Earth Science Week: photo, essay, and art contests for all

Thanks to Silver Fox and Geology Joe for reminding me that Earth Science Week starts today. The theme is "No Child Left Inside," so the best way to celebrate would be to take a kid outside (or to donate to one of the classrooms from Maria's Donors Choose challenge). But there are other possibilities, as well.

For kids, there are two contests:

For US kids in kindergarten* - fifth grade, there's an art contest. The kids need to create some kind of visual art work portraying themselves as scientists studying the Earth.

For US kids in sixth - ninth grade, there's an essay contest on "Earth Connections." Contestants should submit an essay about how Earth's natural processes are connected to one another in the place where they live.

And grown-ups can play, too. (That is, if they haven't broken their cameras.)

United States residents of all ages can submit photos to the contest on "Earth Science Beyond Your Front Door". And no matter where in the world you live, you can submit photos for the contest on "Exploring Earth Science Around the World". From skimming the contest descriptions, I think the focus is on people exploring the Earth, rather than on the Earth alone.

The deadline for all the contests is Friday, October 17. (That would be nineteen years after the Loma Prieta earthquake, if you're counting.) Check the official Earth Science Week web page for the details about all of the contests.

*I tried to get my son to draw a picture for this contest. (He's been drawing some wonderful volcanoes lately in his school writing notebook.) Today, however, he said he only wanted to draw a picture of himself as a football player.