Washed Away! Erosion #9 - Resources

Here is a list of most of the resources I used for this unit. Remember that I am still using the other comprehensive geology books and websites mentioned in earlier posts as well.

Books
Weathering and Erosion (Looking at Landscapes) by Clive Gifford
Rivers (Mapping Earthforms) by Catherine Chambers
Canyonlands National Park (A New True Book) by David Petersen
Zion National Park (A New True Book) by David Petersen
Caves and Caverns by Gail Gibbons
Caves by Neil Morris
Planet Earth (Time Life Student Library)
The Legend of the Grand Canyon Retold by Gloria C. Sproul
(America's Top 10) Natural Wonders


Kids Discover Magazines
"The Grand Canyon"
"Glaciers"
"Antarctica"
"North and South Poles"


Videos
"Rocks and Rolls" episode of The Magic School Bus
The Dust Bowl, PBS, by Ken Burns
Ice Age in Utah PowerPoint by Utah Geological Survey

Game
"The Rock Hopping Game"  from Ellen McHenry


Websites
All About the Dust Bowl
Glaciers and Their Importance


Notebooking
The pages for our notebooks were a mixture of handwritten vocabulary, hand-drawn diagrams, and pages where we put pictures of our experiments and wrote about what was going on. We also used pages from the websites above, and from the Kids Discover magazines. Additionally we used worksheets on river systems, river review, and Ice Age/glacial landform flashcards.

Washed Away! Erosion #8 - Field Trip to Wind Cave

Wind Cave in Logan Canyon in northern Utah is a VERY cool place. Well, "cool" as in really neat. The hike itself, once the trail isn't a complete mud wash or still under snow, is a series of switchbacks on a very exposed south-facing mountain, so unless you go really early in the season or the morning, there is nothing "cool" about that part. 

This hike was perfect for our weathering and erosion unit, and not just because the destination was a series of rooms created by water and wind working on limestone. The trail has a perfect view of Logan Canyon, carved by the Logan River, and of the limestone "China Wall" that has been exposed as a result. We saw signs of erosion everywhere, from snow melt runoff-carved gullies to wiped out sections of mountain from rock slides, to damaging man-made erosion where people have worn away vegetation and earth by taking shortcuts instead of following the switchback trail.

I do love this hike, but at the top I get a little crazy. Visions of my kids going over the cliff fill me with anxiety. Should you decide to tackle this adventure, keep in mind that you do not want to do it in the middle of a summer day, no matter when you go you'll need plenty of water, and if you have young or hyper kids you'll want to be very careful when you reach the cave as the rock slopes downward (toward the drop) and there is loose rock and dirt covering that which makes it easy to slip.

Washed Away! Erosion #7 - Field Trip NHMU

Our second field trip for this unit was to the Natural History Museum of Utah. There was a lot there having to do with weathering and erosion, including an up close view of a glacier-carved valley right outside the window.

The kids couldn't get enough of the water erosion table.

We were also all very fascinated with the wind tunnel that continuously whipped sand and formed and reformed sand dunes.

The interactive model of Lake Bonneville over the years was good to see, too, since we always hear and read so much about it in many studies.

There was much more there that we enjoyed, and these were just a few of the geological exhibits to partake of. 

Washed Away! Erosion #6 - Field Trip to Pioneer Park

Weathering and erosion are a continuing shaping force of this planet. It is not hard to find places in which to explore them in action. We have been to numerous places all over the country where we have enjoyed the beauty and variety of landforms and landscapes created by weathering and erosion. For this unit, however, we specifically went to two places new to our family and one place new to the kids, and then we noticed and talked about signs of weathering and erosion at other places we just happened to be.

The first field trip was an exploration of Pioneer Park in St. George, Utah. We loved that no part of it was restricted and that we could climb all over it. 

We could easily see the weathering of sandstone in various stages.

The kids saw their dad atop a rock in the distance and ran down and climbed up to join him.

Can you see the serpent weathered into the rock?

This is a very cool place to visit. We enjoyed it immensely. From a kid's perspective, it just just good, physical fun. From a homeschooling mom's perspective, I loved being able to point out things we'd talked about that they could see up close in real life. So if you're ever in the area...