💎🌋⚒️ Geology
I hope you enjoy the Geology Lesson Plan! Here is a quick overview:
What is Geology? - Guided Writing Book
PlayDoh Rock Cycle and Layers of the Earth
Birthstone Syllables
Measuring Minerals - Weights and Measurements
Build an Erupting Volcano
Grow Glowing Crystals
Famous Rock Formations
The Grand Canyon
Gemstone Dig - Sensory Play
The Floor is Lava
And more...
Achieve mastery before having your child move on to the next ELA or Math focus.
Don’t feel like you need to do everything, pick and choose the best activities for your student(s).
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Enjoy! Tiff
💎🌋🌎 Geology
What is Geology?
Answer the question..."What is Geology?" with this simple lesson plan. Learn about what a geologist does, the four layers of the Earth, the three types of rocks and the Rock Cycle. Perfect for kids that are curious about our world and what it is made of!
Be A Rock Detective
By: SciShow Kids
Learn how to become a rock detective and be able to identify the three types of rocks: Metamorphic, Sedimentary and Igneous. Learn about how each type of rock is formed and what clues to look for when identifying rocks.
PlayDoh Rock Cycle
When we got the the rocks section of the lesson plan, we used PlayDoh again to explain the different types of rocks. First, we rolled different colored balls of PlayDoh to represent Igneous Rocks, Then we used a grater to make sediment from the Igneous Rocks. Next, we applied pressure to the pieces of sediment to create a Sedimentary Rock. Finally we layered pieces of Igneous Rock and Sedimentary Rock and applied pressure to create a Metamorphic Rock. We had a ton of fun with this one.
Supplies: PlayDoh, grater, What is Geology? Printable
Types of Rocks
This is an incredible resource and although it’s a bit advanced for my girls, they love these cards. This free set includes 12 examples for each type of rock (Metamorphic, Sedimentary and Igneous) and 12 minerals for a total of 48 rock/mineral image cards plus description cards to match. I really like that they include actual images of the rocks, not drawings.
I took the time to laminate the whole set so we can continue to use them as my girls get older. They loved learning the facts about each rock and matching them to the rocks we have. My girls are fascinated by Geology!
Need some rocks? Check Out: Igneous Rocks, Sedimentary Rocks, Metamorphic Rocks, Minerals
English Language Arts - Syllables
Birthstone Syllables
These Birthstone Syllable cards were the perfect way to teach my 5 year old the names of the different birthstones. I read her the name of each birthstone and she clapped out the syllables and then placed a stone on the correct answer. You can also use these cards to practice ordering the months of the year.
Reading Lessons
There are only two resources I like to make sure I include on each week’s lesson plan, Prodigies Music (below) and Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons. This book has thousands of 5 star reviews on Amazon for a reason. It’s an effective, no-prep way to teach reading. We are 70 or so lessons in the results have been amazing, my daughter can pretty much read anything. Still working on trying not to skip words and sounding out instead of guessing, but it’s been very effective.
The lessons are short (15-20min), easy to grasp and sequential. The entire lesson is scripted and color coded so it’s fool proof, just read the words in pink. It also is designed for kids that don’t know their alphabet or letter sounds yet, so you can start right away. My two year old was able to complete lesson 1 (excluding the sound writing) after repeating it about 10 times. We are now on lesson two. Their claim is that after completing all 100 lessons your child will be able to read at a 2nd grade level!
Math - Weight and Measurement
Measuring Minerals
Learn about weight and length by measuring minerals. Use a ruler to measure the length of each mineral and line them up from smallest to longest.
Then see which minerals weigh the most by placing them in a scale. We used our balancing scale, but you could use a kitchen scale for a more accurate weight.
Supplies: balancing scale, ruler, minerals, kitchen scale
My Measurement and Data Book
This mini book is a great introduction to measurement and data. It defines the concepts of width, length, height, weight, capacity and categories.
On each page your students will practice reading, handwriting and will color in the pictures.
Art and Music
How To Draw A Volcano
By: Art For Kids Hub
It’s easy to draw your very own volcano with Art For Kids Hub. Just follow along step-by-step, line-by-line to create this awesome volcano landscape drawing. Then we used oil pastels to color it in to make the lava look more shiny and realistic.
