how the earth works earth

Spin Your Earth Color the layer s inside Earth and spi n your world, pag e 16.. Make a Model-Earth's Crust Make a model of Earth's crust inside a plastic food container.. Wonderful Words

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HOW the

Earth Works

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60 Fun Activities for Exploring Volcanoes,

Fossils, Earthquakes, and More

M I C H E L L E O ' B R I E N - P A L M E R

CHICAGO REVIEW PRESS

How the Earth Works

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No part of this book may be reproduced fo r us e in any commercial product Activity patterns may be reproduced for educational use No other part of this book may be

reproduced for any purpose without written permission of the publisher.

Design and illustrations ©200 2 by Rattray Design

814 North Franklin Street Chicago, Illinois 60610 ISBN 978-1-55652-442-4 Printed in the United States of America

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How the Earth Works i s lovingly dedicate d t o the two teacher s who inspired m e to write this book, Eilee n Gibbons and Corinne Richardson Eilee n is an elementary-grade scienc e resource teacher in Rochester , New York Corinne teaches primary-grade students i n Redmond, Washington Bot h of these special teachers inspire their students through thei r boundless enthusiasm for scienc e and their lov e of learning I t is a great

honor to hav e worked with them.

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Introduction for Parents and Teachers

My Earth Journal

How Earth Is Put Together

1 Bes t Guess—Earth Trivia Cards

2 Earth' s Inside—Like an Egg ?

3 Spi n Your Earth

4 A Jarful of Layers

5 Soli d and Liquid—Lik e the Mantle

6 Cor e Sampling Cupcake

7 Slow-Floatin g Plates

8 Mak e a Model—Earth's Crust

9 Fro m One to Seven—Amazin g Continent s

10 Bakin g Mountains and Valleys

11 Fold-a-Mountai n

12 Fold , Dome, Block, and Volcan o

13 Matc h Up-What' s That Continent ?

Fantastic Fossils

1 Fossi l Fac t o r Fictio n

2 Fossi l Collection Starte r

3 5

10

141618

20 22 24 26 28

30

32

34 37

V4650

3 Foldin g Up—Fossils Uncovere d

4 Fossi l Fin d

5 Tak e a Closer Look I—Shark Shar p

6 Tak e a Closer Look II—Snail Comparison s

7 Tak e the Touc h Test—Dino Fossils

8 Fossilize d Insects—Set in Soap

9 Glacial Freeze

10 Mold and Cast Fossils

n Trace Fossils—Form a Burrow

12 Nam e That Fossil ! Bingo

13 Fossi l Fue l Products Scavenge r Hun t

Revealing Rocks and Minerals

1 Bes t Guess—Rocks and Mineral s Trivia Cards

2 Rock s and Mineral s Collectio n Starter

3 Minera l Identification I—Scratch It !

4 Minera l Identification II—Streak It !

5 Minera l Identification III—I s It Magnetic?

6 Minera l Identification IV—Dip It!

7 Favorit e Ingredients—Rocks and Cookies

8 Igneou s Chocolates—"Mad e by Fire! "

54 56 58 60 62

646668707275

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8286929597991011031

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9 Igneou s Rock Collection Card

10 It' s Sedimentary ! Snap a Snicker s

n Sedimentar y Rock Collection Card

12 Metamorphi c Bars

13 Metamorphi c Roc k Collection Card

14 Nam e That Rock ! Bingo

Crystals and Gems

1 Crystal s an d Gem s Fac t or Fictio n

2 Crystal s an d Gem s Collection Starter

3 3- 0 Fun! Deskto p Crystal Shap e

4 Double Image? Curious Crystals

5 Tak e a Closer Loo k I—Amazin g Amethyst

6 Tak e a Closer Loo k II—Everyda y Crystal s

7 Alu m Crystal Recip e

8 Roc k Candy Crystal Recip e

9 Crysta l Needl e Recip e

10 Sal t Crystal Recip e

11 M y Birthston e Whee l

12 Birthston e Card s

104106107108no112

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122 126 127 129 130 131 132 134 136

I 3 8 140

143

Earthquakes and Volcanoes

1 Best Guess—Volcano Trivia Cards

2 Earthquake Fact or Fiction

8 Take a Closer Look—Volcanic Froth

9 Pressure and Release

10 What Magnitude? Refer to Richter

n Waves of Motion I—Color Ripples

12 Waves of Motion II—Rippling Rope

174

"75 177 178

179 180 181 182 184

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Introduction for Parents and Teachers

