Art and sculpture inspired by nature

This new activity is the first of a series of cross-curricular themes linking the arts and sciences. 'Geo-art: paintings to sculptures inspired by all things ‘geo’; create your own geo-artwork'

Much of our great art was and is inspired by the natural world. This activity encourages pupils to create some imaginative artwork based on a topic they have studied in Earth science or geography.
Please email us scans or photos of your pupils' or children's work and we will publish them.
Lots more ideas for holiday activities can be found on our website.

Rocks game for the holidays

When the children are collecting pebbles on the beach, perhaps they would like to put them into rock families? Have a look at 'Rock Explorers; putting rocks into families'.

A 5 year-old's explanation of the Black family: “Mummy and Daddy Black are wrinkled with holes in but the children are smooth; that’s because they are young and Mummy and Daddy are old.”
Many more ideas for young children can be found in ELI Early years.

Experience an earthquake in your classroom!

This week's new ELI is 'An earthquake in your classroom; a classroom earthquake intensity scale.'

This activity helps pupils to visualise what experiencing an earthquake of different intensities might be like. Dramatic re-enactment of this classroom earthquake intensity scale can make fine school drama performances or add to school open days.
It is worth repeating the old dictum, “Earthquakes don’t kill people; buildings do.”
Many more activities about earthquakes and their causes can be found on the website.

Modelling how rock cliffs and slopes collapse

'Failing slopes; modelling how rock cliffs and slopes can collapse'  Rocks with horizontal bedding tend to be fairly stable, but when they dip at an angle they are less stable, particularly if they have vertical fractures or joints. The type of collapse usually depends upon the rock type and thickness of the beds.

The activity could be used in a lesson on slope failure itself, or as an application of the physics of friction. Results obtained from an actual investigation are given in the activity.
Many more activities can be found on our website.

Rising mountains can reveal hidden secrets

The new ELI today is “Hooray and up she rises!” How a rising mountain chain can reveal its hidden secrets.

This activity is modelling how erosion of the top of a mountain range is accompanied by isostatic uplift, eventually exposing rocks, once hidden deep below. The activity is aimed at reinforcing the concept of isostasy (a state of balance in the Earth’s outer layers). It is also intended to show hat many igneous rocks become exposed at the Earth’s surface long after they have become solid rocks and are no longer flowing as magma.
Similar activities can be found on the website.