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The rocks that compose the Earth's crust are subjected to a variety of forces. Depending on the environmental factors at work, the rocks can be altered in size or in composition. Factors such as wind, water, plants, and animals cause weathering, physical changes in rocks that affect their size. However, physical changes do not affect the composition of rock. In this activity you will see the effect of physical weathering on rocks.

If you're finding it painful to get your child to practice math lessons learned throughout the school year and her skills are slipping, try this mental and physical multitasking game to get your child back into the swing of things. This physical coordination reinforcement activity uses a hula hoop to get the mental juices flowing. This game is fun with two or more players taking turns and keeping score, but can work just as well with one.

This site doesn't provide specific activities; however, I would design earth science activities to assist kids in researching this park, and the surround area.  We would discuss how and why the area has these deposits, the history of the area, and how to go about finding diamonds and other cool rocks.   Extension activity:  Order bags of dirt from Crater of Diamonds park and have the kids sift through to find and identify various rocks and minerals.   Standards: 3.2.1:  Examine the physical properties of rock samples and sort them into categories based on size using simple tools such as sieves. 3.2.2:  Observe the detailed characteristics of rocks and minerals.  Identify rocks as being composed of different combinations of minerals. 3.2.3:  Classify and identify minerals by their physical properties of hardness, color, luster, and streak.  

Using a chocolate bar or chocolate chips students will experiment with melting the chocolate in a microwave or over a stove.  Students will make predictions and will make observations about the solid turning into a liquid.  After they have made these observations they will put the chocolate back into the freezer and make predictions and observations about what happens next.

In this activity, students will shake heavy cream in a jar to watch a liquid turn into a solid-butter!  This is a very simple, yet exciting project that can then be eaten later!

I remember doing this as a child in school. We spread it on saltine crackers because the teacher said that it needed a little salt to make it taste better.

Ever wondered how a submarine can control when it rises and sinks in the water? Build a Cartesian diver to find out! Named after French philosopher and physicist René Descartes, this classic science experiment is a great way for kids to see the principle of buoyancy at work. And with such a simple set-up, it's a fun and inexpensive way to dive into physics!

Using paper, string, and salt, students will create a cone out of the paper that will act as their pendulum.  They will swing the pendulum so it just touches the pile of salt and watch the designs it makes.  Students can change the pendulum's direction to see if that changes the design.

This activity addresses the third grade Physical Science standards 3.1.1, 3.1.2, and 3.1.3.  It meets the core standard of Observe and describe how sound is produced by vibrations. I like this activity because it allows students to choose where their journey will take them.  Internet access is a requirement.  I do not think this activity would be as dynamic if it were adapted to be just a listening activity.   ELL's could use the internet to "travel" and investigate sound in their native language.  High ability learners could create an atlas to go with their journals.

This lesson is right up my alley. Great for working on counting incorporating physical activity. Easily differentiated for all students. 

Make Meringue Science! Use simple experiment to turn egg whites into a delicacy: fancy meringues. Supplies: 5 eggs, 1-1/2 cups of sugar, 8 tsp cream of tartar, 2 small bowls, 1 large bowl, hand cranked egg beater, and cookie sheet.

This is a great activity for covering design process, and why things move and how. This can encompass design process as well as basic physics. This will get the students' creative juices flowing when they are designing their car, which will be the best way to engage them.

K.3.3 Describe and compare living plants in terms of growth, parts, shape, size, color and texture. K.3.1 Observe and draw physical features of common plants and animals.

K.1.1. Use all senses as appropriate to observe, sort and describe objects according to their composition and physical properties, such as size, color and shape. Explain these choices to others and generate questions about the objects. Sticky Note: I choose a kindergarten standard for this because it could be easily manipulated to fit this standard. They could be grouping these based on how high they bounce. It could also be used with higher grade levels with math and doing measuring, graphs and data (range, mean, median, mode, etc).

Fun way to get students understanding water vapor and fog

Adaptions: You can adapt this lesson for ELL or special needs students by pairing them in groups and assiging each person in the group a task...the ELL and Special Needs students could draw the pictures or record information while they learning about matter by other group members without pressure/anxiety. Extensions: You can extend this activity to younger greades by using something other than candles. For example, you can use an ice cube, watch it melt, and over time chart the level of water and have the students explain what happenes to the water and the state of matter it has turned into. 6.1.2 Explain the properties of solids, liquids and gases using drawings and models that represent matter as particles in motion whose state can be represented by the relative positions and movement of the particles. 6.1.3 Using a model in which matter is composed of particles in motion, investigate that when substances undergo a change in state, mass is conserved.

Students watch a candle burn underwater, due to the quality of absorbing heat energy in this fun activity! Be sure to very closely supervise students.