The Rock Cycle Key Words K-3

🪨✨🧠 Key Words & Concepts Explained

🔥 Igneous Rock

• What It Means: Rock that forms when melted rock (magma) cools down and gets hard.

• Kid Tip: Think of lava cooling like melted crayons becoming solid.

• Examples: Obsidian, granite

🏞️ Sedimentary Rock

• What It Means: Rock made from bits of sand, dirt, and shells that pile up and get squished together.

• Kid Tip: Like building a sandwich—layer after layer!

• Examples: Limestone, sandstone

⛏️ Metamorphic Rock

• What It Means: Rock that changes under heat and pressure deep inside Earth.

• Kid Tip: Like squishing and warming playdough to make a new shape.

• Examples: Marble, slate

💨 Weathering

• What It Means: When wind, rain, or ice slowly break rocks apart.

• Kid Tip: Nature's way of turning big rocks into tiny crumbs!

🚚 Erosion

• What It Means: When water, wind, or ice carry those crumbs (rock bits) to new places.

• Kid Tip: Like a rock road trip!

🔄 Rock Cycle

• What It Means: The way rocks change from one type to another—again and again!

• Kid Tip: Rocks go on a science adventure, changing shapes and types over time!

🌈 Simple Rock Cycle Path

1. Magma cools → makes igneous rocks

2. Igneous rocks break down → bits form sedimentary rocks

3. Heat & pressure → change them into metamorphic rocks

4. Metamorphic rocks melt → become magma again!