![a photo of the Earth fan described in this activity](earthfan20.en.jpg)
So Much Beneath the Surface
We spend pretty much all our time on Earth’s crust. It’s where all the land and oceans are. But below the crust, there’s a lot going on.
The crust is a lot like the skin on an apple. It doesn’t go very deep. But it’s still deeper than you could ever dig. It’s about 19 miles (30 km) deep on average on land. At the bottom of the ocean, the crust is still about 3 miles (5 km) deep.
Below the crust is Earth’s biggest layer: the mantle. The mantle is a rocky, mostly solid layer that moves slowly beneath the crust. The mantle goes 1,800 miles (2,900 km) deep. Below the mantle is the outer core; it’s made of liquid iron and nickel. At the center of Earth is the inner core. It’s a solid center made of iron and nickel metals.
![a diagram of the layers of Earth. The crust is the outer edge. Inside that is the mantle, outer core, and inner core.](layers.en.png)
The colors in this diagram are the same colors used in the Earth Fan worksheet below. Remember what each color represents as you assemble and use your fan.
Be a Fan of Earth and Make an Earth Fan!
To remember that Earth is much more than just the surface we see every day, make this Earth layer fan.
What You'll Need
- 3 copies of the Earth Fan worksheet
(Available in a black and white version for coloring) - Scissors
- Glue stick
- 2 jumbo popsicle sticks
![a photo of the supplies necessary for this activity: three printouts, jumbo popsicle sticks, scissors, and a glue stick](earthfan1.en.jpg)
What To Do
- Print three copies of the Earth Fan worksheet.
- Cut out the three square shapes.
- Fold along the first dotted line.
- Flip over the paper and fold to the next dotted line.
- Keep folding, turning the paper over after each fold, until you’ve folded a fan.
- Fold the fan in half.
- Glue the inside of the fold together to create a small fan section.
- Repeat steps three through seven with the other two printouts. Now you have three small fans.
- Glue the first section to your popsicle stick with the fold of the fan touching the top of the popsicle stick.
- Glue the next fan section on top. Make sure the fan folds point the same direction.
- Glue the last fan section on top.
- Glue the other popsicle stick on top. Press down to get a good seal.
- Let the glue dry for a few minutes.
- Open your fan and cool yourself off.
![a photo of the 3 shapes cut out next to scissors on a table](earthfan2.en.jpg)
![a photo showing hands making the first fold](earthfan3.en.jpg)
![a photo of the paper turned over so the white side is facing up, and hands making the second fan fold](earthfan4.en.jpg)
![a close up of the fan shape that results after 1 sheet is folded](earthfan6.en.jpg)
![a photo of the fan folded in half](earthfan7.en.jpg)
![a photo of a glue stick being applied to the inside of the fan fold](earthfan8.en.jpg)
![the fan is glued together, making a pie piece shape or wedge](earthfan10.en.jpg)
![a photo of the three fan wedges all folded and glued](earthfan11.en.jpg)
![a photo of the first fan wedge glued to a popsicle stick](earthfan13.en.jpg)
![a photo of the second wedge being glued to the first wedge](earthfan14.en.jpg)
![a photo of all three wedges being glued together and attached to one popsicle stick](earthfan16.en.jpg)
![a photo of the second popsicle stick being glued on top of the compressed fan](earthfan17.en.jpg)
![a photo of hands squeezing the compressed fan together to allow the glue to dry](earthfan18.en.jpg)
![a finished, unfurled fan](earthfan19.en.jpg)
Remember what the colors represent:
The inner core is yellow.
The outer core is red.
The mantle is orange and tan.
The crust is a thin brown line.