Content

• What do you need
• Modeling dough model
• Paper model
• Styrofoam model
• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Dough Model
• Method 2 of 3: Paper Model
• Method 3 of 3: Foam Model

There are five main layers of the Earth: crust, upper mantle, lower mantle, liquid outer core, and solid inner core. The crust is the thinnest outer layer of the Earth, on which the continents are located. It is followed by the mantle - the thickest layer of our planet, which is divided into two layers. The core is also divided into two layers - a liquid outer core and a solid spherical inner core. There are several ways to create a model of the Earth's layers. The simplest and most common options are a three-dimensional model made of sculpted clay, plasticine or sculpting dough, or a flat image on paper.

What do you need

Modeling dough model

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup coarse sea salt
• 4 teaspoons potassium tartrate
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 glasses of water
• Pan
• Wooden spoon
• Food colors: yellow, orange, red, brown, green and blue (if you do not have any color, use the ones you have)
• Fishing line or dental floss

Paper model

• 5 sheets of heavy paper or thin cardboard (brown, orange, red, blue and white)
• Compass or stencil with circles of 5 different diameters
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Large sheet of cardboard

Styrofoam model

• Large foam ball (13-18 cm diameter)
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Long serrated knife
• Acrylic paints (green, blue, yellow, red, orange and brown)
• Brush
• 4 toothpicks
• Scotch
• Small strips of paper

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Dough Model

1. 1 Prepare the necessary materials. To make a three-dimensional model, you will need to buy sculpting clay or plasticine, or prepare a dough for modeling. In any case, you need seven colors: two shades of yellow, orange, red, brown, green and blue. It is recommended to cook the dough with your own hands under the supervision of parents.
2. 2 Prepare the modeling dough. If you bought sculpting clay or clay, skip this step. Mix all ingredients (flour, salt, potassium tartrate, oil and water) until smooth, without lumps. Then transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly. During the heating process, the dough will thicken. When the dough begins to lag behind the sides of the pot, remove the pot from the hotplate and let cool to room temperature.
   • The cooled dough must be kneaded for 1-2 minutes.
   • This step is recommended to be done under parental supervision.
   • Large crystals of salt will still be visible in the dough - this is normal.
3. 3 Divide the dough into seven different sized balls and add the colorings. First, make two small balls about the size of a golf ball. Next, make two medium-sized balls and three large balls. Use a few drops of food coloring for each bead according to the following list. Knead each dough piece to distribute the color evenly.
   • two small balls: green and red;
   • two medium balls: orange and brown;
   • three large balls: two shades of yellow and blue.
4. 4 Roll the red ball into the orange dough. You will be creating a model of the Earth from the inner layer to the outer layers. The red ball will represent the inner core. The orange dough is the outer core. Flatten the orange ball slightly to wrap the dough around the red ball.
   • The entire model must be spherical to resemble the shape of the Earth.
5. 5 Wrap the resulting sphere in two yellow layers. The next layer is the mantle, which corresponds to the yellow dough. The mantle is the widest layer of planet Earth, so wrap the inner core in two thick layers of yellow dough of different shades.
   • Roll out the dough to the desired thickness and wrap around the ball, gently joining on all sides to form a single layer.
6. 6 Then roll out and wrap a brown layer around the model. The brown dough will represent the earth's crust, the thinnest layer of the planet. Roll out the brown dough to form a thin layer, then wrap around the ball in the same way as the previous layers.
7. 7 Add the world's oceans and continents. Wrap the globe in a thin layer of blue dough. This is the last layer of our model. The ocean and continents are part of the crust, so they should not be treated as separate layers.
   • Finally, give the green dough the rough shape of the continents. Press them against the ocean, positioning them like on a globe.
8. 8 Use dental floss to cut the ball in half. Place the ball on a table and pull the string over the center of the sphere. Imagine an imaginary equator on the model and hold the string over this place. Cut the ball in half with the string.
   • The two halves will show a clear cross-section of the layers of the Earth.
9. 9 Label each layer. Make small checkboxes for each layer. Wrap a strip of paper around a toothpick and secure with tape. Make five flags: crust, upper mantle, lower mantle, outer core, and inner core. Paste each checkbox into its corresponding layer.
   • Now you have two halves of the Earth, so you can use the half with flags to show the layers of the planet, and the other with the ocean and continents as a top view.
10. 10 Gather interesting facts for each layer. Find information about the composition and thickness of each layer. Provide information on density and temperatures present. Make a short report or infographic to complement the 3D model with the necessary explanations.
    • There are two types of crust: oceanic and continental. This is easy to see even from the model itself, because the crust includes continents and oceans.
    • The mantle accounts for up to 84% of the earth's volume. The mantle is predominantly solid, but has the properties of a viscous liquid. Movement within the mantle determines the movement of tectonic plates.
    • The outer part of the core is liquid and is believed to be 80% iron. It rotates around the axis faster than the movement of the planet.It is believed that the outer core contributes to the existence of the Earth's magnetic field.
    • The inner core is also predominantly iron and nickel, and possibly contains heavier elements like gold, platinum, and silver. Due to the incredibly high pressure, the inner core is solid.

