Children love to play in the dirt in geology science projects gives them this chance. Essentially, geology science allows children of all ages, to do just that, play in the dirt. It gives them an excuse to get their hands dirty and to play and think about rocks and dirt and plants and water and their relationship to each other. Possibly, geologist fascination to the older folks relates back to their childhood when life was freer and they were free to think and to wonder why nature was so fabulous. Maybe a nearby stream deposited many colored rocks where they could play to their hearts content.
For inquisitive students who are interested in outside playthings as opposed to seeing pictures of these earth phenomena on television or on the computer, the whole earth is their playground. They often need look no further than outside their back door. Of course, they, as well as all those learning about geology for the first time, will need to get online home for information on their discoveries. What a wonderful time it is to learn. To ask these questions and to have the means of finding the answers at one’s fingertips.
My online search for more information took me first to Eric (Educational Resources Information Center). This site is basically an educational portal. It is useful in that it lists what is available for the elementary students their teachers in the field of geology. The site authors offer suggestions on where to find what they list. The Geology Science Fair Projects site lists where and what school certain science projects, including geology science projects, are taking place, or took place.
PROJECTS:
Soil comparison where students learn how porous the soil is. They learn about how much water a certain portion of soil will hold depending on the size of the spaces between the soil particles. In other words they will learn of the density of the soil.
Erosion is another geological concern that is easily understood by elementary students. They will see the furrows and the folds and the sparseness of the earth in certain areas and will learn that unless protected by barriers such as trees and rocks, top soils will wash away. From small rivulets of water, over time, large ravines are formed and they will understand how time and the weather have brought this about.
Fossils are other geological finds that will fascinate these young students. A project that allows children to assemble one sounds quite interesting. Imagine how much fun it would be to take small finds such as leaf skeletons and incorporate them with small conch shells and some sand and and a little pebble and bits and pieces of this and that and then glue it all together.
Another site that offers much promise of help to students who need some help in designing their own geological science projects but who will like to control all aspects of it can be found at Home Training tools. (http://www.home-training tools.com/articles/science-fair-project-ideas.html)
The student, probably a fifth, sixth or seventh, or eight grader, will decide on a project, will develop his questions he will want answered about his project, and will search out this site for further help. They encourage the student to use the scientific method of experimenting. The instructions are downloaded in a PDF format. They offer only suggestions and the enterprising student is allowed free reign in developing his ideas.
