Land Activities

Exploring Rocks
Groups of three to five students will investigate properties of the rocks including physical characteristics (smoothness, hardness, luster, shape, color, reaction to water, weight, composition--rubbing sandstone together to make sand). Students will sort and classify rocks by attributes. They will create models to explain how the rocks got to be what and where they are. Students will be encouraged to discuss how the interaction of air, water, sun and living organisms-- especially humans--affects rocks.

The Little Rocks 
Teachers will provide sand and dry, powdered clay (and silt, if possible) as examples of small rocks. Students will explore and compare the wet and dry properties of each and will compare the samples to larger rocks. They will then invent their own recipes for mixing the materials in many different proportions and comparing the resulting mixtures.

How do big rocks become little rocks, or how do little rocks become big rocks? Students should discuss how the interaction of air, water, sun and living organisms affect rocks.

Exploring Soils
Resource: LHS GEMS Terrarium Habitats pp. 4-13 (read pp. 15-22 and 58-61 for context)

Note: The soil used in this investigation may be used to build a terrarium in Week 7. Hold on to it so that you won't need to get new soil later on. Teachers may want to provide several different soils for terrarium building in Week 7 so that students will be able to compare the effects of different soils on living organisms.

In Week 7 you will add plants to your terrariums. so you may want to order them now. Fast growing plants (marigolds, Chinese cabbage, turnips, radishes, peas, oats and beans) can be purchased at a local hardware or grocery store. Or you may order small plants that can go through an entire life cycle in just 35 days from Wisconsin Fast Plants at

Wisconsin Fast Plants
1630 Linden Drive
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53706

Materials

  • LHS GEMS Terrarium Habitats
  • Small collection of diverse local rocks gathered by students
  • Teacher collection of rocks, including different sizes, shapes, degrees of hardness and colors
  • Magnifying glasses, nails to scratch rocks, balances, pipettes, water, chart and plain paper, 12 oz.+/- plastic containers for mixing materials
  • Samples of different soils collected locally
  • Thermometer

Questions for Students

  • Is dry soil heavier or lighter than wet soil? (Experiment with the water holding capacity of different soils, e.g., sand, clay and potting soil.)
  • Does soil have any air in it? (Add water to dry soil and watch the bubbles--proof that air was in the soil.)
  • What does soil do to the water? (Run muddy water through fine sand and see if it comes out cleaner on the other side. The soil filters the water and holds on to particulate matter.)
  • How does water move through different soils? (Fill tin cans with holes in the bottom with sand, clay and potting soil. Watch how fast water moves through each.)
  • How does soil sort itself out? (In a can, mix dry pebbles, coarse sand and dry potting soil. Shake the can to see what particles are on the top and on the bottom. The larger, heavier particles will be on the bottom, the lighter ones on top.)
  • What part of soil washes away first? (Take a sand-soil-pebble mixture outside and spray water over it. The fine particles wash away first. Muddy water will run away and leave only the sand and pebbles.)
  • How do some rocks get smooth? (The action of water, and sometimes wind, smoothes rocks. Look at rounded beach pebbles, or play with a rock tumbler.)
  • What happens when rocks freeze? (For this winter experiment, find a porous rock such as sandstone, soak it in water, let it freeze outside or in the freezer and see what happens to the rock. This process is an example of mechanical weathering.)

Teacher References

  • LHS GEMS Terrarium Habitats.
  • Earth at Hand. NSTA, 1993.
  • AIMS. "Overhead and Underfoot." (Revised Edition). AIMS Education Foundation. Fresno, CA. 1994.

Children's References

  • Arem, Joel E. "Discover Rocks and Minerals." Publications International, Ltd.: Lincolnwood, IL, 1991.
  • Baylor, Byrd. "Everybody Needs a Rock." Macmillan Publishing Co.: NY, 1974.
  • Bourgeous, Paulette. "The Amazing Dirt Book." Addison-Wesley: NY, 1990.
  • Catherall, Ed. "Exploring Soil and Rocks." Steck-Vaughn: Austin, Texas, 1990.
  • Cole, Joanna. "The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth." Scholastic, Inc.: NY, 1987.
  • Glaser, Linda. "Wonderful Worms." Millbrook, 1992.
  • Lewis, Thomas P. "Hill of Fire." Harper and Row: NY, 1971.
  • McNulty, Faith. "How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World." Scholastic, Inc.: NY, 1997.
  • Ryder, Joanna. "Simon Underground." Harper and Row: NY, 1976.
  • Watts, Lisa and Jenny Tyler. "The Usborne Book of the Earth." Usborne Ltd.: London, 1986.

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