Rock Cycle

Last week we learned about the rock cycle. At first glance the rock cycle looks a bit overwhelming. Breaking down the rock cycle has helped us understand that rocks change over time. We made rock cycle bracelets to help us remember the 3 types of rocks (Sedimentary, Metamorphic & Igneous) and to help us understand how heat, pressure & erosion play into the transformation of rocks. See if we can tell you what each bead represents. (Shiny brown Sedimentary, Orange- Magma/heat transforming rocks, Black- Igneous rock as it cools and hardens, Blue-weather and erosion breaking down into sediments and last but not least... Light brown to represent Metamorphic rocks.) Here is a link to an interactive Rock Cycle that we used on our whiteboard to better understand each part. We also had a chance to explore a variety of different rocks and minerals. 

We brainstormed words to help us describe our collection and learned how geologists categories rocks by different properties. We studied the size, shape, luster, color & hardness of each rock. We learned about the Mohs scale of hardness and found out the diamond is the hardest mineral! We were excited to test out different minerals through a scratch and streak test. I think we may have some future Geologists on our hands!