Sugar Cube Rock Cycle

Sugar cubes are used as a hands-on model of the rock cycle. Students crush, heat, and reform sugar to represent weathering, erosion, sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock, and igneous rock formation.

1. Place sugar cubes beside loose sugar to compare sediments vs compacted sedimentary rock.
2. Crush sugar cubes with a mallet to model weathering.
3. Move crushed sugar into a pan to show erosion and transport.
4. Heat the crushed sugar while stirring to model metamorphic rock under heat and pressure.
5. Pour the melted sugar onto a plate and allow it to cool, representing igneous rock formed from cooled magma.
6. Break the hardened sugar again to show that the cycle continues with weathering.

📄 Rockin’ the Sugar Cube Rock Cycle - Simple Living: https://simplelivingcreativelearning.com/rockin-sugar-cube-rock-cycle/

• Use candy (Starbursts, crayons, or chocolate) for alternate rock cycle demonstrations.
• Compare sugar cubes with granulated sugar to emphasize compaction.
• Skip the heating step for younger learners and focus on weathering, erosion, and compaction.

• Adult supervision required when heating sugar—it can get very hot and cause burns.
• Do not touch melted sugar until fully cooled.
• Use protective gloves or oven mitts when handling hot pans.
• Ensure a safe work area to avoid accidental spills.

• How is a sugar cube similar to sedimentary rock? (It is formed by compacted and cemented particles.)
• What does crushing the cube represent? (Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces.)
• Why does heating sugar model metamorphic rock? (Heat and pressure change the structure of rocks.)
• How is hardened melted sugar like igneous rock? (It forms from cooling of a molten state, just as igneous rocks form from magma.)