Tsunami alert !

The new ELI today is 'Tsunami alert! Run for the hills or stay by the sea? Why does one type of earthquake produce a tsunami, whilst another does not?'

The activity may be used in the context of a science or a geography lesson, where wave motion is being considered, together with its impact on the nearby community.
This is one of three Earthlearningideas about Tsunamis - please refer to the website for these and other activities about natural hazards. 

Investigating evolution by adaptation and natural selection

'How many Beany Beetles? - the evolution game'. In this Earthlearningidea, pupils investigate evolution by adaptation and natural selection.
The game results usually show that the number of surviving purple Beany Beetles decreases and the number of surviving green Beany Beetles increases even though the ratio at the  beginning was 5:1. Pupils quickly understand that being camouflaged gives the green Beany Beetles an advantage over the purple. Chance sometimes plays a part and then fewer than expected green Beany Beetles survive.
This game provides an introduction to the theory of evolution and is a useful activity for cross-curricular work covering science, geography, literacy, numeracy and art.
Many more activities about the Evolution of Life can be found on our website.

Sort out the rock cycle products - then add the processes

The new ELI today is 'Laying out the rock cycle: product and process'.

Pupils are asked to place a series of rock cycle products in the correct places on a diagram of the rock cycle, then to consider how all these are linked by rock cycle processes.
On the website you can find activities associated with each of the processes identified in the rock cycle.

NEW - Earth Learning Idea translations into Japanese!

We are delighted to announce that ELI activities are now being translated into Japanese. There are 60 plus activities already on the site with 100 planned by Easter. We are extremely grateful to our colleagues in Japan for doing this for us, especially as all their work is on a voluntary basis.
This image shows a sample from the new Japanese web page:-

 

You can also access the new Japanese translations from the home page of our website - ELI translations.

Metamorphic aureole in a tin

The first new ELI of 2017 is 'Metamorphic aureole in a tin; investigate what controls the changes in temperature around an igneous intrusion'
 

This is an investigation modelling the factors affecting changes in temperature around an igneous intrusion, using a container of hot water embedded in sand.
Other activities related to metamorphism can be found on our website.

Smartphones as Earthquake detectors

MyShake is a free app for Android phones that has the ability to recognize earthquake shaking using the sensors in every smartphone. The app runs “silently” in the background on your phone using very little power – just like the step-tracking fitness apps. When the shaking fits the vibrational profile of an earthquake, the app sends the anonymous information to the central system that confirms the location and magnitude of the quake.
The app has now been downloaded over 200,000 times. Enabled phones have recorded hundreds of quakes all over the globe since then - some as small as magnitude 2.5.
The goal is to build a worldwide seismic network and use the data to reduce the effects of earthquakes on us as individuals, and our society as a whole. MyShake also provides users with information about recent earthquakes around the world and significant global historical earthquakes.
There are some very good earthquake-related Earthlearningideas - use the search engine or index on our website.

Folds and faults and sponge rolls

Today's new ELI is 'Swiss roll surgery; investigating geological structures and their outcrops using sponge rolls'.

This activity can be used in any science or geography lesson when folded and faulted rocks are discussed. By adapting the terminology, it can be used with any age group when explanations of folded and faulted rocks are required. It's popular because the structures can be eaten after investigation!
Many more activities related to folds and faults can be found by using the search engine or the index on our website.