Earth Science: Timeline of Earth Activity

For those of you who know much about Montessori, you’ll recognize “The Black Strip.” This is an impressionistic activity that is meant to impress kids with the enormity of time on Earth.  Our version was the purple ribbon strip — and it is only 21 feet (as my ribbon ream was 7 yards!).  But it still shows how very little time we humans have been on Earth relatively speaking.  I’m showing you a picture of our long ribbon (that includes all of “human history” in a mere 1/2 inch)…

Before we started, I asked the kids if they knew how tall I am (I’m about 5’5).  “Well,” I said… “Every time we roll out five feet a BILLION years have passed.  Are you ready?” As DD unrolled it I’d have her pause every five feet or so and say dramatically, “Earth has been around a billion years. Do you think human history will start soon?”   A bit later… “Now?”  Then ED took over and continued unrolling the strip… I really tried to make it as dramatic as possible.  And finally when we came to the teensey white strip of human history I let the dramatics truly flow: “Whoa!! Do you see all of history?  It’s just THIS long?  How long is that… What do you think LD… is that even a half an inch?!! And this strip is 21 feet long! Whoa!”  You get the idea… I was as dramatic as possible.  But even without that, I think the kids would truly have been impressed!

We did this activity the same day as we talked about the layers of the Earth.  I’ll share that with you tomorrow!

Be sure to check out our 150+ page Earth Science Packet!!

This packet includes all of our Earth Science activities from the geologic time to the layers of the Earth,  plate movement, earthquakes, the ring of fire, volcanoes and much more!

Earth Science Packet

Layers of the Atmosphere Packet 

You will find this packet and more in our Store!

You might also be interested in these related posts:

• Learning about the Solar System – Including the hands-on kit the kids loved assembling and painting.
• Earth Science: Timeline of Earth Activity – A Montessori activity that is meant to impress kids with the enormity of time on Earth.
• Earth Science: Layers of the Earth hands-on Activity
• Earth’s Geologic Timeline – How scientists divide Earth’s history into eons and eras
• Learning about Latitude and Longitude, Using a Compass
• Earth Science: Plate Movement Hands-On Activities
• Earth Science: Layers of the Atmosphere
• Earth Science Packet: Layers of the Atmosphere
• Earth Science: Layers of the Earth Hands-On Activity
• Earth Science: Plate Movements, Pangea
• Plate Movement and Earthquakes
• Earth Science: Plate Movements and Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Mountain Making
• Earth Science: How Fold Mountains are Formed
• Topographic Maps
• World Biomes Pin Map
• Preschool Geography and More Preschool Geography Activities

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Happy Homeschooling!

~Liesl