Optional Activities
Balloon-Print Art
Goal: Show how Earth has changed from a molten planet to the life-filled world we live on today, using balloon-print techniques to represent each phase.

• Molten Earth (Just after formation – ~4.5 billion years ago): Colors: Reds, oranges, black. Notes: Hot, fiery surface with constant volcanic activity.
• Cooling Crust: Colors: Dark brown, gray, black with hints of red. Notes: First crust forming, still unstable and broken.
• Water World: Colors: Deep blues and lighter grays. Notes: Oceans form from atmospheric condensation; mostly water-covered.
• Early Atmosphere & First Life: Colors: Blue with green and white streaks. Notes: Cyanobacteria begin photosynthesizing, adding oxygen.
• Modern Earth: Colors: Blue, green, white, and brown. Notes: Continents, weather patterns, life, our planet as we know it.

Earth's Layers and Density
When Earth was young and melted, denser materials sank to the center, and lighter materials floated to the top, just like in this experiment! Use a clear glass or jar and layer various things to see them layer. Start with a layer of corn syrup or honey as your core. At water to it for your mantle. Last add the vegetable oil for the crust. Optionally, you can attempt to drop in small solid objects and see which level they sink to.

NASA’s Make a Fan With Earth’s Layers: This is a fun activity from NASA.