the dirt by adding water. Of course different dirt or mud has a smell.  Making observations of the different sediment within the soil could be great for making a chart.  Tasting the dirt would be for the risk takers, there are always a few.
Nate Fincher

# data[].attributes.body
Introducing compost during our Sharing the planet unit would be perfect for multiple reasons.  We talk about plants having needs met by humans and the anatomy and life cycle of plants.  Compost meets both adding to the health of plants and contributing to the making of compost.  I could bring in some compost for a starter for our compost bin.  We could add leftover vegetables from lunch as well as grass clippings after the mowers mow, etc.
Nate Fincher

# data[].attributes.body
Around Earth Day, our school encourages the kids to reuse and recycle especially with their lunches. The class compete to see who has the least amount of trash. This book would be great to use during that time to talk about composting and start a composting bin at school. It would be a great additional and would teach the kids how they can start composting at home!

# data[].attributes.body
This book will be a great introduction to a gardening workshop that I am working on for my 4-Hers. We plan to talk about different types of soil and each child is going to bring in a sample of soil from their land and test it for pH, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. We will then analyze our results and see what their next steps are with their soil. I also like the "Life in a Bottle" activity in the back of the book. This would be a great activity for my 4-H Day Camp that I am planning this summer!

# data[].attributes.headline
In ELA, this is a text I could use with my struggling fluency group. Fluency passages can be boring sometimes, but a passage from this book might be interesting for a student who is into the class garden. It is also accessible for a fifth grader who is struggling with fluency. If I say, "we are going to be practicing fluency today," that sounds pretty boring, but if I say we're going be learning about science and preparing for our class garden, that might make fluency practice a little bit easier to take :)

# data[].attributes.subject
In ELA, this is a text I could use with my struggling fluency group. Fluency passages can be boring sometimes, but a passage from this book might be interesting for a student who is into the class garden. It is also accessible for a fifth grader who is struggling with fluency. If I say, "we are going to be practicing fluency today," that sounds pretty boring, but if I say we're going be learning about science and preparing for our class garden, that might make fluency practice a little bit easier to take :)

# data[].attributes.headline
I have a worm bin in my classroom that students enjoy adding to, and that we plan to use in our garden. This book does a good job of explaining how compost works, and what we are doing with the worm bin. 

# data[].attributes.subject
I have a worm bin in my classroom that students enjoy adding to, and that we plan to use in our garden. This book does a good job of explaining how compost works, and what we are doing with the worm bin. 

# data[].attributes.body
Composting is a part of our 3rd grade Science curriculum and it is just glossed over because the teachers don't have time. There are resources to make this a project, but it's just discussed and not put into application. I think using this book and then working with our cafeteria/custodial staff who monitor lunches would be a great way to help get a compost bin started. We can start small and then move up once we start getting more on board. Our 4th graders go to Arlington Echo, an outdoor education place, and learn about composting as part of the events. I think once 4th grade has their trip, this would also be a great time to introduce composting to the school because it is fresh in their mind and it would be a good extension of what they have just learned.

# data[].attributes.body
I like the idea of studying soil maps.  This would be a great way to tie together map skills, geography, and types of farming around the world.  By looking at the maps and types of farming being done with certain soils, we could then explore the diverse soil in Maryland and see what is grown there.  I live close to the Chesapeake Bay so my soil if very sandy.  We could even go out digging up soil in different locations around the school and see if there is any differences.  This would be good when we are trying to figure out where to plant our garden next year.

# data[].attributes.body
The easiest way I can see to use this resource is as an introduction to making a compost pile. We are working on gardens now. It would be neat to have a class start a compost pile in the fall and tend to it over the year. Then by Spring next year, composted nutrient rich soil could then be used to refresh our gardens next year of make new ones.