Monday 28 December 2009

Quarry through the window

Have you tried this Earthlearningidea? Click here to download the free activity.
Many people don‘t realise that, to build our buildings, to construct transport links and to make dams and reservoirs, we have to extract millions of tonnes of material from the ground — and that this comes from quarries. Most people would not like a quarry in their 'backyard‘, but quarries have to be sited where the materials are found underground, and not too far from where they are needed, because it is very expensive to transport bulk materials like quarry products for long distances. So, some rock, sand and gravel quarries and clay pits have to be sited near towns and cities. If they are sited near towns and cities, because of the strict planning regulations in many countries today, not only would the quarry be hidden by screens when the quarry was in action, but it would be landscaped afterwards and often would be used later as an amenity by local people (water park, golf course, etc.) or for waste disposal.
There are lots of Earth-related activities for you to try at Earthlearningidea.
Note: At the time of posting, the server hosting our website is undergoing maintenance and the site is temporarily unavailable. Normal service should be resumed soon. We are sorry for this inconvenience.

Monday 21 December 2009

Cretaceous crime scene - forensic geoscience

A large fossil skeleton has been found in rocks near your school. Using the nine pieces of evidence provided, your pupils are asked to work out how the dinosaur died. Did the animal die naturally or was it attacked and killed? Ask them to use their detective skills to investigate what really happened long ago.
Send your pupils' answers to us and we will publish them.
This activity can be found in the category 'Evolution of Life' at Earthlearningidea.

Monday 14 December 2009

Turning Dunes into Architecture

Architecture student Magnus Larsson details his bold plan to transform the harsh Sahara desert using bacteria and a surprising construction material: the sand itself. You can find further details and comment on 'Through the Sandglass'.
This is an interesting, innovative idea and links well with the Earthlearningidea - 'Dust bowl'.

Friday 11 December 2009

ELI workshops in South Africa

Aeon EarthWISE used Earthlearningideas during workshops for National Science Teachers, 12th and 13th November in Bloemfontein, South Africa. 68 teachers and 2 learning area facilitators from 26 schools were involved. If you would like to see the powerpoint, click here, (5MB so it takes some time to download).
Lots of ELIs were tried and teachers took home copies of the activities.
We really like the one shown in the photo where our suggested foam balls have been replaced by marshmallows. You can eat them afterwards too; what a good idea! This idea will be included in the 'extension ideas' for the activity 'Metamorphism - that's Greek for 'change of shape' isn't it?'

Monday 7 December 2009

ELI around the world

As you can see Earthlearningidea is gradually spreading across the Earth. The darker the green shading on the map above, the more 'hits' we have had from that country. We have not reached the countries with no colour. These maps are published at the end of every month on our website - click on 'ELI around the world'. There is also a list of our 'top ten' countries and a map of the towns and cities we have reached.
Please help us to reach teacher educators everywhere. It is very important that pupils understand how the Earth works.