How the Earth Works i s all abou t ou r ever-changin g Earth

It explores Earth' s structure, fossils , rocks , minerals,

crystals, and more Children will lear n about Earth' s four lay

-ers, plat e movements , an d th e continents The y wil l

observe and identify fossils Usin g special scientific tests,

they wil l tr y t o identif y th e mineral , rock , an d crystal

specimens they find as well as explore the power of

volca-noes an d earthquakes Eac h fu n activit y i s designe d t o

promote learnin g b y engagin g childre n i n a proces s o f

self-discovery usin g th e scientifi c method Childre n

become scientists as they predict outcomes , gather

mate-rials, mak e scientific observations, and respon d t o thei r

findings Learnin g abou t th e wonder s o f ou r dynami c

planet throug h thes e hands-o n activitie s introduces

chil-dren to the process of discovery that they will us e in their

scientific inquiries fo r the rest of their lives

The format used in the How the Earth Works activities is

purposeful It reflects the progression used in any scientific

exploration Th e basic concept s have bee n preserve d aschildren are transitioned into the process of discovery usinglanguage tha t i s familia r t o them Th e phrase "Di d yo uknow?" correspond s t o researc h an d ne w information

"You will need" introduce s children to the materials needed

to conduc t thei r experiments With the phras e "What d oyou think?, " activitie s allow the chil d a n opportunit y t omake an outcome prediction, o r hypothesis "No w you areready to" explain s the procedure one would follow in test-ing th e hypothesis The "Brain exercise" give s children a nopportunity to draw conclusions from their scientific obser-vations Activit y goals, Eart h notes , key s t o success , an dhints are also included

Each chapter begins with a poem that can be sung to afamiliar tune Potentiall y new words from the chapter aredefined o n the "Wonderful Words" page Th e topic beingexplored is discussed on the page called "Dynamic Earth."

An Earth Journal sheet i s provided on page 3 to hel p

chil-I

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dren recor d an d reflec t a s they connec t language , art

-work, and learning Make as many copie s as you need

The "Lear n More Abou t It! " sectio n at th e en d o f th e

book references lively, fact-fille d book s and Interne t Web

sites to help you delve even further int o the topics covered

by th e activities Th e "Product an d Servic e Information"

section provides information on how to find recommended

products an d professional s who d o workshop s or assem

-blies related to the subject matter covere d in the text

All activitie s hav e bee n field-teste d successfull y i n

homes and classrooms Mos t require simpl e materials that

can be adjusted t o accommodat e your children I n case s

where specimen s may nee d to b e purchased, alternativ e

ways to do the activity hav e been suggested Fo r example,

if fossi l specimens can't b e purchased, fossi l informatio n

cards can be used in their place

Initially, all of the activities will require adul t

supervi-sion After completing the activities together, many

teach-ers an d parent s choos e t o se t u p learnin g centteach-ers using

some of the activity materials on the topic being explored.This is a great way to extend and expand learning

How the Earth Works i s an exploratio n o f th e wonders

of ou r amazin g planet Childre n are naturally fascinate d

by al l aspect s o f Earth , fro m th e movement o f th e conti nents to the awesome power o f a volcano Their thirst fo rquick fact s wil l b e quenched throug h fu n fac t o r fictio ncards and trivia cards They will make their own volcanoes,mold mountains, an d take a core sample from a cupcake.This boo k offer s scienc e activitie s for man y differen tkinds o f learners Activities reach across th e curriculum ,integrating language arts , music, art, mathematics, geog -raphy, history , an d mor e int o th e child' s exploratio n o fEarth science The "Chapter-by-Chapter Content and Skill sGuide" on page 17 9 provides a quick ke y to the many sci-ence topics and skills touched on in each chapter

-Learning about Eart h is to step back in time through thestories its fossils, minerals, rocks, and crystals tell Take thisadventure wit h your children You'l l never forget it !

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3

My Earth Journal

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How Earth Is Put Together

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How Earth Is Put Together

Earth has four layer s inside t o out Traveling in space, it spins about The inner core's a solid metal ball

Known as the center of the earth to all

The outer cor e is layer number two It's liqui d iron and nickel all through.

