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Layers of Earth Project for Kids

It̵7;s easy for children to think the earth is only as deep as what they can see, or stand on. Help them learn about the layers that comprise the earth with a creative and engaging food project. At the end of the project, your children or students will understand that the earth is comprised of a core, mantle and crust.

Six Regions
- Explain that the earth is comprised of six regions or layers. Identify the layers and draw them onto a piece of posterboard or show them a picture of the layers that you find online. Label the layers as crust (0-40 kilometers), upper mantle (40-400 kilometers), transition region (400-650 kilometers), lower mantle (650-2700 kilometers), D̶1; layer (2700-2890 kilometers), outer core (2890-5150 kilometers) and inner core (5150-6378 kilometers).
Layer Composition
- Describe the composition of each layer, explaining the temperature differences between the major layers of the core, mantle and crust. Describe the inner core as a solid magnetic field contained by a molten lava outer core. Explain that minerals like silicon, magnesium and even oxygen are housed in the mantle. Help children understand that the crust is the layer of earth that most people know best because it contains the land and sea bed floors we walk and play on. Help children see that the crust is the smallest layer of earth.
Layers of Food
- Use an engaging food project to help translate what children just learned about the earth̵7;s layers into an entertaining activity. Help the children brainstorm foods that you can use to create a simple model of the earth̵7;s layers. Consider using graham cracker crumbles to make the crust, ice cream or pudding for the inner, mantle layer and hard candy like peppermint, cinnamon or butterscotch discs for the core.
Putting Together the Project
- Give each child a clear plastic cup. Let them fill the bottom of the cup with three or four cinnamon or other hard candy discs. One benefit of using cinnamon discs is that they are ̶0;hot̶1; in terms of flavor and therefore draw a nice parallel to the heat of the earth̵7;s core. Next, give the children pudding or ice cream and let them put a scoop or two of it on top of the candies to create the mantle layer. Make sure that the core and mantle comprise about two thirds of the cup. Give children two or three chocolate or vanilla cream cookies or one graham cracker sheet to crumble up and sprinkle on top of the pudding or ice cream to create the thin, outer crust layer of the earth. As children eat the earth layer project, review the information you presented earlier about the earth̵7;s layers with the children.

Astronomy