Earth gives us resources we need to live. Soil is a resource. Earth wouldn't be Earth without soil. Without it we wouldn't have life on Earth. Soil covers a large part of Earth. Inside soil there are broken rocks, water, tiny living things, and rotting plants and animals. Soil is made over a long time as the Earth changes.

Soil forms in layers. The top layer is an organic layer where plants grow and animals live. Under that is the top soil which has rock pieces and rotting plants and animals called humus. Most things plants need to grow is in this layer. Under topsoil is subsoil, and in this layer there isn't as much humus as topsoil. It is often lighter in color, and also includes pieces of broken rocks. Tree roots grow into the subsoil. You might also find water in this layer. Under the subsoil there is parent material. Parent material is the broken down pieces of bedrock. This is the raw material for making new soil. Bedrock is the last layer.

Now that you know what's in soil let's talk about the things soil gives us. Soil gives us the planet's food. We would starve without it! It also gives us plant and animal fiber so we can make clothing. That's a good thing too! We also get building material from soil so that we can build houses and buildings.

Another amazing thing that soil does for us is called decomposition. Decomposition is the breaking down of things that have died in the soil. This happens because of the work of millions of tiny living things in the soil. These tiny living things are too small for us to see. They have their own tiny food chain to help soil with its many jobs. Soil cleans water, and helps holds water in place. Soil recycles nutrients so healthy plants can grow. It keeps the world going.

It's fun to play in the dirt. People like to make pots from clay. Clay a kind of soil. Sometimes humans make it hard for soil to do its jobs. Farmers can do too much plowing. People hurt the soil by dumping garbage. If humans don't take care of soil it won't be able to take care of us.