By Dan Evans, Senior Lecturer in Soil Science & UKRI Future Leaders Fellow
The Talking Soil Benches are one of the most exciting outreach ideas I have led. As the UK’s first soil-focused talking benches, they offer a creative way to bring soil science into everyday spaces and encourage people to stop, listen, and think about the world beneath their feet. Built as fully integrated outdoor benches with inbuilt audio, weatherproof systems, and solar power, they allow users to hear recordings and soil stories in a way that feels accessible, surprising, and memorable.
One of these benches has now been installed at St John’s Church of England Primary School in Dukinfield, East Manchester. The bench includes recordings such as the sound of an earthworm, alongside interesting facts about soils, and it has already been received really positively by both pupils and parents. What I like most about the bench is that it makes soil visible in a new way. Soil is everywhere in our lives, but it is so often overlooked. The bench gives children and families a reason to pause and become curious about something that usually stays hidden.
In early February, I had the pleasure of visiting the school to run a session on what soil is and why it matters. One of the best parts of the visit was seeing just how naturally curious the children were. Rather than simply listening, they immediately began asking thoughtful, imaginative, and sometimes wonderfully unexpected questions about soil. They wanted to know: Can you make soil? What is soil made of? What would happen if we did not have soil? Is soil alive? and even What soils are on the Moon? One of my favourites was How much soil is there on Earth? To be honest, I’m not sure any soil scientist really knows the answer to that!
These questions were such a good reminder of why school engagement matters. Children are often willing to ask the big questions that adults stop asking. Some wanted to know how soil is created and why it takes so long to form. Others were fascinated by what lives in soil, how many insects or tiny organisms might be found in a cupful, and why there are so many different soil types and colours. A few questions opened up really lovely conversations about how soil helps grow food, supports plants, and underpins life on land. One group asked what would happen if we did not have soil at all, which is such a simple but powerful way of getting to the heart of why soil matters.
After the session, I took their questions away, wrote answers to them, and sent them back to the school along with some colouring sheets for the children to complete. I really liked being able to continue the conversation after the visit itself, rather than letting it end when I walked out of the classroom. It felt important to show that their questions were worth taking seriously, and that science begins with curiosity.
For me, this visit was part of a wider goal of bringing soil science into the classroom and engaging the next generation with the importance of soil. Soil supports our food, stores water, underpins ecosystems, and plays a critical role in the health of the planet, yet it rarely gets the attention it deserves. Projects like the Talking Soil Benches, along with classroom sessions like this one, are small but meaningful ways of changing that. If children can start to see soil not just as “dirt” but as something living, dynamic, and essential, then that feels like a very good place to begin.
