Lesson 2 of 13 · Earth Systems
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌋 Rock RealmPhysical and Chemical Weathering
Earth Systems.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
The slowest changes are the biggest ones.
Mind = Blown
🪨 Every grain of sand on every beach used to be a mountain.
Make a hypothesis first
Predict: which will erode faster?
What You'll Learn
Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces through physical processes (like freezing water expanding in cracks) and chemical processes (like acid rain dissolving limestone).
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- rocks
- water
- plastic tray
Safety First
- Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards and keep the material away from your face.
- Mop up spills straight away so nobody slips, and keep liquids away from sockets.
Steps
Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.
Model erosion: tilt a tray of soil and pour water from a cup at the top. Observe how channels form. Try adding plants or rocks to slow the erosion.
Draw a detailed diagram of what you observe.
Write a conclusion: what did your results show? Did they match your prediction?
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What causes weathering?
Where you see this in real life
This is shaping the ground you walk on, slowly, every single day.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find a rock outside and try to guess how old it is.
For the dinner table
“What's the slowest change you can think of?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Ready?
Physical and Chemical Weathering
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
Full screen — no distractions
Checkout complete lesson on Earth Systems for 4th Grade
Get the full Earth Systems track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.
