Earth's surface crust is made of rock and minerals, and is broken into sections called tectonic plates that float on swirling magma below.

Plates usually creep along at just 1–2 inches per year, but when they move suddenly, it causes an earthquake — sudden shaking of the surface, most common where plates meet.

No building is fully "earthquake-proof" yet, but engineers design structures that can bend and flex with the shaking instead of breaking, using a process of designing, testing, and improving.

The activity: Students act as engineers, building a structure from toothpicks and mini marshmallows, then testing it on a pan of shaking gelatin (modeling an earthquake)

Please RSVP by contacting us so we can prepare your child’s materials. We also ask that you complete and sign the waiver before arriving for class.