Just adding this in on Tuesday: I found out today that I have Pneumonia which is why I've been feeling ever so lousy.
I first saw this activity last year at The Learning Ark. It fit in perfectly with our Earth Science unit. There is also a similar activity using a hard-boiled egg in the book we are using for this unit, How the Earth Works by Michelle O'Brien-Palmer. One of the other books we are using, Planet Earth/Inside Out by Gail Gibbons, had some really good description and discussion of the layers of the earth. We used those books along with cards from Free Montessori.org to talk about the inner core, out core, mantle and crust.
As we read about each layer, we colored playdough and added a new layer. We started with a small sphere. We kept adding layers until the ball was covered by the crust:
We'll be sharing a few more of our Earth Science Activities in the next couple of days.
Earth Science Packet 150+ pages
Our Earth Science Unit covers the solar system, the layers of the Earth, plate tectonics, the ring of fire, faults, earthquakes, volcanoes and more.
It also includes instructions for more than a dozen hands-on activities we did with this unit. This includes activities about plate tectonics, convection currents, using a compass, earthquakes, volcanoes, instructions on how to make a shake table and more!
More pictures of what is included:
Pangaea and Plate Movement Activities
Types of Plate Boundaries
Faults
The types of earthquake waves
Volcanoes
In this unit, we especially liked these resources. These are affiliate links:
As we read about each layer, we colored playdough and added a new layer. We started with a small sphere. We kept adding layers until the ball was covered by the crust:
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| Then LD looked at the globe and tried to add the continents and oceans. Would you believe, poor LD's place of birth, Australia, didn't really fit onto his globe??! He stuck on a tiny, tiny piece of green playdough but it wasn't much to scale! |
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| Then LD wondered what we'd do with it. His eyes got wide when I pulled out a butcher knife! |
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| But he got right into slicing the world apart! |
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| We were pretty excited by the results. The layers showed up really clearly! |
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| And we could even talk about how different areas were thicker and thinner. |
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| Just to mention--I made a large pot of playdough for the girls in the morning and we added the colors later in the day. If you don't add the colors when you're first making playdough BE SURE to wear gloves!! |
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| EARLIER IN THE DAY: The girls were happy with a very light pink -- and this worked well for our layers of the earth colors later. Even the inner core looks pretty yellow (the color we decided upon). |
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Our Earth Science Unit covers the solar system, the layers of the Earth, plate tectonics, the ring of fire, faults, earthquakes, volcanoes and more.
It also includes instructions for more than a dozen hands-on activities we did with this unit. This includes activities about plate tectonics, convection currents, using a compass, earthquakes, volcanoes, instructions on how to make a shake table and more!
Our packet is $9.99.
We did this unit twice: My kids were in Grades 1, 4, and 6 when we did this unit the first time. They were in Grades 4, 7 and 9 when we covered it again (and added to the packet!).
Scroll down for more pictures and information!
We did this unit twice: My kids were in Grades 1, 4, and 6 when we did this unit the first time. They were in Grades 4, 7 and 9 when we covered it again (and added to the packet!).
Scroll down for more pictures and information!
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The types of earthquake waves
Volcanoes
In this unit, we especially liked these resources. These are affiliate links:
See how to make a shake table here:
See our Gelatin Volcano Earth Science Activity here:
Hope you visit our new location at homeschoolden.com (the links above take you there!) or come visit us at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page. :) ~Liesl
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are
affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a
commission if you decide to make a purchase.
P.S. We have lots of other units. Here are the links to check those out
