Earthquakes alive! That is the lab 6th graders were doing to test different materials to see if they could withstand a pretend earthquake. Students used Starbursts, sugar cubes and gel candies to make skyscrapers on their boxes. They then tapped lightly with a pencil eraser to simulate a small quake and then strongly to simulate a major quake. Students observed different amounts of damage as well as how long it took for the damage to occur to the different structures on top of the cardboard box. Students also observed whether damage was worse at the epicenter of their quake or further away. Although it is a noisy lab, it so worth it to watch students learn in a creative way!