Hands-On Geoscience Experiments for Education and Outreach
Petr Brož (Institute of Geophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences) reports on a new, freely available educational tool to help bring geoscience into the classroom.
Read article in the fully formatted PDF of the Europlanet Magazine.
How does magma rise through the Earth’s crust? Why do some volcanos erupt but only lava flows from others? How can chocolate and fizzy drinks help answer these questions?
An open-access almanac featuring 16 simple, hands-on experiments has been created that allows students and educators to explore key Earth science processes using minimal equipment. Developed by researchers from the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with illustrator Lucie Škodov (Ajeejee), the freely available resource is designed to make complex geological phenomena tangible, engaging, and easy to demonstrate in schools and outreach settings worldwide.
The almanac offers a curated collection of 16 classroom-ready experiments suitable for primary and secondary education. Each experiment introduces a fundamental geoscientific concept — ranging from volcanism and plate tectonics to earthquakes, rock deformation and atmospheric phenomena — and translates it into a clear, intuitive physical demonstration. The activities are designed to be low-cost, quick to prepare and achievable with commonly available materials, making them accessible even in resource-limited teaching environments.
Each experiment is presented on a dedicated educational sheet that combines concise explanatory text with detailed step-by-step instructions and full-colour illustrations. The visuals guide users through the experimental setup while simultaneously explaining the underlying natural processes they represent. Together, these elements allow students to directly observe and better understand complex Earth processes using accessible materials and straightforward methods. The almanac is designed not only for formal classroom use, but also for science communicators, museums, clubs, and outreach events seeking reliable, hands-on geoscience content.
The almanac is currently available in English and Czech, and released under a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 license, it is freely available for download, reuse, adaptation and translation.
Educators and communicators are warmly encouraged to share it with teachers, use it in their own activities, and contribute ideas for future experiments, helping to grow an open, international resource for geoscience education across Europe.
The almanac was produced by the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences in 2024 as part of the project Space for Humanity. Text: Petr Brož / Illustrations and graphics: Lucie Škodov. Texts and images (if not mentioned otherwise) are free for use under license number CC BYSA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-sa/3.0/).
