CU 2.05Wind and Water Wear Things Away

1. 1

   Show the damp sand hill. Ask the child to look closely at its shape.

2. 2

   Sprinkle a little water over the top: 'Here comes the rain.' Watch where the water goes.

3. 3

   Sprinkle more. Point to the small channels and the sand piling at the bottom: 'The water carried sand down the hill.'

4. 4

   Name it: 'When water or wind carries away bits of the land, it is called erosion.'

5. 5

   Move to the dry sand tray. Show how to blow gently through the straw, face back, and watch the sand ripple and move.

6. 6

   Invite the child to try both trays.

7. 7

   Show the photographs: 'Water and wind did this, a little at a time, over a very long time.'

What catches the child’s eye

• Tiny rivers cutting into the hill and fanning out at the bottom
• Dry sand rippling into waves when the child blows through the straw

Extensions, easiest to hardest

1. Push a few small rocks into the hill and see whether the water carries them too
2. Plant a patch of grass seed on half the hill, let it grow, and compare which side washes away less
3. Look for small channels in dirt after a real rain
4. Draw the hill before and after the rain