We can visit you or you can visit us!
We have developed several interactive, hands-on presentations that we can take “on the road”, bringing the Earth Sciences to you! We would be delighted to come to your class or group meeting with our expertise and our fabulous rock, mineral and fossil specimens.
We currently have the following activities available:
- Mineral Identification – investigate physical properties of minerals
- Rock Exploration – investigate rock types and rock formation
- Interpreting Earth History – a relative time activity
- Radioisotopes and Absolute Dating – introducing the element Skittleium!
- Dinosaur Footprints and Trackways
- Geological Mapping – big picture puzzle solving
- Bird Seed Mining – a resource extraction and mining planning game
- Water Resources – where do you get your water?
- Volcanic Hazards – where will we build a resort?
These presentations and accompanying activities are designed for middle and high school levels to fit into one or two 40-minute periods, but have been easily adapted to other grade levels. For example, a modified version of the high school level Mineral ID activity has been presented to Grade 4 students with much success. All activities are designed to be hands-on investigations with a minimum of instruction, giving students the opportunity to explore and discover for themselves. We can also design a presentation for any age group, around other themes as requested.
Educators can arrange to borrow rocks, minerals and fossil specimens. Prepared activity kits can also be borrowed. They are designed to be self-contained, allowing those with sufficient background in Earth Sciences to be able to present them effectively.
Visits to the Earth Sciences Department
We invite high school teachers to bring their class for a half-day visit to the Department of Earth Sciences at Carleton University. Visiting us offers a window into the post-secondary experience in an interdisciplinary field of study, and allows us to explore Earth Science in our own laboratory spaces using our exceptional teaching specimens.
Your students will participate in:
- A first-year level lecture
- A related hands-on activity in one of our teaching laboratories
- A tour of our facilities
*Visit dates and times will be subject to availability of classroom/laboratories and lecture topics will depend on the availability of professors
Elementary classes are also welcome to visit; we can design a custom program for you.
To request a visit please contact
beth [dot] mclartyhalfkennycarleton [dot] ca