Showing posts with label weathering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weathering. Show all posts

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Choose Your Own Adventure: Rock Cycle



Choose Your Own Adventure Style: Rock Cycle Wheel (free download) Students find images or draw pictures on their wheel. They fasten the two circles together and ride the rock cycle. They spin clockwise and counterclockwise, choosing their own adventure!

After kids have fun riding the rock cycle, then invite them outside for a fun game of rock cycle tag! Free printable here!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Cookie Rocks and Mining

2 activities, Science and Economics:


1. Cookie Rocks - This experiment is inspired by Kinderpond's "C is for Cookie." Have all students sit around a large table. Give each kid a cookie. Then, have them destroy it! 

Weathering
First, have them experiment with a toothpick. Next, give them an ice cube to see the effects of ice on a cookie. They'll use the cube to chop at the cookie. Then, hand out an eyedropper to represent rain. Kids squirt water on the cookie. Note: You could even use a spray bottle.

Erosion
Once their finished demolishing their cookie, pass out straws. Have kids blow (wind) their cookie crumbles (rock fragments) toward the center of the table. Then, sweep their crumbs into a pile. 

Deposition
Add a couple drops of water to their crumbs (if needed) and squish them all together.


2. Cookie Mining Economics -  Check out the Museum of Science and Industry's Cookie Mining Project. Kids excavate chocolate chips from a cookie; but, first they have to purchase the materials they need and stay within their price range!

energy resources (renewable vs. non-renewable) - You can also use this activity to explore . Kids get a soft and hard chocolate chip cookie (which represent 2 landsites). Can they dig out coal without harming the landsite? Which site was easier to retrieve the coal? Visit Third Grade Thinkers for instructions!






Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Play Doh Rock Cycle

Demonstrate the rock cycle with play doh! Visit East Tennessee Wildflowers (featured below) for instructions (scroll down), as well as other hands on common core activities!


- Click here for more science (and math) play doh projects
- Check out other hands on geology activities here (including crayon rock models, soap rocks, and candy rocks) 
- Visit Science Matters for a Plate Tectonics play doh lesson




Thursday, October 25, 2012

Geology Chef

Cook up some SWEET rocks in the Geology Kitchen! For more rock cooking classes click here!




Also, check out the SWEET Rock Lab by To the Square Inch!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Rocks and Weathering

screenshot of BBC Rocks and Weathering
BBC's Rocks and Weathering: cool, interactive, animated site, that I discovered over at one of my favorite EDTech blogs: Free Technology for Teachers. Rocks and weathering lets kids examine sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks up close and personal, teaching them how they form. Click here to check it out!

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Rock On: Geology Around Us



Red Rock Canyon NCA Environmental Education Program has an awesome rock scavenger hunt! I adapted their version to use in a school, park, or home setting. Kids find rocks for each of the categories listed below. When they find a rock that fits the category, they draw it. Carry a bucket with you on your geology scavenger hunt and collect the rocks you find. Bring them back to the classroom to study for further investigation! 









photos via cc: bricks gravel by Titus Tscharntke
What's that made of?! Examine your school, architecture, roads, and sidewalks. What are these items made up of? Rocks and Minerals! Examples: (stone, brick, concrete, gravel, etc.) Distinguish between man-made and natural rock. Talk about weathering. Are there any cracks in the sidewalk or road? What happens to rock when it rains? Discuss sediments. What happens to rock particles (sediments) when they weather away from rock? Do man-made materials weather as easily as natural rock? Click here for this project and more rocks and minerals activities for grades K-12 from Michigan.govVisit BrainPOP for a short video and simple lessons for introducing rocks and minerals.


fossil via cgs
While learning about geology, make a fossil! Visit California Geological Survey for instructions!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Math In The Pavement

While learning about weathering, do a little math! I did Exploratorium's Pattern of Cracks activity and kids had a blast with it! Take kids outdoors to hunt for cracks in the pavement, on a road or sidewalk, at the playground or the park. Bring a ruler and a protractor with you, as well as paper and a pencil. Identify angles, measure them, and look for crack patterns in the pavement. Talk about the weathering process and how stress has an impact on pavement due to expansion, contraction, and the embedding of objects into the pavement's surface. Check out Geometry Playground to see how to conduct the activity and for the science behind the weathering of pavement.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

What Can You Do With A Slinky?

photo via yoyo.com
MATH
1. Estimate - How many coils does a slinky have? How long is a slinky when stretched? How many steps will a slinky walk down before stopping?
2. Count the number of coils on a slinky. Do all slinkies have the same number of coils? Also, count how many steps your slinky walked down. 
3. Measure - Have each student hold one end of the slinky and pull it outwards, stepping away from each other. Now, find the length of your slinky. Measure the length and width of a compact slinky. Now, find the diameter. Can you figure out the circumference?
4. Geometry / Physics - Test a slinky out on different angled inclined planes and record your data! Click here for the experiment!


SCIENCE
1. Physical Science - Energy transformation - Talk about potential and kinetic energy. When a slinky is at rest, it has potential energy. Once you get a slinky moving, its potential energy transforms into kinetic energy! Gravity - Next, hold a slinky with your arm extended out (at head level) and drop it straight down. How does a slinky fall? Does it's bottom or top crash to the floor first? Do the springs spring the slinky back up into the air? Find out the answer here!
2. Earth Science - Model earthquake waves by demonstrating a Seismic Slinky
3. Universe - Check out a slinky in space!

