Early Earth: A dynamic and changing place

Travel back billions of years and discover how microscopic organisms changed the conditions for life on Earth forever.

Investigate the structures they formed and the chemical processes they used to create oxygen-rich oceans and an atmosphere creating conditions for multicellular life to flourish.

Explore the iron rich deposits they helped create providing a wealth of mineral resources supporting the Western Australian economy.

Student experience

Students will:

• Travel back in time to explore Archean Earth
• Investigate the Great Oxygenation Event and the formation of stromatolites
• Use digital microscopes to observe and record cyanobacteria
• Handle authentic stromatolites
• Explore the origins of life through examples in the Origins Gallery

Program Feedback 

"Excellent! Great information and age appropriate. Loved how they incorporated an experiment as well as walking into the museum, very practical." (Year 4/5 teacher)

Skills development

This program links to the following strands of the Western Australian Curriculum:

Science

Year 4

• Earth and space sciences: Weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition cause slow or rapid change to Earth's surface (WA4SSUE1)
• Biological sciences: Producers, consumers and decomposers have roles within an ecosystem and interact in ways that can be represented by food chains (WA4SSUB1)

Year 5 

• Biological sciences: Living things have structural and behavioural adaptations that enable their survival in their environment (WA5SSUB1)

Year 6

• Biological sciences: The growth and survival of living things are affected by the changing conditions in their environment and the influence of human activities (WA6SSUB1)

All facilitated workshops are led by the Museum’s experienced Learning and Engagement team and have been curated using the Museum’s unique resources to provide a deeper learning experience in our specialist subject areas.

Your booking for a facilitated workshop will include all materials and activities for the duration of the program with no prior preparation required.

As part of all facilitated workshop bookings, you are welcome to explore the rest of the Museum free of charge pre or post workshop and do not need to make any additional bookings to do so.  WA Museum Boola Bardip is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm.