Plate Tectonics and Legos - Science Sundays

Alright, the day I was assigned a 6th grade Earth Science teaching position was admittedly not my favorite day. I LOVE science, but as a kid earth science bored me to tears. Three years later, I have to say it is my favorite thing to teach (and study!)



Making earth science fun for kids isn't hard. Here is one of my favorite lessons, a Transform Boundary in action using Legos and Play-Doh - what kid wouldn't love this?!



Here is what you will need:

1. A Legos Building Plate
2. Long bricks (1x_) any length will do. Mix and match is part of the joy of building with Legos!
3. Flat tiles (1x_)
4. Flat Plates- These should be long and wide. The wil be the base of each side of the plate boundary.
5. Play-doh

Below are some examples of what I used. Please note: I dumped out an old box of old Legos and played a fun game of mix and match. I am sure you could do this by carefully purchasing pieces but, what's the fun in that? :)

Step 1: Building the Plates
Next up, build each side of the earth's crust on either side of the plate boundary. It is best to have two layers of the flat plate Lego pieces for this. You will want a sturdy base. You will also need your 1x_ bricks to act as a track for the sliding plate.

Step 2: Build Your Track
Next, you need to put a track on the building plate. Use the Plates built in the step above to measure where the tracks need to be placed. For the tracks you will need 1x_ bricks and flat tiles. The flat tiles are needed to make the track slide smoothly. You can do this with out them if absolutely needed but the track will get stuck. Make the track slightly longer than your Plates

Step 3: Finishing Up
Lay each Plate side by side. This will allow you to figure out where the tracks need to be placed. The Plates should be right next to each other. This step ensures that there will be no gap between the plates.

All done! Push different colors of Play Dough on top of the Plates and watch the movement!