Don't leave those kids inside...

"No Child Left Inside" is the theme of this year's Earth Science Week, October 12-18. Our geology club is going to work with the after-school program at a local elementary school to do something on Friday, October 17 (the 19th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake!). On Fridays, the local schools let kids out at 1:30 pm, and parents usually don't get home early, so lots of kids stay at Kid Kamp. Seems like a perfect fit for a rock scavenger hunt. (Or maybe we'll bring the shaking tables down and let the elementary kids build houses of sugar cubes, then knock them down.) The classroom activities here include some fun-sounding ideas. And there are lots of activities at Earth Learning Ideas, too (and on their blog, as well).

And to keep the earth sciences in the classroom during other weeks of the year, as well, Maria has picked out lots of great projects to be funded by the Donors Choose organization.

So let's get those kids dirty.