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This website includes the instructions for a kinesthetic approach to teaching the layers of the earth. The project consist of layering different color Playdoughs on top of eachother to simulate the earths layers. After completing their mini earth sculptures, students will be able to cut the earth in half and visual see the different layers through the different color Playdough. This project is going to be a great addition to my "The Place I Call Home" lesson as it not only consists of a kinesthetic approach to learning, but it also includes the visual approach.

"Is your fourth grader a hands-on learner? If so, just reading about the layers of the Earth may not be enough to inspire or even interest him. Turn the abstract lesson into a practical craft with the fun and colorful creation of dough earth layers!" This lesson plan lays out the layers of the Earth through the fun artsy craft of play dough creations. Basically the child will create their own personal batch of dough-incorporating color dye and close guidance. The student will then use their play dough to collaborate on the outer crust of the earth, the water, the land the inner core and the crust. Students are capable of physically making the play dough thin or thick in accordance to the knowledge of their information. They are applying their understanding of the earth and what it's made of basically at their own fingertips.

This foldable could be used to help understand the layers of the Earth. There is a template for students to cut and paste onto construction paper. The layers of the Earth are already made so students only need to cut them out and correctly place onto the layer. The foldable comes with step-by-step instruction for students to follow. What a great way for students to visually see the layers of the Earth!

Let's eat our way through the layers of the Earth! This lab activity allows to students to use food to create the layers of the Earth and then enjoy the results. The activity takes for 45 minutes-1 hour. After passing out each item the teacher explains that layer of the Earth. A gum ball is the core, cool whip dyed red is the mantle, chocolate chip and raisins are for the bedrock, graham crackers represent the clay layer, and crushed Oreos to represent the topsoil. This hands-on activity with help students learn the layers of the Earth!

This website gives you the ingredients and amounts of different liquids and materials to poor into a clear cylinder to determine the different densities of materials. In their lab groups, the students will determine the order that the materials will layer in the cylinder before the materials are actually poured in. I selected this resource because it provides a way do demonstrate density in the classroom and it explains the reason for why each material settles differently. I would use this experiment as a way to introduce volume and density to my middle school students.

There are five large oceans on Earth: the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian, the Arctic and the Southern (or Antarctic) Oceans. They are really one 'world ocean' a continuous expanse of water with the continents of the world like big islands of land in this. This is a perfect website to have as a resource when teaching about the oceans and seas. The website is packed with very rich information and great visuals over ocean currents, layers, and waves! Besides talking about the usual oceans topics like ocean life or level of the ocean floor, it covers topics that are less discussed in the classroom. Example from the website includes mapping the ocean floor, threats to oceans, and even fisheries. Another great feature about this website is that it includes an experience over ocean currents. Overall, the website can defiantly be a great source to add to the curriculum! Ways to implement this website into the classroom would be by doing the ocean current experiment with the class. Also, I know that the ocean is still one of the main mysteries to scientist to this day, so I think there is plenty of opportunities for students to use their creative minds. Examples of projects would be have students create what they think animals and plants look like that are undiscovered. The topic of oceans and seas is very broad and fascinating!

Remove "science" tag and re-tag as "earth science" to be more specific. Is this a lesson, activity, background information, field trip, etc.? Tag accordingly.

I think that kids fun science is a great website to use in the classroom. It includes many activities that can be used in the classroom. I think the activities would be very engaging for students. For example: To demonstrate sedimentary layers there is an activity where they use graham crackers, and peanut butter and jelly. The website also includes many experiments that can be done in the classroom. It also includes how to host a science fair and the steps that students should take. I feel like this would be a resource that I would use in my classroom to help me teach science.

Glad to see some of the science behind these fun activities explained.

This lessons discusses the four layers of the Earth. This website also shows the ocean floor, oceanic and continental crust, lithosphere, and asthenosphere. It also explains tectonic plates and continental shelves and shapes. I choose this website as a supplemental resource to teach about Earth's systems. This website is easy for students to read and understand. It also provides great images to help students understand these concepts.

This activity shows students how certain animals stay warm in the winter by providing a life-like representation of the effects blubber. A zip-lock baggy containing Crisco is placed into a bucket of ice water. Students then place their hand into the baggy and note the temperature. I chose this activity because it provides an actual representation of how animals stay warm in the winter that students would likely remember in the future. If the lesson is properly constructed, this activity also encourages critical thinking, making predictions, and discussing observations. When using this activity in my classroom, I would first discuss various polar animals with my students, making sure to ask them their opinion on how the animals manage to stay warm. This would then lead to a discussion on how humans stay warm. After creating a list of various ways in which humans adapt to cold weather, I would conduct the "blubber" activity. I would then explain to students that polar animals have an extra layer of fat, called blubber, to keep them warm. As a class, we would then discuss how certain human adaptations mimic the polar animals' survival techniques.

I have used this activity many times along with adaptations for survival. Very clear and concrete experience for students.

The rock sandwich experiment is a hands-on way to learn about a very long process. The bread acts like two layers of sediment on top of each other that will eventually form metamorphic rock. This experiment is simple, cheap, and quick. It will make for a nice addition to a lesson on the different phases of the rock cycle. I could have pairs of students perform this experiment so everyone is involved and all of them have a chance to do a hands-on activity. It is also a great activity to do lab sheets with and a follow up journal entry on what they learned about the formation of metamorphic rock.

This activity could be used at the end of a unit on rocks, minerals and the layers of the earth. Students build their own structures made out of mini marshmallows and toothpicks. The students then place their structure on top of the jello that's sitting in an aluminum pan. The students then shake the pan to see what structures survive the "earthquake". I chose this activity because I thought it would be a great hands on experiment for students to see the damaging effects of what can happen to buildings after an earthquake. Another plus to this activity, is possibly sparking the interest of future architects.

An engineering design challenge!