Weathering & ErosionActivity for Kids

Erosion Model DIY

Duration: 15-45 min
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: $0 to $5

Make a model of weathering, erosion, and deposition using a stream.

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Material List

1Bag of sand
1Pen or pencil
1Cup of small rocks
1Large bottle of water
1Baking tray (or similar sized container)

Instructions

1In one half of the tray make a landmass with the sand (must be sloped downward).
2Lightly drag a pen or pencil through the sand in an “S” shape to create a riverbed.
3Place stones along the riverbed.
4Slowly pour water where the riverbed starts.

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How It Works

When weathering breaks down the Earth's surface it forms small pieces of dirt, sand, and small rocks. All of this material can get moved through erosion - this happened in the model when flowing water in the riverbed moved some of the material down the hill. Eventually, these pieces ended up somewhere else. The process of the material being deposited at the bottom of the hill is called deposition.