Dr. DirtGarden science for kids & classrooms
Natural Healing for Plants and People LLC

Privacy & Terms

For Dr. Dirt's garden game, the microscope simulator and the classroom.

In a Dr. Dirt class

A teacher approved by Dr. Dirt creates the class and adds each child. Children join with the class code and a picture password; they never enter an email address or a typed password. The class's gardens, who helped whom, microscope answers, safe-phrase messages (ready-made phrases only, no typing) and minutes played are saved so the teacher can run the class and see its progress. The teacher can reset a child's pictures, and can ask Dr. Dirt to delete the class.

Notes sent with the Ask Dr. Dirt form on this site are kept so Dr. Dirt can reply, and are not shared.

Playing together (rooms)

Anyone can join a room as a guest; only a signed-in account can start one. Players pick a gardener name (not their real name). Players 14 and older (by the age given when the game opened) can type messages: every message passes a filter on our server first, which blocks links, emails, phone numbers, addresses, other apps, questions about age, school or where someone lives, and bad words. Younger players use ready-made quick chat phrases only. Anyone can report a player; the report, with the message, goes to Dr. Dirt, and three different reports mute a player for an hour. The host can mute, remove or ban players, but can never change someone else's garden, items or Bushels without that player's yes. Each room keeps its gardens, its messages and who is in it.

Privacy Notice

Natural Healing for Plants and People LLC operates Grow With Dr. Dirt. Players age 14 or older may use the game as a guest without creating an account. Players age 13 or younger sign in with a minor account and may use city-based weather while awaiting parent permission for GPS. Guest progress is stored on the device and may be lost if browser data is cleared or the player changes devices.

An optional account can provide recovery and cross-device access. Account services may process an email address, username, authentication identifiers, account status, game progress, custom-plant designs, linked Pocket Lab records, support messages, and technical information needed to operate and secure the service. The game also uses persistent identifiers to keep each player's saved information separate.

We use this information to provide accounts and saved progress, restore linked gardens, operate game and Pocket Lab features, prevent misuse, answer support requests, and maintain service security. We do not sell personal information. The game does not use advertising, marketing pixels, or analytics tracking. It uses only storage needed for accounts, saved progress, security, and player preferences.

Service providers

Service providers may process information on our behalf. Current providers include Firebase and Google Cloud for authentication, hosting, cloud functions, database storage, and file storage; Open-Meteo for weather and location search; OpenStreetMap Nominatim for place-name lookup; Wikimedia Commons for the weather-console map image; and Microsoft 365 when someone contacts support by email. Square processes information only when a player separately uses a payment-related storefront or commissioned service; Square is not part of ordinary game play.

Precise location and weather

Players age 14 or older may use GPS without signing in, subject to device location permission. For players age 13 or younger, a parent or legal guardian must approve GPS through an emailed confirmation link before device location can be requested. The coordinates are sent to Open-Meteo to retrieve local weather and may be sent to OpenStreetMap Nominatim to obtain a general place name.

Planting coordinates can remain in saved plant records so plant growth can be calculated using historical weather. Manually selected simulation locations can also remain in saved gardens. A player who declines GPS or awaits parent permission can select a city manually.

Use the Ask Dr. Dirt form for privacy questions or a verified request to access, correct, or delete account information.

Data Retention and Deletion

Guest information remains on the device until the player clears browser or application data. Account-linked information is retained while the account is active and as needed to provide the service, maintain security, resolve disputes, and comply with legal obligations.

The service retains the selected age band (13 or younger, or 14 or older), not an exact age or birth date. Parent approvals retain the location-notice version, parent or guardian email, confirmation time, and confirmation-email status. Pending confirmation links expire after one hour. Planting coordinates and selected simulation locations may remain in saved game progress until changed or deleted.

Verified account-deletion requests are completed within 30 days. A requester may start the process with the Ask Dr. Dirt form. The business must verify that the requester controls the account before deleting account-linked game saves, custom plants, and other eligible personal information.

After a verified deletion request, eligible information is removed from active systems within 30 days. Deleted information may remain in encrypted backups for up to 90 days before aging out through the normal backup cycle. Support messages and security logs may be retained for up to 12 months. A minimal record showing that a deletion request was verified and completed may be retained for up to three years. Payment, tax, accounting, fraud-prevention, and legally required business records may be retained for up to seven years or longer when the law requires it.

Support

Support is available through the Ask Dr. Dirt form. Include the account username or email, device and browser, and a short description of the problem. Do not send passwords, verification codes, payment-card details, or other secrets.

No general response-time promise is made. The 30-day target applies only to verified data-deletion requests.

Terms

Grow With Dr. Dirt is an educational, single-player game that is still growing and being developed. Features, availability, balances, reward rules, and saved-state formats may change. The service is provided on an as-available basis. Players are responsible for maintaining access to their devices and accounts.

Guest play does not guarantee recovery after browser data is cleared or a device is changed. Account linking is optional and is the dependable recovery and cross-device path.

Bushels

Bushels are earned in-game rewards. They cannot be bought, sold, transferred, or exchanged for cash. Approved redemptions include game unlocks, one monthly Pocket Lab scan credit, one extra monthly community-submission credit, and a monthly 5% personalized-design discount capped at $2. Eligibility, limits, and availability may change. Bushel earning and redemption are backend-authoritative, and existing redeemable balances were reset to zero at cutover.

Acceptable use

Players may not attempt to alter balances, bypass access controls, interfere with another account, upload unlawful or infringing material, disrupt the service, or use the service in a way that harms others.

Community submissions

Community submissions are reviewed proposals. Pending and rejected submissions remain owned by their creators. If Natural Healing accepts a submission, the creator assigns ownership of the accepted idea, artwork, design, or other submitted material to Natural Healing for unrestricted use, adaptation, publication, commercialization, transfer, and licensing. Acceptance does not entitle the creator to payment, royalties, revenue sharing, or other compensation unless Natural Healing separately agrees in writing.

The creator grants Natural Healing a royalty-free license to review and internally evaluate a submission while it is pending. A parent or guardian must agree to these terms for a minor. Submission does not guarantee review, acceptance, publication, inclusion, or compensation. The submission flow requires explicit agreement to these assignment terms before an accepted submission is used.

The game and Pocket Lab provide educational and garden decision-support information, not laboratory certification, medical advice, or a guarantee of agricultural results.

Parent and Guardian Notice

Players age 13 or younger sign in with a minor account. They may play using city-based weather while waiting for parent or guardian approval for GPS.

The GPS approval link is sent to the supplied parent or guardian email. Opening the link confirms that the recipient is the player's parent or legal guardian and approves the stated location use. The device or browser then separately controls whether location permission is granted. Persistent identifiers may be used only as permitted to operate and secure the game.

The parent or guardian receives clear notice of the information collected, how it is used, and whether it is disclosed to service providers. Consent may be withdrawn, and the child's account information may be reviewed or deleted, by sending the Ask Dr. Dirt form and completing account verification.