Grade 8 Gets Hands-On Learning About Geology

Reported by Grade 8 students, Kate and Zora

On Wednesday, April 15, the grade eight students went to Chichibu, Saitama to visit a museum, see the area around Mount Buko, and explore a limestone cave. This trip was held to further enhance our understanding of our current science unit, geology.

When we visited the Saitama Museum of Natural History, we were able to visit many fascinating exhibits. This includes seeing fossils from extinct animals such as the Paleoparadoxia, a marine mammal. We stopped for lunch at Nagatoro Iwadatami, and we were able to climb on tall and huge metamorphic rocks. We enjoyed the view of the winding river and seeing other visitors ride the boats down the river.

While visiting the Urayama Dam, we learned that it takes years to plan and build dams.  However, thanks to all that planning, it helps collect and store water. This is used as a reliable source of water, as well as protecting nearby cities in case of a flood. In addition, it also produces hydroelectric power for renewable energy.

One thing that we personally thought that made this trip memorable was exploring the limestone cave. If you’re prone to claustrophobia this might not be for you, but in our opinion, getting to crawl in the dark tight space gave a sense of adventure and was especially enjoyable because we got to do it with friends.

Overall, we were able to learn so much more about our geology unit, while having fun with friends.