Learning the rock cycle with Starbursts!

My class recently got a lot tastier, thanks to a hands-on lesson about the rock cycle. We used Starburst candies to explore how the three main types of rocks—sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous—are formed right in the classroom.

The journey of a candy rock...
Our junior geologists started with three different colored Starbursts, which represented the different kinds of sediments that exist in nature.
  1. Sedimentary Rock: First, the students tore their candies into small, colorful shreds to mimic how natural forces like wind and water break down larger rocks into sediment over time. Then, they pressed their "sediments" together tightly, forming distinct layers just like a real sedimentary rock.
  2. Metamorphic Rock: Next, using the heat from their hands and a little extra pressure, the students rolled and squeezed their rocks. The colors began to twist and blend, showing how heat and pressure deep within the Earth can morph one type of rock into another.
  3. Igneous Rock: The final, and most exciting, step involved the microwave. We briefly melted the metamorphic rock in the microwave. The candies bubbled up, transforming into a gooey, molten magma. As the candy cooled and hardened, it became a brand new igneous rock—shiny, bubbly, and completely different from its original form.
Our class learned that the rock cycle is a never-ending journey, and their final igneous rock can one day be weathered down to become sediment again, starting the whole process over. And the best part? They got to eat their experiments!








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