Feels...
- hard
- rough when in the natural state.
- dry
- heavy
- smooth when faced with a special tool.
- patterned when carved - some types of stone are easier to carve than others.
Find examples of carvings in stone. Try local churches, old buildings and
displays from the ancient world in Birmingham Museums.
Keeps
in...
-
warmth
- stone is a good insulator of heat which is why old cottages have thick walls
to keep them warm in the winter.
-
heat
- once stone has been heated, it will stay warm for a long time so it can
be used for ovens and bed warmers and storage radiators.
-
cold
- marble remains cool and was used for surfaces in food larders.
When a teacher is supervising experiment with warming in the oven the same
size lumps of different types of stone. Remove them and see which keeps warm
the longest.
Resists...
-
fire
-
some
types of stone, such as granite, resists wearing better than others
-
some
stone resists water better than others and can be used as tiles for the roof
-
some
stone is more brittle than others and will split, for example, slate
Look in books and around your neighbourhood for stone buildings. Note the
different types of stone used.
Changes...
-
some
types of stone can be dissolved in acid
-
when
subject to weathering - some types of soft stone like sandstone can be worn
and damaged by wind, rain and grit battering it in a storm.
Find examples of weathered stone - sometimes the details of a carving on the
outside of a building has completely disappeared because of weathering.
