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Earth’s History

Earth's History

Roadcuts – Windows to the Past

The next time you're traveling with the kids and need to stop for a break, look for a roadcut with a large safe shoulder to walk around. Call attention to the rock layers visible on the surface of the cut, and ask children for their ideas about what caused the layers. Depending on the age of the child, topics of discussion can include:   the type of rocks and how they formed (most formed as sediments…
Cheryl Taylor
March 7, 2016
Earth's HistoryGeology

Dinosaur Tracks

Scientists often have to use indirect evidence to infer information about extinct species. Children (and adults!) often find it hard to understand how a footprint can tell a scientist anything about the animal that made it. Use this "mystery solving" activity to help explain how information can be collected from indirect evidence. You will need to do a little advance preparation for this activity. You'll need some play dough or other soft modeling clay and…
Cheryl Taylor
June 20, 2014
Earth's HistoryGeology

Learning about Earth’s Past through Creative Writing

Most kids love to be creative and make up stories. Use that creativity to research Earth's past. Depending on the age of the child, you might want to first introduce them to the Geologic Time Scale. Here's a good website with some basic information from Britannica Kids. For younger children, you might just help them pick a topic from Earth's past, such as "dinosaurs." Next, help your student narrow down a specific time period (or…
Cheryl Taylor
March 30, 2014