Cookies, Pudding, and Plate Tectonics for Children

We combined our afternoon snack, with a lesson in plate tectonics, thanks to an idea from Geography Crafts for Kids: 50 Cool Projects & Activities for Exploring the World by Joe Rahtigan and Heather Smith.

We started by patting out a single batch of sugar cookie dough, into one, large, oval shaped cookie.

We popped it in the oven at 35o degrees Fahrenheit, for about 12 minutes, and I used the time to trace, and cut out rough, paper outlines of the continents.

When, the cookie was baked, and cooled, but still warm, the girls placed the continents onto it...



...to use as a guide to cut the continental plates around, labeling each plate with an edible marker, to make sure they didn't miss any. You can find a nice diagram of the continents, and plates, here, at Enchanted Learning (just page down a bit, after you click).



I trimmed the edges of the cookie, so it would fit into a 9 x13'' pan, full of our chocolate pudding, mantle.



Once in place, the older kids used a spoon to demonstrate how the the plates float, and move on top of the mantle, and we talked about continental drift.

Then, they dished out servings of the cookie plates, and pudding mantle, to their younger siblings...

...who eagerly devoured the lesson.

For more fun with geography, and history check out this week's link up, hosted by Children Grow, Children Explore, Children Learn.

It's great to be a homeschooler.