07 Nov Rocks Rock – STEM Day
Wild Things and BFG class decided to end the Autumn half term with a bang by holding a whole day STEM investigation into rocks. The children were divided into 3 mixed age groups and moved around 3 different activities.
Activity 1: Rock permeability
The children used pipettes and trays of water to investigate how permeable different rocks were. They decided how to make the tests fair and how to record their results. They then used this information to discuss which rocks would be better for a variety of uses such as roofing materials, building steps etc
Activity 2: Chocolate rocks!
The children were given layers of milk and white chocolate shavings and used these to create their own rocks.
Rock 1 – sedimentary rocks were made by pressure, squashing the chocolate layers (sediment) into a loose, crumbly rock.
Rock 2 – Metamorphic rock was made by taking 2/3 of the sedimentary rocks and changing it by adding heat and pressure with their hands.
Rock 3 – Igneous rock was made by putting 1/3 of the rock into a cup of hot water and melting the layers of chocolate together.
We then ate them!
Activity 3: Properties of rocks
Activity 3 was when children were able to pit their strength against the rocks testing them for properties such as the scratch test, floating/sinking, the split test (hammer and goggles!) and anything else the children decided to investigate.
It was a great day and we are now rock experts!
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