The students are introduced to the concept of the Cosmic Dance of the Elements when they hear the First Great Lesson story. After the Big Bang, all heat, energy, and matter were released from a space the size of a fingernail. The particles started to attract each other to make globules. The game Nebula Tag illustrates this part of the story. As the globules attract more particles and grow bigger, they go through The Cosmic Dance of the Elements. The Cosmic Dance of the Elements helps the students understand how heavy particles move to the core of a star or planet. It also explains how lighter particles move to the surface. This is called convection.

The basis of the Cosmic Dance of the Elements is a straightforward premise: when things get hot, they rise, and when things get cool, they settle. An easy example to use with younger students is a pot of boiling water. As the water gets hot, it bubbles and boils, releasing steam. If the burner is turned off, all the water eventually settles, and there is no more rising action. Another example is how a hot air balloon can float. When the air in the balloon is heated, it rises, lifting it too. As the heat is decreased, the altitude of the balloon also decreases. The action of convection called the Cosmic Dance of the Elements, is played through a simple tag-based game that your lower elementary students will love.

Materials: 

·      A large play area

·      Something red and something blue

o   It could be pool noodles used for tagging, jerseys to show who the taggers are, handkerchiefs that the students wear on their wrists, etc.

Minimum Number of Students Needed: This game can be played with as few as five players but is more fun with an entire class.

Age: Lower elementary