Bringing Geoscience to Classrooms: A Set of Simple Experiments to Support Earth Science Education

Despite its fundamental importance in understanding planetary processes, geology is often underrepresented in school curricula. To address this gap, a team of researchers from the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, within the framework of the Strategy AV21 programme Space for Humanity, has developed a freely accessible educational resource aimed at primary and secondary school teachers. The resource, entitled Almanach geovědních pokusů (Almanac of Geoscience Experiments), consists of twelve illustrated activity sheets, each presenting a geoscience concept through a simple, hands-on experiment that can be conducted using commonly available materials.

Fig. 1: Example of an activity sheet illustrating the process of volcanic caldera formation.

The set of experiments was designed to facilitate the explanation of key geological processes, including volcanic activity, plate tectonics, earthquake mechanics, and rock deformation. Topics covered include, for example, the formation of volcanic calderas, the propagation of heat through the Earth’s mantle, the folding of rocks, or the mechanics of building collapse during seismic events. Each activity has been optimized for clarity, ease of implementation, and relevance to classroom teaching.

The project supports inquiry-based learning and fosters students’ curiosity about Earth sciences by transforming abstract geological phenomena into tangible demonstrations. The materials are enhanced with original illustrations that both guide the experiments and explain the scientific principles involved. The almanac is published under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 3.0), allowing unrestricted use and distribution with proper attribution.

The project has attracted significant media attention in the Czech Republic, with several experiments featured repeatedly on national public television as well as the country’s largest commercial TV network. This response shows that there is demand for simple and illustrative experiments not only in the educational sector but also in the media space. These appearances helped raise public interest in Earth sciences and demonstrated the strong outreach potential of the almanac. 

Thereby, this initiative offers a practical and engaging free tool to support Earth science education, with the potential to broaden students’ understanding of geoscience and its relevance to planetary processes both on Earth and beyond.

To support international accessibility and transability, an English version of the Almanac of Geoscience Experiments is available for free download at www.ig.cas.cz/pokusy. The team welcomes collaboration on translations into additional languages.

Fig. 2: Example of an activity sheet illustrating the process of magma propagation through the crust.

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The Strategy AV21 programme Space for Humanity is a research and outreach initiative coordinated by the Czech Academy of Sciences that aims to explore the benefits of space science and technology for society. It supports interdisciplinary projects focused on understanding the universe and applying space-related knowledge to improve life on Earth.