Creating CratersDuring our unit on space we talked a lot about creating craters and how they were formed.
As the culminating activity I had the children create craters in pairs. All you need is some sand, marbles, small containers to hold the sand and a water spray bottle. Have the children spray the sand 3 – 5 times. We found that if the sand was a little more damp – it worked better. Then have them drop the marbles from different heights to create a crater effect. We used two different sized marbles to create different size craters. I think that they dropped the marbles for about 5 minutes.
At the end of that time they had amazing Moon surfaces to observe. They used hand lenses to really get in and see what was going on! Next year after they are finished I was thinking that I might make a plaster cast of one of them to have around in class as a model. Do you have something to say? Please write a testimonal today! I'd love to hear from you. Wanting more ideas? Sign up for my free teaching newsletter and get ideas sent right to your email box. New teacher? Struggling teacher? Download my free eBook that's packed with ideas, tips and tricks to get you through a rough year. Have questions? Contact me about creating craters in your classroom. Just need more ideas for your classroom, try Sites for Teachers. They have great ideas! New! Comments |
