Plates and playdough

Geology is a favorite topic in our classroom, and in the last few weeks, we've been digging in!

We learned about the layers of the earth and studied soil sediments under microscopes and tested their varying abilities to retain water.  We performed a series of tests to identify mystery minerals.  This week, we've been exploring changes to the earth's surface caused by plate tectonics.

First, we used graham crackers and (heavily) colored frosting to model the action of the earth's plates and the soft asthenosphere on which they float.  














The children experimented with divergent plates, slowly pushing the plates away from each other to create underwater rifts or mountain ranges.

Next, the children experimented with convergent plates, pushing the plates toward each other so that either one plate slips under the other (creating volcanoes) or the plates crash into each other creating a mountain range as in the photo below.  (The trick for this model is to moisten the edges of the graham crackers).

Finally, children modeled the cause of earthquakes at transform fault lines, where plates rub back and forth against each other.

To enhance this lesson, I was thrilled to discover (at the CAST conference last weekend) a Pangea cookie cutter and mat developed in Texas Christian University's Idea Factory by students from the College of Science & Engineering.  What an incredible hands-on way to explore continental drift!  Everyone needs a Pangaea cookie cutter!  Don't you think?

 This (making play dough late at night) is why I have a bag of old flour in my freezer labeled "For Science."

Note: Graham cracker activity based on activities from Geology Rocks by Cindy Blobaum