Prodigies Music
Do…Re…Mi…
We love Prodigies! Prodigies Music is simply an incredible curriculum for teaching music. Ages 2-5 is the critical time to develop a life-long sense of pitch. Their curriculum is designed to develop a sense of pitch with easy to use desk bells that don’t require any tuning. They also teach piano, recorder and ukulele. Their subscription includes everything you can think of 450+ videos, worksheets, free bell mats, sheet music all color coded so it’s super easy to learn. If you don’t have an instrument they have a bunch of rhythm focused content that doesn’t require an instrument. They even have a free bell app that I use with my toddler when my oldest is practicing.
They have a free trial and discounts for annual memberships! Great deal! You can even check out some of their videos for free on YouTube.
Science - Earth Science
PlayDoh Layers of the Earth
We had so much fun pairing this week’s lesson plan with some PlayDoh. It was an excellent way to illustrate some pretty complex concepts.
First, we read about the four layers of the Earth. Then we rolled a yellow ball for the inner core, a flat red circle for the outer core, a flat orange circle for the mantle and a thin flat brown circle for the crust. We added each layer around the core and rolled it gently to keep a round shape. Then we added a final layer of blue and cut out some green continents. My daughter was so excited to cut it open and see all the layers!!!
Supplies: PlayDoh, plastic knife, What is Geology? Printable
Structure of the Earth
Join Dr. Bionics as he takes you on a journey to the center of the earth. Learn about the structure of the earth and the different layers that make up the planet we call home.
Build an Erupting Volcano
When it came time for Geology week, of course the top request was…build a volcano! My girls love the fizzy baking soda + vinegar reaction and literally can’t get enough of these experiments.
I considered making the classic paper mache volcano, but I opted for a salt dough version by Little Bins For Little Hands and I was very happy with the results. The dough was super easy to make and my girls loved playing with it. We shaped it around our water bottle, then let it dry for 24 hours.
Then we painted the dough and let it dry again. Finally, we were ready for our eruption. We added baking soda, a few drops of food coloring and a drop of dish soap (to make it bubble). Then we added a vinegar and…woo hoo…a fizzy eruption!
Salt Dough: 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup warm mater (mix)
Set-up: small water bottle, quarter baking sheet, dinosaur figurines
Eruption: baking soda, food coloring, white vinegar
Grow Glowing Crystals
We love growing crystals at home. It’s low prep and they are fascinated by how much the crystals grow. Typically we use borax and make our own crystal solution, but this time we were gifted this awesome set that includes an LED light display. They got pretty big, took about a week to fill the cup. Then we just took them out of the cups and set-up the light display. Makes a great night light!
If you don’t want to spend money on a set, just get some borax and grow your own on pipe cleaners. The crystals grow well on most rough surfaces.
Social Studies
The Grand Canyon
Take a visit to the Grand Canyon with this awesome video by SciShow Kids and this Caldecott Medal winning book by Jason Chin ! Learn all about one of the seven natural wonders in the world, how it was formed, and the types of rocks you can find there.
Famous Rock Formations Continent Matching
We loved these Famous Rock Formation Cards by the Pinay Homeschooler and had a ton of fun trying to guess which continent each rock formation is on. We used our globe or atlas to help us find each rock formation. For older kids you could even cut off the name and have them match the name to the image.
Sensory Play
Gemstone Dig
Pretend you are a geologist on a gemstone dig with this fun low-prep sensory bin. Practice digging up and cleaning the gemstones. Then, see if you can identify the different gemstones!
My daughter got this awesome National Geographic Gemstone Kit where you have to dig out the stones. She spent hours digging out her gemstones. Now to re-create the fun, we just added some kinetic sand and wooden tools.
Filler: Kinetic Sand
Supplies: National Geographic Mega Gemstone Dig Kit, Wooden Scoops, Volcano, Bamboo Tongs.
Physical Education
Go On A Rock Hunt
Get outside and go collect rocks! We went to our local river and collected as many different rocks as we could find. Loved seeing my girls explore nature and be truly wild and free.
The Floor is Lava
By: The Kiboomers
Oh no! The floor is lava! Jump up on the couch, a chair, the counter…but whatever you do, don’t touch the floor!
I like to set up a mini obstacle course when we play this game. We use furniture, a balance board, stepping stones, whatever we have to create a pathway across the room.
Don’t have the budget or space to get more books? The library has been pretty great for us so far, but they are sometimes out of the more popular books. One place that you can always count on to find great books is Epic Books! Try Epic Basic for FREE! You can find awesome read to me books for free, Unlimited plan includes access to 40,000+ books!
Know of any other awesome Geology themed resources? Please comment below!
Do you know anyone else that would enjoy these free lesson plans? Get them on the list!
