Blog Post Written by Year 5 Brufftopians
Tuesday, October 31, 2017, Mr. Bruff’s class went to Whipple Hill for a field trip. The students were very excited. They learned a lot about erosion, weathering, and the many different kinds of rocks on Whipple Hill.
Students went to the summit to study the different rock formations. We learned that all rock formations can change in any weather. At the top of the mountain, there was a big puddle of water. This is important because when water hits rocks enough times, it will change the shape of the rock. That is what weathering is. Let’s say water made it into the cracks at the top of the mountain. If the water were to freeze, it would expand, then BOOM, it would crack the rock causing the Whipple Hill rock to erode.
On our trip down Whipple Hill, we stumbled by a peculiar tree. One theory students had was a tree had grown next to a rock and prevented the hill from eroding. At some point the hill must have eroded, causing the rock to fall down Whipple Hill leaving a tree that was bent over with a hole to see completely through it.
Question students had about the peculiar tree:
- “How was the tree bent over?”
- “Where did the rock go that had changed the shape of the tree?”
- “What happened to make the other part of the tree break or make it hollow?”
- “How did the tree form like that?”
The class had a great time at Whipple Hill. We would like to go again.