2nd April Geologists Day

For many people, geology could be considered an underappreciated science. This may be especially true when it is compared to other sciences such as physics, biology or chemistry, but if you are dealing with five to eight year olds like I do geology is probably their favourite science. They come to library after lunch with a rock in their pocket that they found on the playground or in the garden and ask what is this? I empathise with them because I loved rocks as a child. My father was a science teacher who was besotted with rocks. We'd be on a family holiday and he would stop the car and get us four children out of the car to look at some geological marvel. It may have been a plug, a cirque, a moraine, an incline/syncline in a cutting, shale, mica or some other unusual rock we hadn't seen up close. 

Geology is the study of the composition of rocks, soils and other natural materials. It is also the science of the Earth's physical structure and its life recorded in rocks. It has been around since Ancient Greek times. Rocks tell stories. The books on rocks, crystals and fossils are always borrowed especially if we do a display.

So it's time to put together a book display about everything to do with geology , including the historical geologists that have helped people understand our world better. 

Start with something general and then explore the 552 area of your library.

These are some of the popular ones in our library:

Looking for biographies? Try:

And hopefully one day there will be biographies about Inge Lehmann (1888 - 1993), a Danish seismologist who discovered that Earth has a solid inner core inside a molten outer core.

Looking for picture books? These are worth searching out, but there's plenty more if you look in the catalogue:

Happy rock hunting.

5th December World Soil Day

World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 th December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources.

Did you know that there are more living organisms in a tablespoon of soil than people on Earth? Soil is a world made up of organisms, minerals, and organic components that provides food for humans and animals through plant growth.

Soils are complex mixtures of minerals, water, air, organic matter, and countless organisms that are the decaying remains of once-living things. It forms at the surface of land – it is the “skin of the earth.” Soil is capable of supporting plant life and is vital to life on earth.

We have a considerable number of books about soil and they are used. The preschool are always in the garden digging and the Yr 1 often look in soil as part of a minibeasts unit. The school gardener was often called upon to talk about what was happening in the playground and the worm farm and compost help maintain interest as well. 

Some of the best soil books are here, but don't forget to look at worm books because these often speak of soil too.

• Exploring Soils: A Hidden World Underground  by Samantha Grover and Camille Heisler

 

This wonderful book published by the CSIRO is written by soil scientist Samantha Grover and tells the story of James who wants to be a soil scientist. He discovers that soil is not just dirt for digging in, but an essential part of our world. He explores how plants and animals live in soil, how soils are formed, how they differ, and the ways that soil is essential in our lives.

• Dirt: The Scoop on Soil  by Natalie Rosinsky and  Sheree Boyd

In this introduction to soil, young science and nature lovers will discover the components of dirt, how it's made, and how to maintain healthy soil for the environment.

• Soil Basics  by Mari Schuh

Plants grow in it. Animals live in it. Read more to find out the facts on soil. 

• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal

Down in the dirt there is a busy world of earthworms digging, snakes hunting, skunks burrowing and all the other animals that make a garden their home. In this exuberant and lyrical book, discover the wonders that lie hidden between stalks. 

• Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand  and Everything Underground  by Wenjia Tang

 Learn how one handful of ordinary soil contains more organisms than there are people on Earth, and carry out experiments using dirt from your own back garden.

•  Carl and the Meaning of Life by Deborah Freedman

Carl is an earthworm. He spends his days happily tunnelling in the soil until a field mouse asks him a simple question that stops him short: "Why?" 

16th June World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

Tomorrow, the 17th of June is World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. This may seem like a lot to explain to children in a prep school, but they certainly understand what a desert is and what drought is, so reading books about these two things could lead to a discussion of the troubles that these cause and what we can do about it. The aim of this day and a definition for 'desertification' is available at websites such as this. This year's slogan is 'Enhancing soils anywhere enhances life everywhere', so perhaps a good place to start your reading is with a factual, but simple book about soil such as Dirt: The Scoop on Soil.

Then choose from a multitude of wonderful picture books such as:

• these three illustrated yet factual books, Drought by Tricia Oktober, Sand Swimmers by Narelle Oliver and The Desert by Jane Bowring and Kim Gamble.

• Water Witcher by Jan Ormerod.

• Two Summers by John Heffernan and Freya Blackwood

• The Story of Rosy Dock by Jeannie Baker

• This is the Oasis by Miriam Moss

• Lila and the Secret Rain by David Conway and Jude Daly