A mantle o f rock is layer three

Crust forms the surface for lan d and sea.

Earth is a puzzle of 1 3 plates ,

Slowly moving as they meet their mates Some collide, some slide, some let lava through

As they float beneat h bot h me and you

Long ago the continents wer e all i n one Their constant movemen t i s never done Seven continents slowl y move around

On the floating plates to form the ground.

Sung to "I'm a Little Teapot"

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Wonderful Words from Ho w Earth Is Put Together, on page 8.

My Earth Journal can be found on page 3.

Dynamic Earth

Explore how Earth is put togethe r on page 9.

1 Bes t Guess—Earth Trivia Cards

How much do you kno w about Earth ? Test your knowledge and lear n

some interesting Eart h facts on page 10

2 Earth's Inside—Like an Egg?

What does Earth have in common with a hard-boiled egg? Compare

the two o n page 14

3 Spin Your Earth

Color the layer s inside Earth and spi n your world, pag e 16

it. A jarful of Layers

To create a jar mode l of Earth' s layers, follow the recipe on page 18

5 Solid and Liquid—Lik e the Mantle

Is it possible for a substance to be both solid and liquid at the same

time? Make your own semisolid mixture, pag e 20, and feel for yourself.

6 Core Sampling Cupcake

Have you eve r wondered ho w geologists learn what is inside Earth?

Take a cupcake cor e sample, page 22, to learn how it's done.

7 Slow-Floating Plate s

Watch your graha m cracker plates collide, slide , and glide into each other just lik e Earth's plates, following the directions o n page 24.

8 Make a Model-Earth's Crust

Make a model of Earth's crust inside a plastic food container You'll need a package of Jell-0 with the ligglers recipe on it, pi e dough, and a little bit o f frosting to make the cool model on page 26.

9 Fro m One to Seven—Amazing Continents

Break apart your own continents an d then put the puzzle back together again, page 28.

10 Baking Mountains and Valleys

How does a baked apple resemble Earth? Bake your own apple and watch how it changes, page 30.

11 Fold-a-Mountain

Flip to page 32 and fold a towel mountain to learn how many mag nificent mountains ar e formed.

-12 Fold , Dome , Block, and Volcan o

Mold four different types of mountains, pag e 34.

13 Match Up-What's That Continent?

Can you name all the continents? Test your knowledg e a s you try t o make a bingo on page 37.

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Wonderful Words from J-bw ^a/ih J5 viti Toyz'thzf

Block Mountains

Block mountains are formed when pressure from deep inside Earth

lifts a block of land up from between cracks (faults) in Earth's crust.

Continents

Today's continents are seven huge areas of land that slowly move on

top of Earth's plates They are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia,

Europe, North America, and South America.

Crust

This is the thin layer of rock that covers Earth's outer surface.

Continental crust is the thickest part of Earth's crust Oceanic crust is

the thinnest part of the crust The outer portion of Earth's crust is

always changing The bottom of the crust is very hot.

Dome Mountains

Dome mountains are formed when hot volcanic magma rises from

deep inside Earth, forcing the crust into a dome shape.

Fold Mountains

Fold mountains are formed when the rock between two of Earth's

plates folds upward as the plates push against each other.

Geology

Geology is the study of what Earth is made of and how its structure

changes over time.

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Dynamic Earth

What should I know about Earth?

® Eart h is one of nine planets in our solar system It

travels through spac e on its journey around the Sun The

Sun is not a planet; it' s a star We can feel it s heat an d

light on Earth.

t? Scientist s believe that Eart h was formed at leas t 4.5

billion years ago I t weighs approximately 13 2 septillion

pounds, which equals 6.6 sextillion tons Earth has four

layers It s center, the inner core, is a fiery ho t ball of soli d

metal Aroun d th e inner core is the thicker outer core,

made of very hot liquid iron and nickel Th e mantle is

Earth's thickest layer, made of hot melted roc k near the

outer core and ho t solid rock near Earth' s crust The crust

is Earth' s top, o r surface, layer Made of lighte r rock , the

crust i s the thinnest laye r of Earth

® Earth' s crust is like a huge puzzle It is divided into 1 3

pieces, called plates The plates actually float on top o f

Earth's mantle The y move very slowly, carrying th e land

and ocean floor with them The large areas of land ried by the plates are called continents Abou t 20 0 mil- lion year s ago, onl y on e continent existed Scientists call this continent Pangaea, which means "all Earth."

car-Pangaea broke apart t o form the seven continents tha t exist today Mos t of Eart h is covered in water The continents cover just over one-quarter o f Earth' s surface On which continent d o you live?

