SCIENCE PROJECT: Fossils & Earth Strata
Our current studies have included fossils and how they are made, as well as the different layers of Earth and the strata formed by different textures of soil. Our project involved adding several differently weighted ground materials to a jar ( we used pebbles, rocks, sand and twigs). We then filled the remaining space in the jar with water. Each child took a turn being the "earthquake" and then we set our jar on a table to settle. We checked the jar one minute later and then another 30 minutes later. The longer the jar sits and settles, the clearer the water becomes and the layers of soil are more easily defined. It has been a few weeks since we did this project, the water is now pretty much back to it's "pre-earthquake(s)" state.Through this project, we were able to observe the effects of the Deluge on the Earth's surface. We could see how different objects were covered quickly enough under the moving sludge to be fossilized.
We must resist the urge to shake the jar again :)