The secret life of the forest– New learning materials on biological ecosystems
The learning materials has been created by the Evolution in Action project and are made in collaboration with MUUMAA soil researchers 2025-2026. As part of the project, the Soil Dwellers exhibition was held in the fall of 2025.
- The tasks are designed to function as one comprehensive whole, in which case 2–3 lessons should be reserved. Each part can also be used independently to support other soil-related teaching, explains Project Coordinator of the Evolution in Action project Elli Liimatainen from the University of Jyväskylä.
The materials include:
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The forest ecosystem - scientific background
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In the soil - the puzzle
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Forest Soil Community - a sensory card deck about forest organisms
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Potworm's lunch exercise
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Soil Dwellers art exhibition
The tasks are available in Finnish and English.
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Tasks in English is available at https://www.evolutioninaction.fi/forestsoilcommunities.html
Through courageous experimentation and discovery
The developers of the teaching material hope that research knowledge about forest soil ecosystems will become alive in the classroom.
- The materials are designed to support exploratory and experiential learning. Feel free to modify them to suit your own class. Ideally, the activities will spark questions, insights and discussion about the importance of soil. Curiosity is at the heart of all scientific thinking, says Liimatainen.
What is the Evolution in Action project?
The materials are organized by the Evolution in Action project at the Department of Biological and Environmental Science at the University of Jyväskylä and at the Department of Forest Sciences at the University of Helsinki. 2025-2026 Evolution in Action work as part of MUUMAA project, which is supported by Kone Foundation Metsän puolella grant. The Evolution in Action project consists of researchers in ecology and evolutionary biology, art educators, and biologists from the Universities of Jyväskylä and Helsinki.
The aim of the Evolution in Action project is to promote understanding of evolution, its timescales and how humans impact ecological and evolutionary processes. This will guarantee that people of all ages understand how biological interactions shape and maintain biodiversity and how human actions currently threaten it. The project combines science, art-based methods, action-based teaching, games and storytelling to ensure learning about biodiversity and evolutionary processes. The project wants to ensure easy access to this information in form of teaching materials and workshops, and promote active participation in maintaining biodiversity.
