Looking at Rocks

For this week's hands-on activity from Evan-Moor Everyday Literacy: Science, Tessa simulated the effects of weather on mock rocks. I formed the rocks from a mixture of coffee, coffee grounds, flour and salt ahead of time.

The coffee mixture made pretty convincing rocks. After a full day of basking in the sun, they dried nearly, well, as hard as rocks!

First, Tessa rubbed sandpaper over a rock to simulate wind blowing grains of sand against large rocks.

Tessa rubbed sandpaper over a mock rock.

Next, she placed a rock in a jar of water and shook it to simulate waves crashing against a cliff.

After shaking a rock in a jar of water, Tessa checked for changes.

Finally, Tessa dropped and hit rocks together to see what would happen.

Tessa learned that when large rocks collide, they break into smaller rocks. In time, those smaller rocks turn into sand or soil.

A close-up of one of Tessa's changed rocks.

Tessa and I both greatly enjoyed this experiment. It well-suited her age and cemented in her mind the various ways rocks are changed by natural forces.