Toilet Tissue Timeline
Credits
(Source: DynamicEarth.co.uk)
Background
The Earth is 4.6 billion years old and human experience is just a small part of this ancient timeline. The Earth is a dynamic planet that has experienced and continues to experience many changes, including the formation of continents, extinctions, glaciation and climate change.
Objectives
To construct a model of Earth’s history and learn how our planet has changed over time.
Materials
- A roll of toilet paper
- Crayons/coloured markers
Instructions
Working together with your family, construct a timeline by carefully rolling out the toilet paper, and numbering the sheets to keep count. When you arrive at an important event in Earth’s history, carefully write the event on the tissue, or mark it with a symbol, using a coloured marker and record it on a piece of paper. Refer to the information in the chart below to construct your timeline. When you have completed your timeline discuss the Earth’s history model with your family. Was everyone surprised at how many sheets were required to create the timeline?
Was anyone surprised by any of the events in the history of the Earth?
Toilet Paper Timeline
(~200 sheets)
| Sheets from START | Sheets from previous marker | Earth Event |
| 1 Sheet | 1 Sheet | Planet Earth formed |
| 4 Sheets | 3 Sheets | Earth’s core and crust formed |
| 9 Sheets | 5 Sheets | Oceans formed |
| 33 Sheets | 24 Sheets | First life appeared |
| 135 Sheets | 102 Sheets | Oxygen begins accumulating in the atmosphere |
| 170 Sheets | 35 Sheets | First animals |
| 178 Sheets | 8 Sheets | First vertebrates |
| 184 Sheets | 6 Sheets | First land plants |
| 185 Sheets | 1 Sheet | First land animals |
| 190 Sheets | 5 Sheets | First dinosaurs |
| 197 Sheets | 7 Sheets | Extinction of the dinosaurs |
| 200 Sheets | 3 Sheets | First humans |
| 200 Sheets | 0 Sheets | Present day |
