Interpreting the evidence from dinosaur footprints

This is a very popular Earthlearningidea - 'The meeting of the dinosaurs - 100 million years ago: the evidence given by dinosaur footprints'. Tracks or traces of creatures are fossils just as are their shells and bones. Dinosaur footprints give clues to the lives of the animals of the past. They may give more clues to their lifestyles than the fossil bones themselves. They also give clues about the ancient environments in which they lived.
This is a very good end-of-school-year activity. Please let us know what your pupils think happened.

Make you own symmetrical ripple marks in sand

Can you suggest how these symmetrical ripple marks were formed? Last week's asymmetrical ripple marks were formed by a uni-directional current. What do fossilised ripple marks tell you about current directions? Find out by downloading this activity.
There are many Earth-related activities for you to try on our website. Do please let us know how you get on with any of them.

Make your own asymmetrical ripple marks in sand

Have you tried this Earthlearningidea? If you found a sandstone rock like the one shown in the photo, would you know how the shapes had been formed? Find out by trying this activity - 'Sand ripple marks in a washbowl'. These ripple marks are asymmetrical; how do symmetrical ripple marks form? These are just two of the many types of sedimentary structures that can form in sand.

AEON EarthWISE using ELI

AEON EarthWISE is currently hosted by the Department of Geology of the University of the Free State, South Africa. It aims to provide training for science educators in the Earth and Beyond (E&B) field that was incorporated into the Natural Science Curriculum for the General Education and Training Certificate (GETC) in 2005.
AEON EarthWISE is currently preparing two teacher workshops in the first week of August as part of National Science Week. The organisers plan to reach 80 teachers from all over the Free State. Two activity books, (one for Intermediate Phase and one for Senior Phase), have been set up to distribute to the teachers during these workshops and Earthlearningidea activities form a huge part of these books. ELI activities fit right into the National Curriculum. The activities have been printed in their pdf format and put into the Appendices in the back of the books.
The current coordinator says, "I can't wait to show it to the teachers, because I truly believe that doing these activities in the classroom can be nothing but beneficial to the learners. So yes, we are definitely putting your ideas to good use. Thank you very much for them!"
The Earthlearningidea team is delighted to hear about this venture and the use of our activities. We wish the organisers every success for their workshops in August.
To the rest of the world - - please let us know of any similar uses of our ideas.

Earthlearningidea across the world

We are delighted to report that our activities have now reached 142 countries across the world. To see a larger map, our 'top ten' countries and the cities we have reached, click here.

Darwin's 'big coral atoll idea'

Our new Earthlearningidea is about trying to think like Darwin did to solve the coral atoll mystery. These islands are circular or nearly circular in shape, so what shape are they in three dimensions? Coral reefs are living things that begin growing in shallow water. What must have happened to make a tall column of coral reef? What could have caused the circular shape in the first place? Try this Earthlearningidea to find the answers.
You could try to make your own coral atoll like the one shown in the photo. Please send us your ideas and some photos of your attempts.