Method 2 of 3: Paper Model

1. 1 Prepare the necessary materials. The process of making a paper model is similar to making from clay or dough, except that the layers of earth are made from dense paper or cardboard circles of different sizes.
   • The final size of the paper model depends only on your preference.
   • Using a compass, you can easily draw circles of any size.
   • If you don't have a compass, find five round templates or stencils.
   • Use embossed paper to make your model stand out from others.
2. 2 Draw five circles - one for each layer. Draw five circles of different sizes on heavy paper or cardboard in different colors. Make the inner core white, the outer blue, the top mantle orange, the bottom mantle red, and the bark brown. Use a pair of compasses or stencils to get the following sizes of circles:
   • inner core: 5 centimeters in diameter;
   • outer core: 10 centimeters in diameter;
   • lower mantle: diameter 17.5 centimeters;
   • top mantle: diameter 20 centimeters;
   • bark: 21.5 centimeters in diameter.
   • This is just a suggested size, but you can choose any other size as long as the mantle remains the thickest layer and the crust thinnest.
3. 3 Cut out all layers and place them on top of each other. Take scissors and carefully cut out each circle you draw. Try to cut exactly along the contour so that each layer is round. Next, stack the circles on top of each other from largest to smallest to clearly see each layer of the globe.
   • Place the brown bark first, then place the red mantle on top of it, then the orange mantle, and then the blue outer and white inner core.
   • Use glue to fix each layer.
4. 4 Label all layers. Glue the five-layer model of the Earth to a large piece of cardboard. Make five marks and glue them next to the corresponding layer: bark, mantle, outer core, inner core. List some interesting facts about each layer. Add information about the composition, average temperature and other features of the inner layers of the Earth.
   • Try to use the facts that were discussed in the lesson on this topic.

Method 3 of 3: Foam Model

1. 1 Prepare the necessary materials. This model uses a foam sphere shaped like the Earth, a quarter of which has been cut out so that you can see the inner workings of the planet. The incision should be performed under parental supervision.
   • All materials and supplies can be found at home or at a craft store.
2. 2 Draw circles along the horizontal and vertical center of the Styrofoam ball. You need to cut out about a quarter of the styrofoam ball. The circles dividing the ball into horizontal and vertical halves will help you with this. Perfect accuracy is not required, but try to stay centered.
   • Keep the ruler centered.
   • Hold the pencil in place over the ruler.
   • Ask a friend to rotate the ball horizontally while holding the pencil and making sure the line runs down the center.
   • After drawing a full circle, repeat the procedure vertically.
   • As a result, you will get two lines that divide the ball into four equal parts.
3. 3 Cut out a quarter of the ball. Two intersecting lines will divide the ball into four parts. You need to cut out one quarter with a knife. We strongly recommend that you do this under parental supervision.
   • Position the ball so that one of the lines is pointing straight up.
   • Place the knife over the line and gently cut back and forth until you reach the center of the ball (horizontal line).
   • Flip the ball so that the horizontal line is now pointing up.
   • Cut gently until you reach the center of the ball.
   • Gently wiggle the cutout quarter to separate it from the styrofoam ball.
4. 4 Draw continents and oceans on the outside of the globe. First, paint the outside of the model. Draw the continents with a pencil and then paint with green paint. Paint the rest of the area blue to create oceans.
   • The cut out quarter of the ball is no longer needed.
   • Wait for the paint to dry, then paint on the inner layers.
5. 5 Draw the layers of the earth. Take a pencil and outline the outline of each layer inside the cut out quarter. The inner core will look like a small circle in the very center of the ball. Next comes the outer core, the width of which should be a quarter of the inner core. The next layers are the lower and upper mantle, which will take up almost all of the remaining space. The bark should look like a thin layer around the edge of the styrofoam ball.
   • Mark the outlines with a pencil and then paint them in different colors.
   • Make the inner core yellow, the outer orange, the two layers of the mantle two shades of red, and the bark brown.
6. 6 Label each layer with a toothpick. Make small paper marks, wrap them around the toothpicks and secure with tape. Label each layer with the appropriate flag by sticking toothpicks into the styrofoam.
   • You can also write directly on the styrofoam.