Briefing
Have you ever heard the expression "The world keeps getting smaller?" Well, about 200 million years ago, the planet wasn't any smaller, but it sure would have been easier to get from one place to another. In this Fab Lab, you'll reconstruct what that world looked like!
Activity
200 million years ago, all the continents of the world were part of one giant super-continent called Pangaea. What did it look like? Why don't you try and figure it out?
What You'll Need:
Scissors
A stopwatch (optional)
Map of the World
What to Do:
1. Your printable map should have two pages: The first page has a map of the world as we know it today. The second page has all the continents separate from another, like puzzle pieces.
2. Using your scissors, cut out the continents and major islands from the SECOND page:
3. Now lay your continents out on a separate sheet of paper, so that they match the map of the world today.
4. Try and figure out how these continents and islands would fit together millions of years ago, when they were one big continent!
If you get stuck, click here for hints.
If you're playing with a group:
You can turn this activity into a race. Whoever makes a picture of the real Pangaea first is the winner. Choose an adult or a friend to be the Leader. He or she can print out a picture of the real Pangaea here.
When you think you've got it right, tell your Leader. He or she will check your picture against the real Pangaea. If it's close enough, you'll be told your finishing time. Add 30 seconds to your time for every hint you took.
The person who finishes with the best final time is the winner!
Debriefing
Take a look at the Map of Pangaea as scientists believed it once looked.
Scientists believe that over hundreds of millions of years, the continents broke apart and moved into the positions they're in today. That theory is called continental drift. And it's still going on! Come back to Earth in a hundred million years and the world map may look very different!
If you've got your Case Journals, answer the questions in it now!
More Info
1.Look at the edges of the continents. Think of them as pieces of a puzzle. They don't fit together exactly, but they're pretty close!
2.Use Africa as the center of your picture.
3.Continents are big and heavy. They don't do a whole lot of fancy twists and turns. So putting them back together might be easier than you think!