There are loads of hands-on science activities that you can add to your earth science studies. One quick search on Pinterest will confirm that!

These five STEAM activities are ones that you will not want to miss adding to your homeschool science curriculum. They are part science, part art, part engineering, and totally fun!

Each one of them come from one of our earth science programs, so if you are an ES customer - you are all set! If not, be sure to click the link and check out what we have to offer.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the five earth science activities you don't want to miss doing in your homeschool! 

5 Earth Science Activities You Don't Want to Miss

#1 - Create a cloud collage.

Creating a cloud collage is a wonderful way to learn about the three main shapes of clouds - stratus, cumulus, and cirrus. To do this, you will need to gather up several cotton balls and a sheet of blue construction paper.

Here's a look at the procedure:

1. Have the students glue several full cotton balls onto the sheet and label the mass "cumulus clouds", which are large and puffy.
2. Then, have them stretch two or three cotton ball out a bit and glue those to the sheet to represent stratus clouds, which are long layered clouds.
3. Finally, have the students pull one cotton ball out until it is somewhat see-through and glue it on the sheet to represent cirrus clouds, which are thin and wispy.
4. You can also have older students add a sentence describing each of these types of clouds. 

After you create your collage, you can use your knowledge about the clouds to predict the weather!

#2 - Make a seasons’ book.

Making a book about the different seasons is an activity that all students should do at some point! You can read more about the different seasons and what causes them in this homeschool science corner post.

Have the students write the italic sentences below each on blank pages or download this free season's printable pack with the pages done for you! Then, have the students illustrate each page with the suggestions.

1. Title Page: Did you know about the Seasons? (Have your students draw something related to one of the seasons.)
2. Page 1: Did you know that in fall the leaves change color and fall off the trees? (Have your students draw a picture of a fall scene, ie. a tree with red, orange and yellow leaves.)
3. Page 2: Did you know that in winter it gets very cold and snow falls from the sky? (Have your students draw a winter scene, ie. something that shows snow all over and a few snowflakes in the sky.)
4. Page 3: Did you know that in the spring flowers begin to bloom and baby animals are born? (Have your students draw a spring scene, ie. a tree with flowers around it.)
5. Page 4: Did you know that in summer it is very warm and it is time to go to the beach? (Have your students draw a summer scene, ie. a beach scene.)
6. Page 5: I do! (Have your students draw a picture of themselves.)

When they are done, have the students staple the pages together to form their booklets.

#3 - Explode a volcano.

Exploding a volcano is another one of those "must-do" earth science activities! There are two main varieties, the baking soda-vinegar version, and the Mentos-soda version. Both are neat, but our kids love the Mentos-soda version loads more as the explosion goes a whole lot higher!

To make the Mentos-soda volcano you will need to:

1. Gather up a can of Great Stuff insulating foam, a 2-liter bottle of orange soda, and a pack of Mentos.
2. Next, use the Great Stuff foam to create a volcano shape around the soda bottle.
3. Once it is dry, head outside and set the volcano on the ground away from anything that you don't want to be sprayed.
4. Unscrew the cap and drop 2 to 3 Mentos into the bottle, stand back, and watch the explosion!

If you want to make your volcano reusable, wrap the soda bottle in aluminum foil before applying the foam. Then, you can simply slide out the used bottle and replace it with a new one.

#4 - Have an indoor rainstorm.

Every student should see firsthand why rain falls from clouds in the sky at least once! To create an indoor rainstorm you will need a clear glass, shaving cream, blue food coloring, and warm water.

Here's how it works:

1. Fill the glass halfway with warm water and squirt a shaving cream cloud on top of the water. You can pack the shaving cream in a bit before adding an indention in the center so that the food coloring won’t run over the “cloud”.
2. Now, slowly add 20 to 30 drops of blue food coloring in the center of the shaving cream cloud.
3. Watch and wait for the food coloring “rain” to fall out of the bottom of the shaving cream “cloud”.

If you want to take this a step further with your students, check out how to create a mini-version of the water cycle in a plastic baggie! 

#5 - Start a rock collection.

Kids tend to naturally collect things, so capitalizing on that fact to learn about earth science is a no-brainer! Plus every homeschooled student should have a rock collection to show off and impress the grandparents with when they come to visit.

Here's how to you start a rock collection unique to your area:

1. Start by learning about the three types of rocks and the three types of fossils
2. Once your students have a good understanding of the different kinds of rocks, head outside and look for some samples! This post on rock collecting from Inspiration Laboratories has some great tips for getting started.

Need a few more earth science activities?

We trust that these five activities will serve to make earth science loads of fun in your homeschool. But we also know that it never hurts to have a few more ideas in your homeschooling bag-o-tricks!

For more ideas, check out one of our earth science programs or our Earth Science & Astronomy Pinterest Board below. 

Follow Elemental Science 's board Earth Science & Astronomy Science Projects on Pinterest.

Have you tried any of these science activities? Let us know how it went in the comments below!