Soil is a component of natural and anthropogenic environments. Despite of its importance, the subject of soil is not usually taught in depth in the elementary school. This paper seeks to show the problems in teaching soil at the elementary school as well as to suggest alternatives to reduce these problems. The role of universities in this process is discussed, emphasizing the aspects related to graduate courses. Also the use of other strategies is discussed like: short courses, didactic books, experiments, exhibitions, and the use of internet.
soil teaching; elementary School; Science teaching