======Crayons Rock Cycle======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** Model the Rock Cycle with Crayons
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Peel the paper from crayons and create shavings using a potato peeler, knife, or cheese grater.  
  - Place different colored shavings in layers on aluminum foil.  
  - Fold the foil and press firmly with the bottom of a frying pan to form a sedimentary "rock."  
  - Heat the sedimentary rock in the frying pan until it melts slightly, then let it cool to form a metamorphic "rock."  
  - Reheat the metamorphic rock, stir the melted wax to mix colors completely, and quickly pour into ice water to form an igneous "rock."  
  - Compare the differences in appearance and texture between the three rock types.



====Links==== 
Rock Cycle Modeled Out of Crayons - beebeamy: 
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Crayon Rock Cycle | STEM Activity - Science Buddies: 
{{youtube>WY5abXORFSk?}}\\

📄 Model the Rock Cycle with Crayons - Science Buddies: [[https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/crayon-rock-cycle]]\\

====Variations====
  * Use different color combinations to better visualize layering and mixing.  
  * Experiment with cooling times to see how rapid versus slow cooling affects igneous rock appearance.  
  * Try repeating the cycle multiple times to show ongoing rock transformations.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Adult supervision required when using knives, graters, or heat sources.  
  * Use oven mitts or tongs to handle hot foil and melted crayons.  
  * Do not touch hot or melted crayons until cooled.  
  * Work in a well-ventilated area to avoid inhaling wax fumes.




====Questions to Consider====
  * How does pressing crayon shavings together model the formation of sedimentary rocks? (It simulates layers being compacted by pressure over time.)  
  * What changes occur when the sedimentary crayon rock is heated into a metamorphic rock? (The layers swirl and fuse together, becoming stronger.)  
  * Why does pouring melted crayons into cold water represent igneous rock formation? (It shows how magma cools and solidifies quickly, sometimes with bubbles or unusual shapes.)  
  * What natural processes in the Earth correspond to the heat and pressure used in this model? (Plate tectonics, burial of rocks, volcanic activity.)  
  * Can rocks move backward in the cycle, for example from igneous back to sedimentary? (Yes, igneous and metamorphic rocks can erode into sediments that form sedimentary rocks.)