Learn how to make a fantastic fan out of the layers of the Earth!

Learning about the Earth’s layers can be a fun experiment with your kids. Since we spend so much time on the crust of Earth, it’s hard for kids to visualize the inner layers of our Earth. That’s why we’re excited to offer a fun project, making a fan out of the Earth’s layers today.

This project is fun and easy. Your kids will enjoy cutting the Earth layers printable out and putting it together to form a paper fan. Below you’ll find more details about this project, such as information to share with your kids. This information will help your kids learn about the Earth’s layers all the while enjoying a fun craft project.

Today we're excited to offer a fun project, making a fan out of the layers of the Earth!

What are the layers of the Earth?

The layers of Earth featured in this Earth layers fan include the crust, the mantle, the outer core, and the inner core. Each layer is important to planet Earth’s structure and survival. Below you’ll find a detailed description of each layer:

The Crust (Dark Brown Colored)

The crust of the Earth is where we live. The oceans and land are located on the Earth’s crust layer. The crust of the Earth is comparable to the skin of an apple. The layer is rather thin in comparison to the inner layers, but still too thick for the average human to dig through. The average depth of the Earth’s crust is 19 miles on land and 3 miles under the ocean.

The Mantle (Brown/Peach Colored)

This layer of Earth is below the crust and is basically a big ole hot soup of molten rock. This layer is much deeper than the Earth’s crust, measuring around 1,800 miles deep. That’s a pretty deep layer that’s merely a bunch of molten rock!

The Outer Core (Red Colored)

The next layer of Earth is found below the crust and below the mantle where you’ll find the outer core. This layer is full of liquid iron and nickel.

The Inner Core (Yellow Colored)

The final layer you’ll find within Earth’s deep surface is the inner core. This layer is made of solid metals and iron.

Make an Earth Layers Fan

Now that you’ve learned a little bit about each of Earth’s layers, I want to tell you how to use this Earth layers printable to make a fan with your kids.

Supplies Needed:

3 Copies of the Earth Layers Fan Printable
Scissors & Glue Sticks
2 Jumbo Popsicle Sticks

How to Make an Earth Layers Fan

Step One:
Print three copies of the Earth Layers fan printable.

Step Two:
Cut out the three square shapes.

Step Three:
Fold along the first dotted line seen on the Earth layers fan printable.

Step Four:

Flip over the paper and fold on the next dotted line of the Earth layers fan printable.

Step Five:
Repeat steps three and four until the entire Earth layers printable sheet is folded into an accordion-style fold.

Step Six:
Fold the entire Earth layers fan in half.

Step Seven:
Glue the inside of the fan so that you can stick both sides of the Earth layers folded up printable into one big paper fan.

Step Eight:
Repeat steps 1-7 to make two more Earth Layers fan.

Step Nine:
Once completed and the glue has dried, take one jumbo popsicle stick and glue one fan to the stick. Then glue a second Earth layers fan to that fan, and finally the third.

Step Ten:
Glue the other popsicle stick to the final fan and press and hold. This will allow the glue to hold the Earth layers fan in place while the glue dries.

Once your fan has dried thoroughly you can open it up and wave it around. This will let you enjoy the colors of the Earth’s layers in a fan during a hot day.

Ready to start? Click the image below to download the printable

I hope you will have some fun doing the craft with kids. Are you looking for more fun craft activities for children? Check out these articles:

If your child loves mermaids then they will love this Mermaid craft for kids: Sequins under the sea
Unicorn craft: Glitter art will be great for the mythical creature fans.
Rainbows are always an inspiring natural phenomenon. Check out Simple rainbow crafts for kids: Rainbow rice funtime! for some fun craft activity.
Making Oobleck at home, which is fabulous and messy fun for all the kids!

There are a lot of crafts ideas related to the Planet Earth as well out there. Why don’t you pop up to these sites to check out?

Happy Hooligans has a wonderful Tissue Paper Earth Day Craft for Toddlers you can do with your little ones
You also can use shaving cream for earth craft like the Crafty Morning
Have you ever thought about creating Earth craft from the newspaper like the I Heart Crafty Thing article?

You can follow us on Pinterest and check out more fun activities and ideas we have, as well as signing up to our fabulous newsletter.

Thanks as always for coming along and seeing us.

Helen

Helen

Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!