Geological timeline

As an earth science teacher, I have the pleasure of helping students understand that Earth is a dynamic system, one that is ever changing.  Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to travel cross country with my two children.  During our journeys, we visited sites such as the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest in Arizona.  We also drove through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, over the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass, which is over 14,000 ft in elevation.  I was able to take many pictures, of which I will share with my students at the start of the school year, depicting the sediment layers of Earth.  Students will be able to see, through my personal photos, landforms created from wind and water erosion.  We will also be able to discuss the fossil record based upon my learnings from the Petrified Forest.  Discussions of mountains and mountain building processes will also ensue.  I am excited to be able to share these experiences with my students.  Although I live and teach in Southern California, most of my students will not have had the experience of seeing these sights, even though they are only a day's drive away.