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Four Winds Nature Institute
4 Casey Rd. Chittenden, VT 05737
802-353-9440 www.fourwindsinstitute.org
EARTH
Exploring Our Physical World
To develop a sense of place we need an understanding of the Earth itself – the ground beneath our
feet, the air we breathe, the water that fills our lakes, streams and oceans, and the other living things
that share our planet. Throughout the year, we will study the physical environment that supports life
on Earth and the forces that shape the ever-changing landscape in which we live. We’ll look at the
Earth’s geosphere when we study rocks and erosion, at the atmosphere when we learn about the
blanket of air that surrounds us, and at the hydrosphere when we learn about the water cycle, winds,
clouds and weather. Throughout we’ll consider the biosphere, the living things in our world, and
explore the interactions between the living and non-living components of the world around us.
Students will also practice important skills including: listening actively, asking questions, making
and recording observations, and communicating findings.
SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW: Our exploration starts with the sun, the engine that powers Earth’s
major systems. We’ll see how and why we experience day and night and the seasons, consider how
sunlight supplies the energy for photosynthesis, fuels the water cycle, influences our weather and
provides the right conditions for life.
EROSION: Our study of the geosphere begins with a look at how, over time, the powerful agents of
erosion have shaped and formed our landscape. Gravity, water, wind and ice are constantly
weathering, wearing away and moving rocks, soil, sand and sediments, and depositing them
elsewhere. We’ll also consider the impact humans have on erosion, deposition and our everchanging landscape.
ROCKS AND MINERALS: Each pebble in a stream, each rock in a field tells a story about the
earth's history. We’ll study the earth’s crust, looking at rocks and learning how they’ve been formed
and reformed over and over again in the rock cycle. We’ll examine minerals, test their different
properties and discover just how important they are to our everyday life.
BLANKET OF AIR: Air is everywhere around us. We can't see it, taste it or smell it, but we depend
on it for life itself. Experiments will help us discover the properties of air, understand the behavior
of these invisible gases, and how important they are to life on our planet.
THE NATURE OF SOUND: Birds singing, dogs barking, cars zooming by – we learn a lot about
our environment by listening to sounds. Able to cross the boundaries of all four systems, sound
vibrations give us vital information about what’s happening in the world around us. By playing with
a variety of vibrating objects, we’ll learn how sound waves travel through the ground, water and air.
THE WATER CYCLE: The earth’s water circulates from the land to the air and back again in a
never-ending cycle. In our study of the hydrosphere we’ll learn about water’s unique properties, and
how precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, and condensation keep water on the move, circulating
between the surface of the earth and the atmosphere.
WIND AND CLOUDS: Building on what we’ve learned about the atmosphere and hydrosphere,
we’ll see how unequal heating by the sun creates differences in air temperature and pressure,
causing winds to blow and weather systems to form. We’ll also learn to recognize the different
kinds of clouds and the weather they bring.
GET YOUR BEARINGS: Many aspects of the physical world provide important clues and help
guide us as we move from place to place. These landscape features, along with map, compass and
other tools, help us orient, navigate and find our way as we explore the world. We’ll learn how both
people and animals use the sun, natural landmarks, and the earth’s magnetic field to help recognize
where we are, create mental maps of our environment and get to know our Earth.
Four Winds Nature Institute, 4-16.