Curated OER
The Appearance of the Moon
Third graders watch a demonstration on how craters were formed on the moon. Individually, they care given a set of materials that represent the moon surface and make their own craters. To end the lesson, they measure the size of the...
Curated OER
Contrast- Printmaking- The Fin Art of Science
Students explore the art of printmaking. They discuss relief prints and the art of fish printing (Gyotaku). They view examples of the artwork of Gyotaku and also observe the various characteristics of different species of fish. Finally...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Soil Composition Soil Soaks Up Water
For this classroom activity, young scholars will show how soil composition affects the amount of water the soil holds. They will test sand and soil independently and then create their own mixture.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Does Media Matter? Infiltration Rates and Storage Capacities
Students gain a basic understanding of the properties of media- soil, sand, compost, gravel- and how these materials affect the movement of water (infiltration/percolation) into and below the surface of the ground.
Scholastic
Scholastic Instructor: Seashore Science
Come and learn with this incredible seashore science resource. The content includes fun facts, experiments, reproducible activities, resources and more.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: How Fast Does Water Travel Through Soils?
Students measure the permeability of different types of soils, compare results and realize the importance of size, voids and density in permeability response.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Groundwater Movement
Students learn how water moves through rock materials such as sand, gravel, and clay.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Build a River Model!
In this activity, explore the distinct characteristics of a river by creating a river model inside a pan with sand, pebbles, and real water.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Making "Magic" Sidewalks of Pervious Pavement
Students use everyday building materials- sand, pea gravel, cement and water- to create and test pervious pavement. Groups are challenged to create their own pervious pavement mixes, experimenting with material ratios to evaluate how...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Obi Wan Adobe: Engineering for Strength
Students conduct an experiment to determine how varying the composition of a construction material affects its strength. They make several adobe bricks with differing percentages of sand, soil, fibrous material and water. They test the...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Engineering for the Earth
Young students are introduced to the complex systems of the Earth through numerous lessons on its natural resources, processes, weather, climate and landforms. Key earth science topics include rocks, soils and minerals, water and natural...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: A Study of the Process of Sediment Deposition and Particle Sorting
Middle schoolers will investigate the way particles are sorted during deposition using gravel. sand, clay, potting soil, a 2L bottle, and water then form hypotheses as to why sorting occurs in this way.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Environment
Through 10 lessons and more than 20 hands-on activities, students are introduced to the concept of an environment and the many interactions within it. As they learn about natural and human-made environments, as well as renewable and...
Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington: Modeling Liquefaction [Pdf]
This activity allows students to observe a small-scale model of liquefaction, a hazard associated with strong-magnitude earthquakes. The sand, water, and ping pong ball(s) represent the composites of soil: sediment, water, and air,...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Build a Model Dam
Discover the unique engineering properties of a dam by contructing a model dam using popsicle sticks, pebbles and sand.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Mini Landslide
Students explore how different materials (sand, gravel, lava rock) with different water contents on different slopes result in landslides of different severity. They measure the severity by how far the landslide debris extends into model...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Ready to Erupt!
Students observe an in-classroom visual representation of a volcanic eruption. The water-powered volcano demonstration is made in advance, using sand, hoses and a waterballoon, representing the main components of all volcanoes. During...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Erosion
In this investigation, students will use sand to build a mountain and then use a straw and watering can to simulate wind erosion and water erosion. Students will make observations and then propose ways to slow the erosion and/or speed...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: What Trickles Down?
Permeability is the degree to which water or other liquids are able to flow through a material. Different substances such as soil, gravel, sand, and asphalt have varying levels of permeability. In this activity, students will explore...
Environmental Education for Kids
Eek!: Art and Crafts: Edible Aquifer
Groundwater is stored in and moves slowly through layers of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers. To help you visualize groundwater, you will make an aquifer, in this case, an edible one. This will show you how groundwater is stored and...