EARTH’S STRUCTURE

Title & Description	Activity	More Ideas and Video
Bouncing, bending, breaking (ELI+) Modelling the properties of the Earth’s mantle	Bouncing, bending, breaking	Teaching video
Boring chocolate! What can boreholes tell us about the Earth?	Boreholes
Core activity (ELI+) Piecing together evidence for the composition of the Earth’s core	Core activity
From an orange to the whole Earth Using an orange to model different densities of the Earth’s layers	From an orange to the whole Earth	Teaching video Video (Portuguese)
From clay balls to the structure of the Earth (ELI+) A discussion of how physics can be used to probe Earth’s structure	From clay balls to the structure of the Earth	Teaching video Extension
Journey to the centre of the Earth - on a toilet roll Just how thin is the crust we live on?	Journey to centre of Earth	Teaching video
Shadowlands Simulating the effect of the Earth’s core on earthquake waves	Effect of Earth’s core on earthquake waves

ENGINEERING & INDUSTRIAL GEOLOGY

Title & Description	Activity	More Ideas and Video
Fracking: Recipe for the perfect fracking fluid Make your own fluid to fracture hydraulically (frack) methane-bearing shale	Fracking fluid recipe
Make a mini lime kiln and discover limelight Investigating the results of heating limestone	Make a mini lime kiln; discover limelight
Make and use your own Plaster of Paris Investigate a large-scale industrial process in a boiling tube	Make and use your own Plaster of Paris
Smelter on a stick (ELI+) Smelting iron ore to iron on a gas burner	Iron ore smelting
Testing rocks 1 - bouncing back Testing the strength of rocks	Rock strength - bouncing back
Testing rocks 2 - ‘Splat!’ A simple way of testing the plasticity of clay	Plasticity of clay - Splat!
Testing rocks 3 - that shrinking feeling Investigating shrinkage in clay as it dries out	Shrinking clay
What is it made of? Relate each mineral or rock to the everyday object containing it.	What is it made of?

FORENSIC GEOSCIENCE

Title & Description	Activity	More Ideas and Video
Innocent until proven guilty (ELI+) Using forensic geoscience to solve the crime	Forensic geoscience

MINERALS / ELEMENTS

Title & Description	Activity	More Ideas and Video
‘An Element of fun” An entertaining way to teach Mendeleev’s Periodic Table of elements	Teaching the Periodic Table
Calcium carbonate question - ‘I’m pure calcium carbonate’ A discussion focussed on common misconceptions about calcium carbonate	Calcium carbonate misconceptions
‘Crystallisation’ in a pudding dish Simulating the formation and growth of crystal lattices	‘Crystallisation’ in a pudding dish	Teaching video
Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 1 Lithium An element which is pulling more than its weight in the world	Essential minerals - Lithium
Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 2 Copper An element for which the demand is increasing rapidly	Essential minerals - Copper
Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 3 Rare Earth Elements Vital components in modern technology	Essential minerals - Rare Earth Elements
Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 4 Graphite From a pencil to the electric car!	Essential minerals - Graphite
Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 5 Cobalt Mined by children	Essential minerals - Cobalt
Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 6 “The Three Ts” Tin, Tungsten and Tantalum	Essential minerals - Tin, Tungsten, Tantalum
Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 7 Gold An essential mineral - or is it?	Essential minerals - Gold
Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 8 Critical Minerals Essential mineral - critical mineral: what is the difference?	Essential minerals - Critical minerals
Eureka! - detecting ore the Archimedes way Measuring density using a stick, string, a ruler, a bucket and a bottle of water	Eureka! - detecting ore the Archimedes way
Gold prospectors Panning for ‘gold’ in river sediment	Gold panning	Teaching video
Identifying minerals - use your sense(s)! Minerals in the dark: identifying minerals when the lights fail	Identifying minerals
Jigging Using density to separate different materials	Jigging	Teaching video
Mineral expert 1 Beginning to identify minerals - introducing colour, habit, lustre, cleavage	Mineral expert 1	Teaching video
Mineral expert 2 Identifying minerals using ‘action’ tests - streak, density, hardness, acid test	Mineral expert 2	Teaching video
Mineral expert 3 (ELI+) The mineral foundations of everyday life	Mineral expert 3
Mineral expert 4 - Recycle your mobile phone Why should I recycle my mobile (cell) phone?	Mineral expert 4
Mineral or not? Discussion about what is a mineral and what is not	Mineral or not?
Picturing Minerals-1 Visualise and draw minerals from a verbal description	Picturing Minerals-1
Picturing Minerals-2 Visualise and draw minerals from a verbal description	Picturing Minerals-2
Rocks to eat? How we get the elements we need to stay healthy	Rocks to eat?
Salt of the Earth Who can make the biggest salt crystal?	Salt of the Earth	Extension
What am I made of? (ELI+) A comparison between the chemistry of the human body and the rest of the Earth	What am I made of?

