The History of Creation

Therese Colby                  Montessori Elementary School
                               511 E. 127th
                               Lemont, IL 60459
                               (708) 257-1110

Objective:

The main objective is to give the child a general view of the universe, an 
experience of the varied properties of matter and an understanding of the laws 
which govern the universe.     
                                                               
Materials:

Wax, spoon, gas burner, matches, ice, 2 pans, lid, water, sugar, chalk powder, 8 
glasses, iron filings, sand, 2 plates, handkerchief, copper sulfate, test tubes 
& stoppers, holder, nylon thread, glass, wood, perfume, stone, rubber ball, 
putty, tin, lead, salt, 2 thermometers, oil, pure alcohol, mercury, cork, iron & 
lead objects, hot plate, clay, vinegar, baking soda and an expansion ball & 
ring set. 

Strategy:

Perform the following as you tell your own story of the creation of the earth:

 1) Freezing.  Put some ice and a thermometer in a glass.  Do the same in 
   another glass, adding a large amount of salt.  Observe that the cold of ice 
   is not the coldest; there are temperatures much, much colder. 
 2) The Formation of a Star.  Pour some water in a glass until it is 3/4 full.  
   Add a few drops of oil then add, slowly, pouring near the rim of the glass, a 
   bit of alcohol.  Compare the activity of the oil and alcohol to the 
   innumerable groups of stars that, like those drops, are spinning in space.                                             
 3) Solid, Liquid, Gas.  Put three test tubes in a holder.  Put a piece of 
   painted glass in one, some water in the second, leave the third as it is.  
   Observe that matter can assume three states: solid, liquid, gaseous. 
 4) Liquid, Viscous.  Take two glasses with water in them; then add some sugar 
   to one until it thickens.  Observe a substance is liquid when it is fluid and 
   viscous when it is thickened. 
 5) Passing From Solid to Gas.  Put wax on a spoon and hold it over the flame 
   until it disappears.  Observe that matter, when heated, passes from solid to 
   liquid to gas. 
 6) Passing From Gas to Liquid to Solid.  Put ice in a pan on a hot plate; put a 
   lid over it.  Collect drops of condensation and put them in a freezer.  Melt 
   wax in a spoon and drop it in cold water.  Observe that matter when cooled, 
   passes from gas to liquid to solid. 
 7) Compounds and Mixtures.  Stir some sugar into a glass of water.  Stir some 
   chalk powder into another glass of water.  Observe that there are some 
   particles which are attracted to each other and stay joined and others which, 
   when joined, may be separated. 
 7a) Mix iron-filings and sand on a plate; then wrap a magnet in a handkerchief 
   and bring it near the plate.  Observe that there are substances which, when 
   mixed, do not combine and can separated, called mixtures.  
 8) Crystallization.  Put bits of copper sulphate and some water in a test tube.  
   Put the test tube over a flame, moving it until it forms a saturated 
   solution.  While boiling, put in a tiny piece of copper sulphate tied to a 
   thread.  Let the solution become cold; remove thread.  Observe that some 
   matter, in passing from a fluid to a solid state, has the property of 
   crystallizing itself. 
 9) Properties of Solids, Liquids and Gases.  Observe the shapes of glass and 
   wood pieces.  Pour water into the odd shaped glasses - in one until it 
   overflows.  Leave a bottle of perfume open for a few minutes.  Observe that 
   solids have a shape of their own, liquids take the shape of their container 
   and gases have no shape. 
10) Elastic, Plastic, Rigid.  Apply pressure with a hand to a marble, a rubber 
   ball and putty.  Use terms: rigid, elastic, plastic.  Observe the properties 
   of each. 
11) Matters Change Their State at Different Temperatures.  Put wax, tin, lead 
   and iron bits on a tin plate over a flame.  Leave an ice piece in a glass on 
   the table.  Observe matter changing, each at its own temperature. 
12) Gravity.  Pour mercury into a test tube with water and oil (tube should be 
   filled).  Put stopper in tube and turn upside down.  Note that the earth 
   attracts matter like a big magnet.  The lighter bodies remain more distant 
   from the center of the earth. 
12a) Put cork and celluloid objects in a glass, cover with sand and put the iron 
   and lead objects on the surface.  Cover with a towel and shake hard.  Observe 
   heavy objects tend toward bottom and lighter ones tend to remain near top. 
13) The Rapidity of Cooling Depends on the Mass of the Body.  Put about a half 
   liter of water into pan and put it on a hot plate.  When the water boils, use 
   it to fill large and small bowls.  Let the bowls cool and dip your fingers 
   into them at the same time.  Smaller masses cool before larger masses. 
14) Volcano.  Make a model volcano with moist clay.  Add vinegar and baking soda 
   to simulate an eruption.  Inside the earth there are some substances which 
   tend to come out.  If they do not find their way, they create a way. 
15) Matter Expands When Heated.  Take an expansion ball and it pass through a 
   ring.  Heat the ball and again try to pass it through the ring.  Fill a flask 
   with water and put a stopper in lightly.  Put it over a flame.  Observe that 
   all matter expands when heated. 
16) Evaporation.  Put an iron plate over a flame until it becomes red hot, then 
   pour a few drops of water on it.  Observe that all matter, when heated, passes 
   from solid to liquid, then from liquid to gaseous.  

Conclusions:

At this point the introductory lesson is complete.  The children will be exposed 
to everyday experiences that took place in the creation of the earth while the 
teacher attaches the scientific terms and explanations to these phenomena. 

References:

This survey of experiments and synopsis of the history of the earth are taken 
from the methods of Dr. Maria Montessori for approaching the study of history.