Chip mining ~ Geology at it's yummiest ~

Well today, I am blogging on the geology exercise we did. We actually did it the same day we did the gushy diaper crystals, but I wanted to drag it out so my blogs would be more fulfilling ~ ;-D ~ (I feel so fulfilled!)

All right, enough levity. This school stuff is SERIOUS BUSINESS! Well, ok, so it's not THAT serious, it's also fun ~ but GB ~ this is sorta just for you ~ We honestly did learn pertinent info to each child's grade specs ~ ;-D ~ but honestly, I am not a serious blogger, you know that. Well heck, ANYone who reads this blog knows that. I don't mind teaching it to the kids, but I just really don't want to recant it all on my blog ~ this is MY playground ~ ;-D

So, all that serious shhhhh-tufff aside ~ this is what we did for our intro to geology ~

Enter chocolate chip cookie mining!

The rules: Each whole chip is worth $500, each partial chip is worth $100, and for every piece of cookie left that is larger than a pencil lead, you get FINED $100.

The tools: Only a pair of double-tined toothpicks & a paper plate.

The time: Only 20 minutes, for every minute AFTER 20, you get fined $100.

It's a lot harder than you might think!

Ahhh, check out the messy table!! One thing I have to say, Learning is MESSY!!

AND, check out the winner ~ she made over $7,600 with her cookie. Of course, she was also the passer-outer of cookies, so, uuhhm , she may well have stacked the deck.

And what did they learn? About how mining resources can cause damage to the earth, the value of recycling, why minerals cost what they do, how difficult it is to reconstruct area that has been mined, how to pop chocolate chips & cram cookies; you know, the important things.

:-D