^ Mountain s are made out of masses of rocks Scientists define a mountain as land that i s at leas t two thousan d feet above sea level About one-quarte r of Earth' s crust is covered in mountains Group s of mountains ar e called mountain ranges Scientists have hypothesized that som e mountains, ocea n floors, and valleys were formed mil - lions of years ago a s Earth cooled.

$ Geologist s are scientists who study Eart h to learn more about ho w it's put togethe r and it s history They stud y rocks, mountains, volcanoes , and fossils to better under - stand our Earth

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Did you know?

Scientists believe that Earth was formed at leas t 4.5

billion years ago.

You will need

2 sheets (8 x n inches) light-colored card stock

Earth Trivia Card Fronts, page 12 , copied onto i sheet

What do you think?

If I try to guess the answers for the Earth Trivia questions,

I will guess ou t of 4 correctly.

10

Now you are ready to

1 Cut out th e 1 6 Earth Trivia cards from both sheets

of car d stock.

2 Match the question fronts to their answer backs Clue the matching card pieces together, back-to- back Laminat e the cards if you like

3 Place the cards with the question side up.

4 Ask your partner to give a best-guess answer to the first four questions Once a question is answered, check the back of the card to se e if i t was answered correctly How well did you r part - ner guess ?

5 Next, i t i s your turn to gues s the answers to tions 5 through 8 How well did yo u guess ?

ques-6 When you are finished, wrap a rubber band around the cards to kee p them together.

-i

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To Learn new infor

mation about Earth in

a fun trivia card

game.

Scientists estimate that Earth weighs about 6.6 sextillion tons, whici is 13.2 septillion pounds.

One partner needs to

be abie to read, some children may need help cutting out and gtuing the cards.

Childern love playing with the trivia cards It's a fun challenge for them to test their knowiedge over and over.

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Earth Trivia J Earth Trivia 2J Earth Trivia -;

What is the

estimated age of

Earth?

Earth i s one o f how many planets

in ou r sola r system?

Earth orbits around wha t star? four basic layers ? What are Earth's

What i s the nam e

of the origina l continent?

At leas t ho w

tall must a mountain be ?

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Earth Trivia 4

Earth Trivia Card Front

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Earth Trivia Answer

the Sun

Earth Trivia Answer

inner core outer core mantle crust

Earth Trivia

Answer

water

Earth Trivia Answer

seven

Earth Trivia Answer

Pangaea

Earth Trivia Answer

2,000 feet above sea level

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Did you know?

Earth has four basic layers It s inner core i s a very ho t

solid ball of metal The thick outer cor e i s made of ho t

liquid iro n and nickel The mantle layer has hot melte d

rock near th e outer cor e layer and ver y ho t solid rock just

below Earth's crust Th e crust i s made of lighter rock

You will need

Cold hard-boiled eg g wit h shell on, i n a resealabl e

plastic bag

Adult helper

Plastic cutting board

Knife

Refrigerator o r small ice ches t

If I look at th e insid e of a hard-boile d egg , i t (will) or

(won't) have layers

14

1 Take the hardboile d eg g ou t o f the resealabl e plas tic ba g an d plac e i t on a plastic cutting board Ask

-an adul t t o cut th e eg g i n half crosswise

2 Look at th e egg D o you se e layer s inside ? Wha t arethey?

3 The yolk of the eg g i s like the inne r and oute r core s

of Earth The white of the eg g i s like Earth's mantle ,and th e eggshel l i s like Earth's crust

4 Place the eg g bac k i n its resealable ba g an d pu t i t inthe refrigerator

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Layers toi a

hard-boiled egg's Layers.

The mantie is earth;s thickest Layer (approximatety 1,800 miles thick), whereas Earth;s crust is the thinnest Layer.

The egg must be coid.

Try to cut it through the center, keeping the eggshell intact.

