Earth Science Projects, Lesson Plans and Experiments

Beach Ball Toss

"To give the students a sense of the proportions of the earth that are land and water, we toss a beach ball that's decorated as the globe. These are available inexpensively. As they catch the ball, they must report whether their hands land on earth or on water. I keep track of it on the board. After every child has a turn, we tally up the results. Surprisingly, this works successfully. As an extension, the student can call out the name of the continent on which their hand lands."
Submitted by: Carol Berlin c.berlin@email-removed , a third grade teacher at Charlotte A. Dunning School in Framingham, Massachusetts. This tip was published in the NEA's Weekly Tip Newsletter.