Earth & Space Science Lesson 4: Earth's Atmosophere

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Activity 1: What is the atmosphere?

You may want to introduce the four systems of the Earth: the geosphere, hydrosphere, the biosphere, and the atmosphere.

We will now discuss the atmosphere, which is the layer of air above the Earth.
Use this free Earth Science Packet to discuss as much or as little about the layers of Earth's atmosphere as you would like. It is a bit in depth for younger students, but has some great explanations about atmosphere. There is also a fun experiment about air pressure. You can also complete the Layers of the Atmosphere booklet.

Activity 2: Does air take up space?

Complete the science experiment with the empty cup in a bowl of water that is found in the book Air is All Around You. It can also be found here.

Activity 3: Is hot air the same as cold air?

Do this experiment with a balloon to demonstrate how warm air takes up more space than cool air because air molecules move farther apart.

Activity 4: Measure air pressure.

How do we measure air pressure?
Watch this video to see how to make your own barometer to measure air pressure.