The Tesealable bag helps to reduce the egg's odor.

Use an apple to Demonstrate Earth's Layers The center of the apple has a core, the fiesh can represent the thick mantle, and the skin is think like Earth's crust.

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Spin Your Earth

Did you know?

Earth's inner core and outer core added together are

thicker (approximately 2,200 miles thick) than the

man-tle and the crust added together

You will need

Earth Spinner Design, page 17, copied onto card stock

Scissors

Crayons, markers, or colored pencils

Pushpin

Bulletin board

1 Cut out the Earth Spinner Design

2 Color each layer of Earth in a different color

3 Draw people, mountains, oceans, or other things youmight find on Earth's crust

4 Carefully place the pushpin through the very center ofEarth as you position it on the bulletin board Leaveenough room between the bulletin board and theplastic head of the pin so that your Earth will spin

5 Slowly spin your Earth, similar to the way it spins inspace

16

:^

To identify Earth's

Layers Every year Earthgains a Little weight

ftom space dust

The bulletin board needs to be low enought for the children to easily reach their Earth spinners.

Place the spinners on thin balsa wood han- dles as an extension to this activity.

Hint

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Earth Spinner Design

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J A Jarful of Layers

You will need

Adult helper

Microwave

Small bag of chocolate chips

i6-ounce glass measuring cup

Measuring cup holding '/s cup water

Metal butter knife

2 oven mitts

Clear, wide-mouthed glass jar or hard plastic container,

with lid

Soap and water to wash utensils

Small bag of Red Hots candies

Small plastic container holding 5 Oreo or other

cream-filled chocolate cookies whirled in a blender with a

hand-ful of mixed dark chocolate and white chocolate chips

Small piece of waxed paper cut to fit the jar bottom

Small plastic container holding 10 crushed Wheat Thins or

other crackers

1 Ask an adult to use the microwave to melt enoughchocolate chips in the glass measuring cup to coverthe jar bottom Chocolate burns easily, so watch thecooking closely Add a drop or two of water if youneed to make the chocolate more liquid Stir withthe metal knife

2 With an adult's assistance and using oven mitts,carefully pour the melted chocolate into the jar.Let it cool u n t i l it is solid The chocolate in yourjar w i l l represent Earth's inner core Wash theglass measuring cup and the knife

3 Ask an adult to melt enough Red Hots in the glassmeasuring cup to form another layer in the jar.Stir with the knife, adding a few drops of water ifnecessary Ask the adult to pour the melted RedHots over the chocolate in your jar Can you smellthe Red Hots' odor? The melted Red Hots release

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their smel l as an invisibl e gas Let the melte d Red

Hots cool until solid Thi s represents Earth's liqui d

outer core

4 Pour the crushed cooki e and chocolat e chip mixture

into the jar This will b e your mantl e layer

5 Place the waxed paper flat insid e th e jar o n top o f

the cookie layer

6 Pour enough crushe d crackers on top o f the waxed

paper to represen t Earth' s crust

7 Place the lid o n your jar Display i t i n a special plac e

where you can tell other s about Earth' s layers

Aduit supervision and participation is abso- lutely necessart in this activity make sure you use the over mitts when touching the glass measuring cup.

If you add too much water, the melted candies will not solid-

Late chips or Red Hots

if this occurs Use this activity to discuss sotids, Liquids, and gases.

Key to Success

ify, Add more

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choco-Solid and Liquid—Like the Mantle

Did you know?

Earth's mantle is liquid near the hot outer core and solid

near the crust

You will need

1 tablespoon cornstarch in a small resealable plastic bag

2 teaspoons plus 2 drops of water, colored with 2 drops

of red food coloring

Refrigerator

If I make a cornstarch mixture, it (will) or (won't) be both

solid and liquid like Earth's mantle

i Slowly add the water to the cornstarch inside the

plastic bag Mix by sealing the bag and squeezing

it When the water and cornstarch are combined,take out the mixture and knead it with your hands.The mixture should form into a ball when you knead

it and yet crumble into your hands when left alone

2 Play with the mixture In its solid form, it feels dryand crumbles easily This is because it is cool

3 As you warm up the mixture in your hands, whathappens? How is this similar to what you knowabout Earth's mantle?

4 When you are finished, seal the bag and place it inthe refrigerator

Brain exercise

When I held the cornstarch mixture, I t h o u g h t

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To simulate the

semi-solid natuer of the

mantle

Like the cornstarchmixture, the mantiecracks and ctumbiesmore easily when it

is in a cooierenvironment,

This activity can be

messy, make sure that children are mixture, it can clog up sinks.

can clog up sinks.

