Lesson 28 of 84 · Earth's History
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌋 Rock RealmDeserts: Land of Extremes
Earth's History.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
Weather isn't random — it's just complicated.
Mind = Blown
🌋 There are 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth right now.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you observe: what shape will it leave?
What You'll Learn
Deserts receive less than 25 centimeters of rain per year. Hot deserts have extreme daytime temperatures, while cold deserts like Antarctica are dry but freezing.
Key Words
- climate
- precipitation
- water cycle
Materials Needed
- cups
- thermometer
- rain gauge
- cotton balls
- food coloring
Safety First
- Adult supervision recommended.
Steps
Read the introduction and identify the main idea of this lesson.
Build a working model of a volcano using baking soda and vinegar. Observe the eruption and explain what causes real volcanic eruptions.
Note any unexpected results and think about why they happened.
Share your findings with the class or a partner and discuss what you learned.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is a watershed?
Where you see this in real life
Today's weather, tomorrow's beach, next century's coastline — all this.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Look at the sky for 5 minutes and try to predict tomorrow's weather.
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.
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