| Activity | Activity Summary | Subjects | Grade Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
Guide to Accompany the Tour
|
A guide for teachers detailing the entire Discovery Tour at Natural Bridge Caverns. | Science | ALL |
|
Sluice Sorting
|
Students will use their findings from their bags of mining rough to group the rocks based on their properties and characteristics. | Science | K-1 |
|
Bats Need a Cave
|
Students will play a game to simulate how human impact can affect the habitat of bats. | Science & English | K-2 |
|
Sinkhole in a Cup
|
Students will learn how sinkholes form as well as the impact humans can have on the groundwater supply. | Science | K-8 |
|
Clues From the Past
|
Students will simulate the work of archaeologists as they look for artifacts to describe the types of communities that different prehistoric groups lived in. | Social Studies & Archaeology | 2-8 |
|
Moving Rocks
|
Students will physically manipulate clay models to demonstrate changes in the Earth’s crust. | Science | 3-8 |
|
Analyzing Soil Types
|
Students will compare the properties of different soil types including texture, particle size, and the amount of time it takes for water to move through the different soil types. | Science | 4 |
|
Modeling the Rock Cycle
|
Students will use crayons to model the processes that create igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock. | Science | 4-7 |
|
Disappearing Rocks
|
Students will drip vinegar onto rocks to demonstrate the weathering effect of a weak acid on limestone. | Science | 4-8 |
|
Rocks and Minerals
|
Students will observe rock and mineral samples to learn about the basic properties of minerals and the three different types of rocks. | Science | 4-8 |
|
Secret Sink
|
Students will work together as city planners to design a community. They must take into account the needs of community members, businesses, and the environmental impact on the land. | Science & Social Studies | 6-8 |
|
Analyzing Groundwater
|
Students will compare the properties of different soil types including texture and particle size and the amount of time it takes for water to move through the different soil types. Students will relate the filtration rates to pollution and learn about aquifers and the impact humans can have on them. | Science | 7 |
|
Creating a Topographical Map
|
Students will use clay models of a landscape to create a topographical map. | Science | 8 |
|
Cave Age Formation Estimation
|
Students will investigate actual growth rates of two flowstone formations—one from Inner Space Cavern and one from Natural Bridge Caverns. Students will graph differences in growth rates for each formation to explore variations in past climates. They will then estimate the size of each formation using a scaled photograph. Combining the formation’s size and the average growth rate, they will predict the age of the entire formation; such age estimation will provide a better understanding of the dissolution and deposition processes within a karst environment. | Science & Math | 8 & Earth Systems |
