Apply your research on acid rain into this erosion experiment. Line up four identical glass beakers and place identical-sized pieces of chalk in each one. Add 100ml of distilled water in one beaker and label in "control." Add 75ml distilled water and 25ml pure vinegar into another and label it "75/25." Pour 50ml of both distilled water and pure vinegar into a third beaker and label "50/50." Finally, add 25ml distilled water 75ml pure vinegar into the remaining beaker and label "25/75." Start a timer and observe the chalk once every 10 minutes for at least two hours to see the effect of your simulated acid rain. Conclude your experiment after at least two hours, noting the changes in chalk, before considering how acid rain affects buildings, structures and the natural features of the land.
To complete this project, you need three different categories of rocks -- sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic -- that are roughly the same size; three sealable containers that you can place the rocks inside; and access to a freezer. Place each rock in a separate container and write the name of the rock type on the container with a marker. Fill each container with water, seal with a lid or stopper and place inside a freezer. Leave the containers for 24 hours before removing them to thaw out in a sink. Once the ice has thawed completely, place the three bottles back in a freezer for a further 24 hours. Repeat the thawing and freezing process another two to four times before removing rocks from the bottles and looking at them through a magnifying glass to observe the damage caused by ice.
Demonstrate how soil is eroded by rain through this simple science experiment. Find two patches of soil in your garden at home or a local park that are each about a foot squared. Manipulate the surface of one patch of soil by removing all grass, rocks, insects and debris and smoothing it flat with a shovel. Leave the other patch as you found it. Write a hypothesis as to what you think would happen if you poured the same volume of water onto each soil patch. Fill a watering can with 1/2 a liter of tap water and empty it over each of the patches of soil from a height of 12 inches. Observe the effects of the water on each patch of soil before concluding how grass, rocks, insects and debris help prevent soil erosion, while the flat, clear soil is heavily effected by the water.
Use this science experiment to show how sand dunes are formed by weathering. Take a shallow baking tray and fill it halfway with fine sand. Shake the tray with your hands until the sand has evened out flat. Before each stage of this experiment, note down your hypothesis for what will happen. Take a straight plastic straw and gently blow onto the sand's surface. Observe the effects of blowing onto the sand and think about what happens when wind gusts in the desert. Shake the tray out to flatten the sand once more before spraying tap water from a bottle to dampen the sand. Make sure all of the sand is dampened before writing your hypothesis for what will happen when you blow on the now damp sand. Repeat the blowing process using the straw and note your observations.