Make your own sedimentary structures

Following on from our sedimentary structures puzzle game of last week. 'Which sedimentary structures can you make? Making sedimentary structures in the classroom using simple apparatus and materials'.

This can be used as a revision activity, involving investigating how sedimentary structures are formed in loose sediment. To fit in with lesson timing, the teacher can allocate one structure per small group of students, share out the apparatus and then compare notes afterwards.

Many more activities related to sedimentary rocks and structures can be found on our website.

Game to help to really understanding sedimentary structures

The new ELI today is a game for students to help them to really understand sedimentary structures. 'Picturing puzzle structures; visualise and draw sedimentary structures from a verbal description.'

 

This Earthlearningidea will enhance pupils’ skills of description and interpretation using photographs of sedimentary structures. It can also be used as a revision exercise and is good fun.

Many activities related to sedimentary structures can be found on our website.

Fossil hunter - dig up a dinosaur

A good activity for the summer in a sand pit or on the beach is 'Dig up the dinosaur; become a fossil hunter and dig up a dinosaur'. All you need is a wooden or plastic dinosaur skeleton.

Click here to watch a short video of the activity.

The activity involves digging up buried ‘bones’ in a systematic manner and reconstructing the skeleton. By observing how the 'bones' were found, you can determine whether the creature was buried suddenly or not.

Many other activities related to fossils and dinosaurs can be found on our website.

How will rising sea level affect our coastlines?

The next in our 'net zero' emissions series is an adaptation measure to climate change, 'How will rising sea level affect our coastlines ... and what can be done to adapt to rising sea levels?'

This Earthlearningidea explores how sea level rise in response to climate change might affect coastal communities and how these communities might adapt to this rise.

Many more activities related to sea level change can be found on our website. There are also many activities related to 'net zero' emissions.

Understanding the phases of the Moon - with lollipops, a tennis ball and a bright light

An idea for the holidays - 'Lollipop moon; modelling the phases of the moon with a ball, lollipops and a bright light'.

This model demonstrates what the phases of the moon look like when viewed from outside the Earth.Other activities in the series include:

Jaffa moon

Polystyrene moon 

More activities related to the Moon can be found in the Earthlearningidea Earth in Space category. 

Harnessing the power of tides

The new ELI today is part of our 'net zero emissions' series, 'Tidal energy; can the tides be harnessed to produce green energy?'

 

 

This activity involves a discussion of the reasons for and against tidal power, using three case studies of operational tidal power stations. Government ‘net-zero’ targets will affect many areas across the world. This Earthlearningidea explores what the impacts might be in a coastal area, while extra background information is provided in other ELIs in the series.

More activities related to climate change and 'net zero' emissions can be found on our website.

Sea level and melting sea ice

Continuing the theme of sea level change - 'Melting ice and sea level change 1 – sea ice; does sea level change when floating sea ice melts?'

This simple activity allows pupils to investigate the impact on water levels of allowing floating ice to melt.

Other activities related to sea level and climate change can be found on our  website.