ART
1. Brush paint on a slinky's feet (the ends), cover an inclined plane with paper, and create walking slinky art!
2. Create circular prints by stamping a slinky. Try rolling, twisting, and turning a slinky's coils on paper to get a print.
3. Create a slinky pencil holder.
4. Hang a slinky from a string and create springing ceiling art!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Cave Pillar Experiment

While studying rocks and minerals and learning about weathering / deposition, build your very own stalactite! Kids see the formation of  "drip stone" in limestone caves caused by "precipitated water solutions" (calcium carbonate / minerals) in just a few days! New formations (stalactites) are created in caves due to mineral deposition. These formations take many, many, many years to form! For the scientific explanation of the diy stalactite in Steve Spangler's video, click here!




Sunday, March 4, 2012

Volcanic Slime

Combine the classic volcano experiment with gak to create exploding, sensorial fun! Kids can play with the gooey lava after the volcanic eruption!













materials:
1. watered down glue: 1-1/2 cups glue and 1-1/2 cups of water 
2. 1 tbsp of borax per quart of water (4 cups of water)
3. red food coloring
4. baking soda
5. vinegar 

Monday, February 6, 2012

SWEET Rock Lab!

photo via to the square inch

To the Square Inch came up with a geology lab for kids to construct candy models of rocks!  

Rock Recipes:
Metamorphic: Take wheat and white bread, slice them into quarters. Next, stack them, alternating the bread (wheat, white).  Then, press down on the stack.

Sedimentary: Spread a layer of frosting on a graham cracker. Then add a thin layer of  "sediment" - sprinkles, swedish fish, and fruity pebbles. You repeat the process 2 times.

Igneous- Melt chocolate chips, pour on wax paper, and let harden.

Visit her site for the recording sheet and other cool science lab ideas!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Mechanical and Chemical Weathering

Mechanical Weathering Experiment via Mini Me Geology
materials:
Plastic Wrap
Clay
Water

1. Moisten the clay with a little bit of water
2. Divide the clay into two equal pieces and roll it into a ball or form into a square.
3. Wrap both pieces of clay in plastic wrap.
4. Place one piece of clay into the freezer overnight and leave the other piece out at room temperature. 
5. The next day, take the clay out of the freezer and unwrap both pieces. 

"Do the clay pieces look different?  If so, how?  Hint:  the clay from the freezer should have the some cracks.  Examine the clay with a hand magnifier to get a closer look at the cracks."

"Then, wrap each clay piece back up and put the one piece back into the freezer and repeat for several days.  Observe the clay pieces each day and see how the cracks change over time."  

For more great rock experiments, visit Mini Me Geology!

Chemical Weathering Experiment: Fizz Acid Test on Limestone via ehow
How does acid rain effects rocks? Put a piece of limestone in a cup of vinegar and watch it bubble. "Sediment will form at the bottom of the cup representing the erosion of rock." 

Friday, January 20, 2012

Lego Weathering: Erosion / Deposition

Beakers and Bumblebees made up an awesome, active lego relay race that reinforces the weathering process!
1. First, 2 teams build a lego landform
2. Next, a member from each team pulls a piece off of the landform (weathering) and brings it to the other side (erosion) to start building a new landform (deposition)!
3. Kids continue taking turns transporting pieces from one side of the room to the other until their original landform is completely weathered away!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

River Erosion Lab

How does the flow of water effect land? Does the slope of the land make an impact on erosion? Try this experiment from Science Matters. Click here for a photo tutorial.

Soap Erosion

via science matters
Science Matters placed a bar of soap on a sponge and let it sit in the sink to demonstrate erosion. Click the link for instructions and more creative experiments on weathering.

Crayon Rock Cycle

Featured Above:
Flying Fox Academy conducted a really cool experiment to show "how the same minerals can be changed into different types of rock depending on how they are formed." Click here to see how they made sedimentary and metamorphic crayons!

Momma Owl's Lab did an extension on the above experiment. Also, check out MJKSCI for more awesome rock cycle activities with crayons!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Erosion Science Lab

photo via National Resources Conservation Center

"How does rain shape the Earth?Have kids examine natural soil with a magnifying glass. Ask them what they think the soil is made of- (weathered rock particles: sand, silt, clay, rock and decomposing leaves/ organisms). Is all dirt the same? 

This experiment will demonstrate runoff and how soil is affected by water - EROSION. Kids will also see how vegetation helps keep soil together. Examine the water you collected in your jars (or pans). Describe it, what collected in the water?
materials:
- 2 aluminum pans
- 2 jars (or 2 more pans)
- Natural soil (from a garden or your yard)
- Soil with grass growing on it
- Watering can
- Books or something that will create a slope

directions:
1. 2 Pans- Add soil in one and soil/grass in the other. 
2. Create your slopes and angle your pans.
3. Pour water over each pan. While pouring, have someone hold a jar to collect the water (or place empty pans underneath angled ones before you pour).

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Gumdrop Earthquake




Mr. Hansen's 7th grade Science class demonstrated "the effects of earthquakes on engineered structures." See who can build the strongest structure. Who's will last the longest through a fake earthquake?

Visit Exploratorium to find out how to build a strong, long lasting structure!