SOIL, FOOD AND SOCIETY
He Oneone, he Kai me te Hāpori
The story of where our food comes from
Te pūrākau o ngā kai
Plants are Earth's engine Year 5 - 6
He tipu te mihini o te ao
Without the sun providing the energy and without plants turning non-living things into living things none of the animals of the earth would have anything to eat. Plants use sunlight to make non-living things (sun, water, air, nutrients) into living things (fruit and vegetables).
When these non-living things (sunlight, water, air, nutrients) become organic (living) then the energy they provide becomes available for people and animals to eat.
Big Ideas and Science Concepts show pathways for scaffolding knowledge and inquiry
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Our food garden Year 6 - 7
Ā mātou mārā kai
Plants need nutrients from the soil to grow. Soil nutrients mostly come from the breakdown of mineral-bearing rocks and from organic matter, which comes from the decomposition of plants and animals.
The nutrients that plants get from the soil are stored in all plant tissues, their leaves, stems and flowers. Animals can use the nutrients by eating these parts of plants.
When these tissues fall to the ground they start to break down, and together with decomposing dead insects, dead animals and animal droppings, they are eventually re-incorporated into the soil by rainfall and earthworms. There, the organic matter is further broken down and slowly transformed to become nutrients that are available to growing plants to continue the cycle.
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The chain in my lunchbox Year 7 -8
He raupapa kame kei roto i taku pouaka tina
A food chain shows how each living thing gets its food. With a simple food chain each link in the chain is food for the next link. A food chain always starts with plant life and ends with an animal.
The nutrients that plants are able to capture from the atmosphere and take up from the soil and the same nutrients that end up in your lunchbox
Agriculture’s purpose is to grow plants and other crops, and raise animals for food, other human needs, or economic gain. Agriculture is a supply step in a food chain.
Natural and human actions can change the environment where food is produced. These changes can be induced by physical action and by chemical action and reaction.
Big Ideas and Science Concepts show pathways for scaffolding knowledge and inquiry
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