Earth Science Experiment FUN!

Here are a few of the Earth science experiments we've done so far this year.

 

 

The student removed the orange rind keeping it in as many pieces as possible. They laid the peel out flat. We discussed how different it looks - much like the way a flat map of Earth looks different than the planet itself.

 

Then students had to use toothpicks to put the peel back on the orange as best they could. The lines showed where the "faults" were. We discussed how now that the continents moved apart they will never fit back together exactly as they originally did.

 

You can read about the original idea for this experiment here.

Yes, I actually bought play dough for my 6th grade class, but it was a huge hit! Cutting out the cardboard didn't take me nearly as long as finding it did! Creating the mountain ridges by colliding the play dough was a little challenging, but the kiddos figured it out.

 

 

The last Earth science experiment I'm going to share with you today was about buildings that are built in earthquake prone areas. We don't have earthquakes here in SD {well, very rarely and not severe ones anyway!}, so the first attempt at marshmallow buildings did not go well.

 

 

I simply walked around and shook student desks. We counted to see how long their "building" would last. {Not very scientific at all, but it got the point across!} Students were given three tries, and by the end the buildings were holding up nearly five times as long as the first!

 

What science experiments have you done this year?

~HoJo~