Earth Exceeds our Expectations

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Earth is the planet we live on, and it is perfect for human beings!

Earth is the third planet from the sun and is very complicated. To truly understand the Earth, you must put your hands on it.

Gather these supplies.

• paper for graphing
• pens
• an inflatable beach ball globe, around 12" in diameter (or a regular ball or balloon with a drawing of the earth on it

Follow these steps with the help of a friend or family member.

1. Ask your partner to toss the inflatable globe to you and catch it with both hands.

• Where is your thumb? Is it on land or water?

2. Toss the globe back to your partner.

• Where is their thumb? Is it on land or water?

3. Start a chart on paper to mark where your thumbs are after each toss. "W" for water, and "L" for land, depending on what happens.

4. Keep tossing the globe back and forth to one another for about 6-10 tosses. Don't forget to write down your results!

5. When you are done tossing the globe and recording your results, look at your chart together and describe what you see.

• What did you discover about the Earth?
• Did you find out that Earth is made up of more water than land?

To be exact, Earth is made up of 71% water!

• Can you believe that?

Land is only 29% of the Earth's surface, where everyone lives. Think about that for a moment.

To give you an idea of how much of Earth is water, take a piece of paper

One of these squares represents the land people live on; the other three squares are all water!

Learning about our planet is a great way to understand how humans can survive on its resources and just how valuable those resources are.

Earth is also unique in how it revolves around the sun and rotates on its axis, providing the right amount of gravity to keep us from floating into space.

Here are some more fun facts.

• Earth is the heaviest planet in the universe.
• Earth has an invisible force called gravity that keeps you from floating away.
• Earth is not perfectly round but has a slight bulge in the middle.
• Earth is spinning quickly, but you can't feel it because of gravity.
• Earth also revolves around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour! Are you dizzy yet?
• It takes Earth 365 ¹/₄ days to rotate around the sun, which is one calendar year.
• We have day and night because we spin around, and the sun stays in one place.
• Earth has one moon, and the earth and moon work together to cause the ocean's tides (the rise and fall of the ocean water).

• The hottest place on Earth hits 136 degrees Fahrenheit!
• Earth has seven land masses, called continents.

• The continent of Antarctica holds 70% of Earth's freshwater, mostly in the form of ice.

For a more in-depth look at planet Earth, check out the video below.

This Earth we live on is amazing and has so many interesting facts that we could go on and on!

Keep going in the Got It? section to discover why living on Earth is quite simply remarkable!