Earth Science
EARTH DAY
Celebrate the planet you live on by giving back!
Looking for ART Ideas to celebrate EARTH DAY?
50 Ways to Earth Day: To celebrate visit Discovery Education's website that includes live events, videos, challenges, Virtual Field Trips, and fun family activities from Discovery Education’s. Explore these resources!
Every April 22, we celebrate Earth Day! earthday.org.
National Arbor Day -
Arbor Day - National Arbor Day is April 28, 2023
Georgia Arbor Day is February 28, 2023
Arbor Day is celebrated on different dates depending on where you live. Check out this website for celebration ideas and to learn when Arbor Day is celebrated in your area - Arbor Day!
Celebrate Arbor Day in a personal way by planting a tree yourself.
Read a book about trees, and learn to identify trees in your yard and neighborhood.
Enjoy the outdoors.
"In 1941, the General Assembly set the third Friday in February as the day of our state Arbor Day. The best time to plant trees in Georgia is November - March, so that the trees have time to get established before the hot summer." Visit the Georgia Tree Council for information about trees."
Trees clean our air and create healthy communities. Plant a tree or visit the Arbor Day Foundation to learn more about trees!
GEORGIA'S STATE TREE IS THE LIVE OAK!
Earth -
The planet we live on is amazing! We live on the 3rd rock (planet) from the sun. Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago. Earth is always changing, and some changes happen fast. An earthquake, lava flow, heavy rainstorm, flood and wind can quickly alter land. Most changes happen slowly over the course of hundreds of millions of years. Did you know that water covers 70% of our planet? Discover this and many other facts on NASA's website for kids!
Geology, meteorology, environmental science, and terrestrial astronomy among other areas of study are ready for you and your child to explore.
Learn about the processes that form earth's surface features including movement in the tectonic plates in the crust, wind and water erosion, and deposition.
What is The Earth Made Of?
The Earth is made of layers. We live on Earth's crust and the mantle is a thick layer of rock just under the crust. The outer core is next and it is a liquid layer, made mostly of iron and nickel. The inner core is at the very center and is solid, and made of iron and nickel.
Create a model of the earth by using your own homemade play dough follow this simple, no-cook play dough recipe.
Water -
Water is essential for life on Earth. Water is made up of two elements, hydrogen and oxygen. It's chemical formula is H2O. Most of Earth's water is in the oceans.
There is the same amount of water on Earth as there was when the Earth was formed. The water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank!
Nearly 97% of the world’s water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves just 1% for all of humanity’s needs — all its agricultural, residential, manufacturing, community, and personal needs.
Water regulates the Earth’s temperature. It also regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, and removes wastes.
75% of the human brain is water and 75% of a living tree is water.
A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
Water is part of a deeply interconnected system. What we pour on the ground ends up in our water, and what we spew into the sky ends up in our water.
The average total home water use for each person in the U.S. is about 50 gallons a day.
The average cost for water supplied to a home in the U.S. is about $2.00 for 1,000 gallons, which equals about 5 gallons for a penny.
Water expands by 9% when it freezes. Frozen water (ice) is lighter than water, which is why ice floats in water.
Water Erosion and Deposition -
Water flowing over Earth's surface or underground causes erosion and deposition. Water flowing over a steeper slope moves faster and causes more erosion. ... When water slows down, it starts depositing sediment.
Land -
We know that land is part of the Earth's surface that is not covered by water. Land covers 29% of the Earth. Most of us live on land and we gather many of our natural resources on land. Land is more than just rock. Did you know that bedrock along the northeast coast of Hudson Bay, Canada, has the oldest rock on Earth 4.28 billion years old! Even older is a mineral deposit of zircon found in Australia that dates to 4.36 billion years old!
Rocks
Igneous - rocks are formed from melted rock deep inside the earth.
Igneous Rocks you may recognize:
Granite, Basalt, Pumice, Obsidian
Sedimentary - rocks are formed from layers of sand, silt, dead plants and animals.
Sedimentary Rocks you may recognize:
Chalk, Sandstone, Banded Iron
Metamorphic - rocks are formed by heat and pressure underground.
Metamorphic Rocks you may recognize:
Slate, Marble, Schist
Weather and Climate -
Weather is more than wind, rain, snow, clouds, hot, cold it also includes rainbows, lightning, and much more! What is it like outside today? Our lives can be affected by the weather.
"The difference between weather and climate is a measure of time. Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere "behaves" over relatively long periods of time."
Meteorology is the science of weather. Visit this awesome site, Weather Wiz Kids to learn more about the weather. You can play games and get answers to many of your questions like, "Why is snow white?". This website also has a lot of great weather experiments that you can do at home and some of them you may have even done in the STEM lab at school!
Weather is caused by the heat from the sun and movement of the air. Try your own weather and water cycle experiment at home - Weather in a Bag!
To learn more about the weather visit What is Weather?
Another great place to get weather information is from NOAA - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
