Earthquakes & VolcanoesGrade 4 Science for Kids

Earth's layers, earthquake-safe buildings and how volcanoes erupt.

Earthquakes & Volcanoes takes fourth graders from Earth's crust to its core, shakes towers to see which designs survive an earthquake and follows magma as a volcano erupts. Exciting earth science with real engineering.

  • Grade 4 · Ages 9–10
  • 3 lessons
  • 3 experiments
  • 12 practice questions
  • About 25 min
Start Learning Free Open the Course
  • Inside the Earth
  • Journey to the Center
  • Earthquake-Safe Buildings
  • Shake Table
  • Volcanoes
  • Eruption!

Science lab course · Grade 4

Earthquakes & Volcanoes · Learning goals

What Your Child Will Learn

Travel from Earth's crust to its core, shake towers to see which designs survive an earthquake, and follow magma as a volcano erupts.

  • Earth has layers: crust, mantle, outer core and inner core.
  • Earthquakes shake the ground. Wide bases and cross braces help buildings stay up.
  • Magma rises, pressure builds, the volcano erupts and lava cools into new rock.

Why it matters

Why This Matters for Kids

  • Inside our planet

    Earth's layers explain why earthquakes and volcanoes happen.

  • Engineering for safety

    Testing tower designs shows how engineers protect people in earthquake zones.

  • Natural hazards

    Understanding volcanoes and earthquakes helps kids stay calm and prepared.

Inside Earthquakes & Volcanoes

How the Course Works

Each level has a short read-aloud lesson, an interactive experiment and a mini quiz.

  1. Step 1 · Lesson

    Inside the Earth

    We live on the crust, Earth's thin rocky skin.

  2. Step 2 · Experiment

    Journey to the Center

    Let's dig to the center of the Earth! Put the layers in order, from the outside in.

  3. Step 3 · Lesson

    Earthquake-Safe Buildings

    The crust is broken into giant pieces called plates.

  4. Step 4 · Experiment

    Shake Table

    Let's put three model towers on a shake table and start the earthquake. Which one will fall first?

  5. Step 5 · Lesson

    Volcanoes

    Magma is melted rock deep underground.

  6. Step 6 · Experiment

    Eruption!

    Let's follow magma from deep underground to brand-new rock. Put the eruption in order.

Lesson preview

A Peek Inside the Lesson

This is the real lesson text your child hears, read aloud by a friendly voice.

Inside the Earth

We live on the crust, Earth's thin rocky skin.

Below is the mantle: hot rock that flows very, very slowly.

In the middle is the core: a liquid outer core and a solid inner core of hot metal.

Earthquake-Safe Buildings

The crust is broken into giant pieces called plates.

When plates slip suddenly, the ground shakes: an earthquake!

Engineers design buildings with wide bases and cross braces so they don't fall.

Volcanoes

Magma is melted rock deep underground.

Magma rises and pressure builds up under a volcano.

When it bursts out, it's an eruption. Magma on the surface is called lava.

Lava cools into new igneous rock. Volcanoes build new land!

For parents

Try It at Home

Learning sticks best when kids use it in real life. Here are simple ideas from this course.

Parent Tip

Build two towers from blocks or spaghetti and marshmallows on a tray. Shake the tray and see which design stays standing.

Journey to the Center

  1. Cut a hard-boiled egg in half (with a grown-up).
  2. The shell is like the crust, the white like the mantle.
  3. The yolk is like the core!

Earth has layers: crust, mantle, outer core and inner core.

Shake Table

  1. Build towers from spaghetti and marshmallows.
  2. Put them on a tray of jelly or a plate.
  3. Shake the plate. Which design lasts longest?

Earthquakes shake the ground. Wide bases and cross braces help buildings stay up.

Eruption!

  1. Build a volcano from clay around a small bottle.
  2. Add baking soda and a little dish soap.
  3. Pour in vinegar with red coloring and watch it erupt!

Magma rises, pressure builds, the volcano erupts and lava cools into new rock.

Practice

Grade 4 Science Practice Questions

Real questions from Earthquakes & Volcanoes. Try them with your child, then tap to see the answer.

  1. Question 1

    Which layer do we live on?

    • A.The mantle
    • B.The crust
    • C.The core
    Show answer

    The crust

  2. Question 2

    What causes earthquakes?

    • A.Strong winds
    • B.Heavy rain
    • C.Plates slipping suddenly
    Show answer

    Plates slipping suddenly

  3. Question 3

    What is magma?

    • A.Melted rock underground
    • B.Cold water
    • C.Hard ice
    Show answer

    Melted rock underground

The full course has 12 questions with instant feedback, stars and rewards. Create a free account to play them all.

Earthquakes & Volcanoes · Questions from parents

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this course for?

Earthquakes & Volcanoes is a grade 4 science course for kids ages 9–10. That is Year 5 science in the UK and Year 4 in Australia. It also works well for review in the next grade, or as a challenge for a confident younger learner.

What will my child learn?

Travel from Earth's crust to its core, shake towers to see which designs survive an earthquake, and follow magma as a volcano erupts. Along the way they practice: Earth has layers: crust, mantle, outer core and inner core; Earthquakes shake the ground. Wide bases and cross braces help buildings stay up; Magma rises, pressure builds, the volcano erupts and lava cools into new rock.

How long does the course take?

About 25 minutes in total, split into 3 short levels. Most kids finish it over two or three sessions. Progress is saved, so they can stop any time and pick up where they left off.

Is this course free?

Earthquakes & Volcanoes is part of SkillBloom Premium, which unlocks every course in every subject. Each subject also has free courses, so your child can try SkillBloom before you decide.

Does my child need to read well to use it?

No. Every lesson has a friendly read-aloud voice, questions are read aloud too, and the pictures help kids follow along. Confident readers can turn the voice off.

Can we use it for homeschool?

Yes. SkillBloom is built for homeschooling families. Kids work through lessons, games and quizzes on their own, and the parent dashboard shows what they finished and which skills need more practice. It works on phones, tablets and laptops.

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