Children's Education Pathway
At Kiss the Ground, we invest in children as the world’s greatest change agents – awakening this generation to the power of regeneration and being caretakers of this earth to create an abundant, biodiverse, thriving world.
Soil Resources
Kiss the Ground is proud to be the co-creators of two youth-focused resources: The Soil Quest, developed in partnership with Captain Planet Foundation, and The Soil Story Curriculum, developed in partnership with Life Lab. Both of these resources help children discover the power of soil and how they can participate in soil regeneration in their own community. They also both meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and easily enhance the required teaching of the carbon cycle and photosynthesis.
The soil story curriculum
Based on our video The Soil Story. This free middle-school curriculum, developed in partnership with Life Lab, is designed to introduce young people to the magic of soil and the fascinating connection it has to the food we eat, our health, and our climate. The five-lesson curriculum, written to serve as supplemental material for the Next Generation Science Standards, teaches about the carbon cycle, photosynthesis, soil science, and various agricultural practices before it concludes with a regenerative soil-based project.
I am in awe of what Kiss the Ground put together. I’ve been interested in curricula to teach this stuff and you nailed it!”
— Ron Olson, School Educator and Urban Farmer
The Soil Quest
The Soil Quest, developed in partnership with Captain Planet Foundation, is an online, project-based learning tool and framework that guides young heroes on a quest to uncover the ecology of soil and learn about the challenges we’re facing with soil degeneration. Students learn how to implement solutions and discover ways to take action to help regenerate soil in their community.
Watch the webinar to walk you through the quest!
Educators + Teachers + Homeschoolers Gathering Place
We made an online gathering space specifically for educators, teachers, and homeschoolers to interact and share resources.
Kiss the Ground has become a premier online educational hub for regenerative agriculture, offering an online “pathway” for anyone to find resources and their unique way forward in contributing to this expanding global movement.
Kiss the Ground Film Education Cut
For teachers, educators, schools, community organizers, and homeschoolers…thanks to a generous grant from the Bia Echo Foundation and Triptyk, there is a free 45-minute-long Educational Version of the Kiss the Ground movie and also a free DVD with both the 85 minute long feature and the educational cut on one disk.
The National Teaching Science Association (NTSA) released the Kiss the Ground movie curriculum along with the free 45-minute long school version of the film to over 250,000 science teachers for free. This will be the first time “drawdown,” “carbon biosequestration,” and “regeneration” are taught in schools as part of an NSTA curriculum.
Kiss the Ground Downloads and Videos
In addition to the youth-focused projects listed above, Kiss the Ground has a number of other resources that are helpful for helping children learn and grow in their soil journey.
Infographics
Videos
Resources by Grade Level
As we always say, this movement needs all of us! Below, our team has put together ideas and resources from other organizations that we think may be helpful in your journey.
Pre School and elementary School students
Garden School Programs – This is a list of regional programs that come into schools and put in garden programs, so that the kids can learn to tend to plants and soil. Kids enjoy hands-on learning!
Books on Soil – These are wonderful books that you can read together! We recommend these as a way to start a relationship between your child and the soil.
School Compost Programs – This is a list of programs we found that help you start composting at school.
Have you successfully started composting at your school? Check out this video from Jason Mraz thanking your classroom for this important work!
Environmental Youth Activists to Follow – Here is a list of youth who are making large waves in the world. They’ve already made impression strides in the movement, and we can’t wait to see what they do next. You can follow them as they affect more change – and let your kids know that they can, to
Nourishing Our Garden and the Earth, by Lala Palmieri and Jean Pullen
middle and high school students
Slow Foods Youth Garden Stand– Have your kids make a food stand! Slow Foods Youth Farm Stands provide educational opportunities by reinforcing traditional academics such as math and science, in addition to building life skills such as customer service, conflict resolution, and entrepreneurship. The model also supports nutrition education training so that families can see the advantages of eating fresh produce in their daily meals.
Kiss the Ground Education Partners
It takes a village to educate our youth. We are very grateful for our partners who continue to educate children in all ways daily.
Big Green is a national nonprofit who believes that growing food changes lives. They have spent the last 12 years helping people grow their own food — with garden-based education, scalable modular garden products and systems, and a community of support and collaboration, and are now advancing home, school, and community gardens across the country.
You can also check out our curriculum partners at Lifelab for more garden-based curricula and recipes! Life Lab cultivates children’s love of learning, nourishing food, and nature through garden-based education.
Based on the critically-acclaimed animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers, CPF was co-founded in 1991 by media mogul Ted Turner and producer Barbara Pyle as a corporate foundation of TBS. In 2002, Captain Planet Foundation separated from TBS and became a 501(c)3 public charity, with the mission to work collaboratively to engage and empower young people to be problem solvers for the planet. CPF executes its mission both as a grantmaker and as a program operator.
More than 1.6 million children have directly participated in CPF’s programs, either through Small Grants (CPF has funded over 2,700 hands-on environmental education projects with schools and nonprofits that serve children in all 50 U.S. states and in 35 countries internationally); Project Learning Garden (providing 550+ U.S. elementary schools with onsite learning laboratories and healthy food access); Project Hero (a web-based learning platform for students to save locally threatened species & ecosystems); or ChangeMakers (advancing the development of leadership and functional skills that allow students to become changemakers for environmental, social, and community-impact issues).
Through regenerative agriculture, Fearless Farmers creates an ecosystem of educators, farmers, and youth. There is a direct correlation between the health of our soil and everything walking on it. Our goal is to provide the tools and training people need to teach youth how regenerative agriculture can revitalize our soil to support the future generations that will need it most.
Whether you are a classroom teacher, a homeschool parent, a farmer or rancher, or you enjoy teaching youth in your community, we welcome you to participate in our training and utilize our place-based curriculum in your neck of the woods. Through online courses and onsite intensives, you’ll become a fully-certified Fearless Farmers Educator using our curriculum in your classroom, homeschool, after-school programs, and on farms and ranches. You’ll even have access to mentors and peers as you educate on the importance of regenerative agriculture. Reach out today to learn more!
The Edible Schoolyard Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the transformation of public education by using organic school gardens, kitchens, and cafeterias to teach both academic subjects and the values of nourishment, stewardship, and community. Edible education provides hands-on experiences that connect students to food, nature, and each other. At its heart is a dynamic and joyful learning experience for every child.
Kids Gardening is on a mission to create opportunities for children to play, learn and grow through gardening, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder. They inspire and support a community of educators and caregivers striving to bring the life-changing benefits of gardening to kids through grant programs and contests; printed curricula and garden guides; free, online educational activities, lesson plans, and how-to resources; and The Kids Garden Community, an online social network.
Belouga is a social learning platform making education impactful, accessible, and equitable for the youth of the world through interactive streaming content, aimed at providing a global perspective while aligning to everyday school subject areas and interests.
Turning Green is a global student-led movement cultivating a healthy, just, and resilient future through education and advocacy around climate action, environmental and social justice, and public health. Our programs include: Project Green Challenge an annual 30-day global initiative for high school and college students, Project Green Course an interactive, interdisciplinary virtual course for college students, Turning Green Classroom an activity resource for middle and high school students, and Conscious Kitchen committed to food equity, access and education for K-12 students.
Make a Donation
Regenerative agriculture is both a technical solution and a source of hope for planetary health and the climate crisis. If you are called to support and see its benefits come to life in the immediate future, become a member at Kiss the Ground, or considering donating today.