Thjis mixture can only

be refrigerated for

Short periods of time

since it molds easily.

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Core Sampling Cupcake

Did you know?

When geologists want to learn information about the

inside of Earth, they take a core sample

You will need

Hostess Cupcake or other filled cake

Small paper plate

Paper towel tube

Small garbage bag

If I take a core sample of a cupcake, it (will) or (won't)

have layers inside

Wow you ar e ready t o

i Place the cupcake in the center of the paper plate

What do you predict is inside the cupcake? What

clues does the outside of the cupcake give you?

2 Carefully place one end of the paper towel tube inthe center of the cupcake Hold the tube f i r m l y asyou twist it into the cupcake, pushing all the waydown to the paper plate

3 Slowly p u l l up on the paper towel tube The coresample should easily f a l l out of the tube If itdoesn't, you may need to blow into the tube

4 Place the outside pieces of the cupcake in thegarbage bag

5 How is the core of your cupcake similar to or ent from what you predicted? Leave your cupcakecore sample on display

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When geologists want

to learn about Earth's structure, they drill

for core samples.

Children enjoy havingtheir own cupcake andsharing tubes, How-

ever, using one Hostess Cupcake in a demon-

stration is simple and

very effective.

If working with a

large group consider

making a large layered cake Each child can use a tube end to take a core sample.

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7 Slow-Floating Plates

Did you know?

Earth's crust is made of approximately 13 slow-moving

plates.

You will need

Clear plastic food container with lid (a GladWare

25-ounce container works well)

Enough molasses syrup to make a '/2-inch layer in the

bottom of the container

2 whole graham crackers

If broken graham crackers float on top of a layer of

molasses, they (will) or (won't) collide and slide together

when I move the container.

Wow you ar e ready t o

i Carefully pour enough molasses syrup into the

con-tainer to make a half-inch-deep layer in the bottom.

2 Crack the first graham cracker into two or three pieces.

3 Matching the pieces, float them on the molasses in the top half of the container Break the second cracker into two or three pieces and place the pieces on the

molasses in the lower half of the container.

4 Slowly tilt the container to one side and then to the other side Did the graham crackers collide, glide, and slide apart as they slowly floated on top of the

molasses? This is similar to how Earth's slow-moving plates float on top of the hot mantle.

5 When you are finished observing the cracker plates, place the lid on the container to prevent spilling.

6 The molasses mixture should be thrown away within

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To demonstrate how

Earth's plates slide

apart, collide, and

glide over the hot

mantle.

Colliding plates can

push up mountains

or create volcanoes.

When plates slide

past each other,

earthquakes can occur- if plates sepa- rate, molten magma can eise up through the crackes.

The graham crackers

must be placed on top

of the molasses if they are dipped into

it, they might sink in

a classroom setting.

only one model is needed.

Do not prepare this

Do not prepare this model ahead After the first day, the crackers will absorb the molasses and sink Ask children to keep the lid on the container when it is not in use.

Hint

Key to Success

Earth Note Activity Goals

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Make a Model—Earth's Crust

Did you know?

The thickest part of Earth' s crust is called continental

crust Th e thinner part of the crust i s called oceanic crust.

You will need

Adult helpe r

i 6-ounce package strawberry Jell- 0

Clear plastic food container wit h li d (a Bounce

container works well)

i'/4 cups boiling water in a i6-ounce glass measuring cup

Spoon

Refrigerator

'/4 of any ready-made pi e crust

Hard plastic table knif e

Blue and gree n colored icing (Betty Crocker Eas y Flow

Decorating Icing works well)

Mug of hot water

i Empty the Jell-0 mix int o the plastic food container Ask

an adult to stir in the boiling water Continue stirringuntil the gelatin i s completely dissolved Refrigerate themixture until it is firm

2 When the gelatin i s almost solid, mold a flat piece of piecrust big enough to fit ove r it, usin g the container li d asyour guide

