Optional Activities
Activities for Younger Learners
- Playdough Insects: Use your favorite modeling dough to create insects together. Discuss how many legs (6) and body parts (3) each one should have. Contrast with an arachnid, like a spider, which has 8 legs and 2 body parts.
- Measuring Giant Insects: Show images of Carboniferous insects like the giant dragonfly (Meganeura) with a wingspan of ~2 feet (60 cm). Measure and compare to modern insects like dragonflies or beetles. Have students calculate the ratio of ancient insect size to modern relatives.
- Coal Formation Simulation: Layer leaves/paper and soil in a container to represent swampy forest layers. Press down with a heavy book to simulate compression over time. Talk with your learner about how these layers eventually become coal over millions of years.
- Oxygen Experiment: Inflate balloons to see how much "air" they can hold. Or, light a candle in a jar and see how long it burns. Discuss how oxygen helps living things "breathe" and grow.
- Rock and Coal Observation: Examine coal and fossils with a magnifying glass. Look for plant imprints or patterns. Discuss how these rocks formed from Carboniferous forests and swampy environments.