By Merre Bacot
WINNEMUCCA - If Nevada Outdoor School (NOS) renamed months in honor of educational programming, December would be "Rocktober."
This month, students get the opportunity to dig into earth science. Kindergarten students explored many different rocks and created a unique rock craft. First graders channeled Jules Verne, for a journey to the center of the earth and learned about the planet's different layers.
Second-grade students described characteristics of a rock they found outside, then they add all the rocks into a huge pile and were challenged to find their own and then a classmates using only their drawings and written descriptions. This highlighted why accuracy and detail are important in any scientific endeavor.
Third-grade students learned about erosion through building their own mountains and seeing how various forms of weathering have shaped the environment.
The fourth-grade lesson began with differentiating between rocks and minerals, then further investigated mineral structure and how they form. The lesson concludes with students anxious to grow a salt crystal garden.
In addition to the rocks and minerals programming this month, NOS also offered chemistry and physics lessons for some of the older students.
Fifth graders explored atomic charges and structure by experimenting with static electricity using balloons and other materials; they even light a bulb!
Through experimenting with various separation techniques, sixth-grade students discussed how water can become polluted and the many ways it can be cleaned.
NOS would like to thank Barrick Gold Corporation - Turquoise Ridge for their continued support of outdoor education in northern Nevada.
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