SOILS

Title & Description	Activity	More Ideas and Video
Darwin’s ‘big soil idea’ Can you work out how Charles Darwin ‘disovered’ how soil formed?	Darwin’s ‘big soil idea’	Video
Is there life in this soil sample? Questions to consolidate pupil understanding of soil-formation	Life in soil?
Make your own soil Investigating the type and origin of the ingredients of soil	Make your own soil	Teaching video
Soil doughnuts Sorting out soils	Soil doughnuts	Teaching video
Soil layers puzzle Make your own soil profile and investigate others	Soil layers puzzle
Soil water shake test Investigate the components of soil	Soil water shake test	Teaching video
Permeability of soil - ‘The great soil race’ Investigating the properties of different soils by pouring water on them	Permeability of soils	Teaching video Extension from Sri Lanka
Where on Earth is no soil found? A ‘deep question’ discussion about soil-formation	Where on Earth is no foil found?
Why does soil get washed away? Investigating why some farmers lose their soil through erosion whilst others do not	Why does soil get washed away?	Teaching video

ROCKS

Title & Description	Activity	More Ideas and Video
Building Stones 1 - a resource for several ELI activities Use a key to identify many different attractive-looking rocks	Building stones (6.6MB)	Teaching video
Building Stones 2 - Igneous rocks What are the differences between igneous rocks commonly used as building stones?	Igneous building stones
Building Stones 3 - Sedimentary rocks How do the sedimentary rocks used for building stones differ?	Sedimentary building stones
Building Stones 4 - Metamorphic rocks What are the differences between metamorphic rocks commonly used as building stones?	Metamorphic building stones	Video (16+)
Does my rock hold water and will water flow through it? Investigating the differences between porosity and permeability	Porosity-permeability	Teaching Video Teaching video (ages 7 to 11 years)
Geological postcards 1 - granite and chalk Picture postcard puzzles	Postcards - granite and chalk	Teaching Video ‘Global’ postcards - granite and chalk
Geological postcards 2 - sandstone and limestone Picture postcard puzzles	Postcards - sandstone and limestone	Teaching Video ‘Global’ postcards - sandstone, limestone
Make your own rock Investigating how loose sediment may be stuck together to form a ‘rock’	Make your own rock	Teaching video Extension
Modelling for rocks: what’s hidden inside - and why? Investigating the permeability of rocks and how they let water, oil and gas flow through	Modelling for rocks	Teaching Video Extension
Picturing igneous rocks - 1 Visualise and draw igneous rocks from a verbal description	Picturing igneous rocks 1
Picturing igneous rocks - 2 Visualise and draw igneous rocks from a verbal description	Picturing igneous rocks 2
Picturing metamorphic rocks Visualise and draw metamorphic rocks from a verbal description	Picturing metamorphic rocks
Roadstone - which rock? Investigating the best rock type for the wearing course of roads	Roadstone - which rock?
Rock around your school Investigating the building materials around your school and in your area	Rock around school	Teaching Video Teaching video (ages 5 to 9)
Rock detective - rocky clues to the past Investigating your local rocks to find out how they formed	Rock detective	Teaching Video Teaching video (ages 7 to 11 years)
Rocks from the big screen Indoor preparation for outdoor field work, using a picture and specimens	Rocks from the big screen
Rock grain cut out How can you tell which grains come from which rock?	Rock grain cut out
Rock is a time capsule – a message from the past Bringing to life the extraordinary stories of ordinary rocks	Rock is a time capsule
‘Rockery 1’ - rock game Model different characteristics of rocks - with your pupils	Rock game
‘Rockery 2’ - rock cycle game Model the stages of the rock cycle - with your pupils	Rock cycle game	Rock cycle song
Rocky play-park; design your own Telling the stories of rocks for everyone	Rocky play-park
Space within - the porosity of rocks Investigating the amount of pore space between the ‘grains’ of a model ‘rock’	Space within - the porosity of rocks	Extension
What was it like to be there - in the rocky world? Bringing the formation of solid rock to life - by imagining yourself there when it formed	What was it like to be there	Teaching video Extension
Will my gravestone last? Testing scientific ideas in a graveyard	Gravestones	Teaching videos