The CURIOSOIL Community of Practice (CoP) brought together soil educators, scientists, and policy advocates from across Europe. The CURIOSOIL Project, spearheaded by the University of Aveiro (Portugal), aims to foster soil literacy through innovative educational tools and collaborative efforts among diverse stakeholders. This inaugural event marked a significant step toward soil educators’ engagement with the activities of the project.

SUELO, a field guide to connect with the places we inhabit, by Ela Spalding

Ela Spalding introduced SUELO, a field guide and methodology designed to reconnect people with the places they inhabit. SUELO invites participants to rediscover fundamental elements—soil, water, air, flora, fauna—and their intertwined human and non-human communities. Its seven guiding principles, from deep listening to celebration, encourage experiential, multidisciplinary, and reflective learning. The presentation offered participants a framework for cultivating deeper awareness of natural and cultural values, while also suggesting practical steps, from mapping landscapes to designing shared experiences.

For more information, feel free to contact Ela. She invites those interested in practicing SUELO and going deeper with her support to express interest here. It will help her design the modalities for a Community of Practice of SUELO. (connect@elaspalding.com, https://estudionuboso.org/suelo-2/)

Making Soil Science Stick: Communicating with Impact Across Audiences

Building on this grounding, the session introduced upcoming opportunities. Mihaela Bozukova of the European Science Communication Institute (ESCI) presented the training “Making Soil Science Stick: Communicating with Impact Across Audiences”, scheduled for October 2, 2025. This interactive workshop will help participants refine their communication, craft compelling messages, and adapt formats to reach diverse publics, a key skill for advancing soil literacy beyond academic and professional circles.

The agenda of the session is as follows:

• Identify and understand the people you want to reach
• Craft clear, compelling messages that resonate
• Choose the right format and platform for your communication goal
• Improve clarity and maximise the impact of your research

The Soil Curiosity Kit

A major highlight was the Soil Curiosity Kit, introduced by Javier Montellano from Gaia Education. Conceived as a “Soil Literacy Cookbook,” the kit gathers activities that awaken soil curiosity across formal, non-formal, and informal education. The emphasis is on affordable, accessible materials and multisensorial experiences. The kit includes observation exercises and experiments, games and toys, crafts and arts, movement and theater, as well as stories, debates, and literary exercises. Each activity is designed to foster creativity, inclusivity, and interaction with soil. Cross-cutting themes—Soil to Landscape, Life Underground, and Soil Magic—connect the scientific with the cultural, linking soil to biodiversity, mythology, and imagination.

Participants responded enthusiastically, asking about translations, availability for professional training, and how to involve schools and communities. Javier clarified that while the main publication will be in English, translation efforts are ongoing, and the kit is designed for all ages, from children to the elderly. We invite you to contribute to the Soil Curiosity Kit, a “Soil Literacy Cookbook” describing activities to awake soil curiosity, addressing a wide variety of formal, non-formal and non-formal education contexts.  You can send your ideas till the 1st of December 2025. All contributions will be acknowledged (unless you want to remain anonymous).

Please read the Guidelines for proposing and designing Soil Curiosity Kit activities – Google Docs and complete the form! CURIOSOIL Soil Curiosity Kit Co – Creation Form

You can also check the resources already included in the CURIOSOIL website for inspiration: Curiosity Kit – CURIOSOIL

Soil Literacy Assessment Framework – why?

The meeting also featured a detailed update on the Soil Literacy Assessment Framework (SLAF), presented by the Wageningen University team. The framework aims to establish a baseline of soil literacy across Europe, assessing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours among primary and secondary students, teachers, and the general public. Early pilots showed high reliability for the general public questionnaire (79 respondents, aged 16–76), while the primary education version requires further testing. The framework’s workflow for implementation was explained, including parental consent procedures, translation requirements, and engagement with teachers and schools. Participants debated age classifications—such as whether 13-year-olds fall into primary or secondary education—and agreed that flexibility for teachers was key. The SLAF is directly linked to the EU’s Mission Soil objective of achieving healthy soils across the EU by 2050. The questionnaire for > 14 years old and general public is ready for use! https://wur.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6JWkd61dt5fzGN8?Q_CHL=qr

National workshops for co-creation of recommendations for soil education, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Looking ahead, Alberto introduced the CURIOSOIL National Workshops. Indeed, we will be organising  a series of workshops across Europe to support the development of policy recommendations for soil education. These workshops will engage stakeholders from primary, secondary, and tertiary education in meaningful dialogues to inform future strategies.

The workshops will provide an opportunity to:

• Examine existing soil education policies and identify current needs and challenges,

• Share and highlight effective educational tools and practices,

• Co-develop recommendations for the integration of soil education into national policies.

The workshops will take place between October 2025 and April 2026. These workshops will engage stakeholders in 15 countries to co-create policy recommendations on soil education. Structured around SWOT analyses, resource-sharing, and targeted policy discussions, they will culminate in national briefs and feed into EU-wide dialogue. For many participants, this represents a crucial avenue to link classroom practice with systemic change in education policy.

World Soil Museum App

The meeting also previewed the launch of the CURIOSOIL App, offering a virtual tour of the World Soil Museum. The app will provide an immersive journey through soils and landscapes, situating them within broader contexts of climate, land use, and food security. CoP members will play a role in reviewing translations and testing the app in the coming months. You can click here to find the feedback Survey of the World Soil Museum App as well as the QR code to access it through your phone.

The CoP within CURIOSOIL Project

By collaboratively developing educational products, curriculum standards, and teacher training programs, CURIOSOIL aims to increase the appreciation of soil value and to align with the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe.” This initiative cultivates soil literacy, engages citizens, and promotes sustainable soil practices. The project aims to integrate soil health into EU school curricula by 2030, fostering awareness, knowledge, and behavioural changes for a resilient and climate-smart future.

Running from 2024 to 2028, CURIOSOIL emphasizes different priorities each year. Benefits of participation in the Community of practice include early access to educational materials and financial support for national events.

The CURIOSOIL CoP also highlights collaboration opportunities with the LOESS Project, Literacy Boost through an Operational Educational Ecosystem of Societal Actors on Soil Health, and the potential learnings through the various Mission Soil and soil health-related projects like SOLPYR, ISLANDR, NBSOIL or SOLO.

You can read about these and all projects related to Mission Soil in their list.

Resources from the session:

• The slides presented
• The invitation for the 2025 Winter CURIOSOIL Community of Practice on 12th December 2025
• The training “Making Soil Science Stick: Communicating with Impact Across Audiences”, scheduled for October 2, 2025.
• The Guidelines for proposing and designing Soil Curiosity Kit activities – Google Docs, and complete the form! CURIOSOIL Soil Curiosity Kit Co – Creation Form
• The resources already included in the CURIOSOIL website for inspiration: Curiosity Kit – CURIOSOIL
• The Literacy Assessment questionnaire for those>14 years old and the general public is ready for use! https://wur.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6JWkd61dt5fzGN8?Q_CHL=qr
• The feedback Survey of the World Soil Museum App, as well as the QR code to access it through your phone.
• The recording below:

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1. Introduction to the CURIOSOIL Project
2. SUELO, a field guide to connect with the places we inhabit, by Ela Spalding
3. Making Soil Science Stick: Communicating with Impact Across Audiences
4. The Soil Curiosity Kit
5. Soil Literacy Assessment Framework – why?
6. National workshops for co-creation of recommendations for soil education, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
7. World Soil Museum App
8. Invitation to CURIOSOIL’s Back to School CoP meeting

Initially published on the Communities for Future platform.