Granite and Chalk - geological postcards

This is a picture postcard puzzle about granite and chalk landscapes. Pupils are asked to study each postcard and decide whether the landscape shown on it has been formed on granite or on chalk. They should then explain the reasons for their decision.

Many more free activities can be found on our website.

'Tagging' water molecules - to explore the water cycle

"'Tagging' water molecules - to explore the water cycle" is our new activity published today. It is a thought experiment to explore the water cycle. Scientists can ‘mark’ genes with different glowing colours to find out how they work. Help your pupils to understand the water cycle by carrying out a thought experiment on what we would see if we could ‘tag’ water molecules to give them bright colours and make them visible. This activity helps pupils to visualise the movement of water through the water cycle.
It is one of many watery activities.

Electrical ground probing

Have you tried the ELI 'Electrical ground probing'? This activity models the principles involved in surveying by electrical methods. Such techniques are frequently used in mineral exploration or in archaeological surveying. Forensic scientists also use the method to investigate disturbed ground in the search for objects buried by criminals.
Lots of similar teaching ideas can be found on our website - all free to download.

Why should I recycle my mobile phone?

The latest ELI, published today, is the last of our Minerals series - 'Be a mineral expert 4 - Recycle your mobile phone'. This is an activity based on an information sheet, which prompts pupils to think about the materials and energy which go into the manufacture and use of a mobile phone, and why they should consider carefully what happens to the phone when its useful life is over.
For other free-to-download related activities, visit our website.

Earthlearningidea news

New link on our 'Useful websites' page to Earth Science Western Australia

And now some results from 'Party time for volcanoes'. The chart below shows the aggregated results of many experiments at different venues with a total of 814 pops.

Have you also tried 'Take a chance on the volcano erupting'?
Visit our website for many more great ideas for teaching Earth science.

Make your own carbon cycle

A popular ELI in November was 'Carbon goes round and round and round; make your own carbon cycle'.

Check the website for more Earth-related teaching ideas.

GIFT workshops to be held in Africa

Bringing together the expertise of the EGU with UNESCO’s Earth Science Education Initiative in Africa and the European Space Agency (ESA), the EGU is proud to announce a new series of annual Geosciences Information for Teachers (GIFT) workshops to be held around the African continent over the next four years.
As international events, the workshops will be held in four different regions of Africa, starting with Southern Africa. They will cover various topics of societal relevance such as climate change, groundwater, geohazards, mineral resources and environmental sustainability.  
The UNESCO-EGU-ESA African GIFT workshops will take place over the course of 3 days with 40 teachers from across the region and 8-10 speakers, half of whom will be non-African experts.
For the past ten years, the EGU’s GIFT workshops – spreading first hand scientific research to teachers of primary and secondary schools – have been hugely successful in shortening the time that research takes to disseminate from scientist to textbook to teacher and offering usable practical activities for the classroom.
The event is open to teachers from across Southern Africa and will be held in Port Elizabeth, South Africa from the 26-28th February 2014.
Click here for more information and how to apply (deadline 9th Dec 2013) Please pass this to those you know who may be interested in this event.