3 Mold thinner area s for the oceanic crust and thickerareas for the continental crust

4 Position the crust on top o f the firm Jell-0 Stretch it out

to cover all the gelatin Pinch off any extra crust

5 Once the crust is in place, use the hard plastic knife tospread green icing over the land areas You may need

to dip the knife into the hot water to make spreadingeasier Finger painting the crust works well, too

6 Rinse the knife and then spread blue icing over theocean areas

7 Once the icing has hardened a bit, as k an adult to hel pyou cut one deep line horizontally through th e crust(see illustration) fro m on e side of the container t o26

i)

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the other Do not cut into the gelatin Dip the

knife in the water and cut another deep

horizontal line through the crust

8 To see the plates with the hot mantle below,

pull on the sides of the container and look at

the red Jell-0 through the two cracks

9 Place the container at a learning center for

others to view

Brain Exercise

When I looked at the red gelatin peeking

through the crust, I t h o u g h t

The gelatin needs to

be very firm Do not cut into the gelatin

layer Only one model

is needed per home or classroom.

This activity is a huge

hit Remind your young scientists that

although this model smells very tempting, scientists don't eat their models.

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From One to Seven—Amazing Continents

Did you know?

At one time, scientist s believe, all Earth' s continents fi t

together as one supercontinent, name d Pangaea.

You will need

2 crisp tostada shells

2 paper plates

2 resealable plastic sandwich bags

If I break a tostada shell into seven pieces, I (will) or

(won't) be able to fit th e pieces back together.

i Carefully break on e of the tostada shells into seven

pieces Plac e the pieces on one of the paper plates

2 Plac e the whole tostada shell on the second paper plate.

3 Try to match up the pieces so that the broken tostada shell look s like the unbroken one Can you do it ?

4 Once the pieces are matched up, se e how well they fi t back together Ar e they a perfect fit? Some fragment s may have fallen off when the shell was broken.

5 Take both plates to your learnin g center so that others can view them To reduce the tostada shells' odor, slip each into a resealable plastic bag

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"s •* \ '

29

To identify similarities

between Earth's plates

and the tostado-shell

plates, To compare

broke and unbroken

tostada shells.

In 1912, Alfred wegenerand Frank Toylor pro-posed that 200 millionyears ago, Earth had only one supercontinent Wegener named

this first continent

pangaea, meaning

"all Earth."

The broken tostada pieces need to be large enough to fit back together some what easily.

To add excitement to this activity, melt

semisweet chocolate

in a pie pan to make

a chocolate circle that children can break

and eat.

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Baking Mountains and Valleys

Did you know?

Many scientists believe that some mountains, valleys,

and ocean floors were formed millions of years ago, as

Earth cooled

You will need

Adult helper

Oven with timer

2 medium-sized red apples

1 aluminum pie pan

Oven mitts

Cooling rack

2 resealable plastic sandwich bags

If I compare a baked apple to a raw apple, they (will) or

(won't) look the same

1 Preheat the oven to 350° F

2 Place one of the apples in the center of the pie pan

3 Ask an adult to help you carefully place the pie pan

in the preheated oven (use the oven mitts to protectyour hands)

4 Set the oven timer for 30 minutes

5 When the timer rings, ask an adult to take the piepan out of the oven and place it on the coolingrack Watch the apple as it cools down How does itchange? Reset the oven timer for 15 minutes

6 When the timer goes off, observe the baked apple.What changes are occurring? Reset the oven timerfor another 30 minutes

7 When the timer goes off, observe the baked apple.Describe how the apple has changed

8 Leave the baked apple out at room temperatureovernight

30

J<J

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9 Whe n the apple i s completely cool,

make observations Doe s th e skin

remind you of valleys and

moun-tains o n Earth ? Does i t loo k differen t

from th e apple you did no t bake?

10 Put the tw o apple s i n resealable

plastic bag s an d take them t o the

learning center for othe r student s

to observe.

Brain exercise

When I looked at the skin of the bake d

apple, I thought .

To identify the

similari-ties between the baked

apple's skin and Earth's

crust To demonstrate

how mountains and

valleys might have

been formed as Earth

Baking makes the

apple very sticky Be

sure to cook the apple

at least 30 desired effect.

achieve the desired

The type of apple and its storage history will

affect the baking time necessary Red apples work very well when baked 30 minutes.

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