With some of the most astonishing landscapes in the world, Iceland is the perfect school trip destination for educators seeking to show their students how diverse and dramatic the natural world can be - and how humanity can work with it. With its volcanoes, hot springs, frozen wilds and wonderful cities, Iceland provides a wealth of wonders to marvel at and investigate, consolidating and expanding knowledge of the sciences. Read on to find out what your students have in store for them.
Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
An ice cap covering the caldera of a volcano, Eyjafjallajökull is a fascinating marriage of two natural extremes, fire and ice. The ice cap feeds several outlet glaciers, forming lakes and lagoons, while the volcano remains active with frequent explosive eruptions - recently and most famously in 2010. If visiting on a school trip, the learning opportunities surrounding this awe-inspiring structure are myriad. Students can examine the features of the landscape that has formed around it, learn about the way the ice cap and volcano affect each other, and discuss the global impact of the 2010 eruptions. The build-up of seismic activity before the eruptions, the evacuation of surrounding areas, the work done by scientists to discover when and where the eruption began and how it would develop, and the volcanic ash cloud that disrupted air travel for weeks, are all interesting topics made all the more exciting by the volcano's presence.
Thingvellir National Park
The Thingvellir area of Iceland is a place of astounding natural beauty and great historical significance. Anyone interested in the planet's geology will be impressed by the rift valley, which is really the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and by the cracks in the ground that bear witness to the continental drift between America and Eurasia. There is also the site of the establishment of Iceland's parliament, in 930, and the social centre of the country throughout the Commonwealth period. It is greatly beloved as a cultural as well as a geographical treasure - thus offering great curricular links for the geographers and historians in your science school trip group.
The Great Geysir
Another of Iceland's incredible dramatic phenomena to see on a school trip is Geysir, known to the rest of the world as the Great Geysir - it erupts boiling water up into the sky, reaching as high as 70 metres. It is thought to have been active for about 10,000 years, and became the subject of much study and fascination in the 18th century, when its name was taken and applied to the phenomenon generally. It was researched extensively by Robert Bunsen, who provided the first accurate measurements of the height and timings of its eruptions. His work provides an enlightening piece of science history for those interested.
Angela Bowden works for STS (School Travel Service), the UK's largest educational travel company, providing school trips for secondary schools, primary schools and colleges. A school trip with STS can encompass art/design, foreign languages, history, science/nature, geography and more, to worldwide destinations.
Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
An ice cap covering the caldera of a volcano, Eyjafjallajökull is a fascinating marriage of two natural extremes, fire and ice. The ice cap feeds several outlet glaciers, forming lakes and lagoons, while the volcano remains active with frequent explosive eruptions - recently and most famously in 2010. If visiting on a school trip, the learning opportunities surrounding this awe-inspiring structure are myriad. Students can examine the features of the landscape that has formed around it, learn about the way the ice cap and volcano affect each other, and discuss the global impact of the 2010 eruptions. The build-up of seismic activity before the eruptions, the evacuation of surrounding areas, the work done by scientists to discover when and where the eruption began and how it would develop, and the volcanic ash cloud that disrupted air travel for weeks, are all interesting topics made all the more exciting by the volcano's presence.
Thingvellir National Park
The Thingvellir area of Iceland is a place of astounding natural beauty and great historical significance. Anyone interested in the planet's geology will be impressed by the rift valley, which is really the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and by the cracks in the ground that bear witness to the continental drift between America and Eurasia. There is also the site of the establishment of Iceland's parliament, in 930, and the social centre of the country throughout the Commonwealth period. It is greatly beloved as a cultural as well as a geographical treasure - thus offering great curricular links for the geographers and historians in your science school trip group.
The Great Geysir
Another of Iceland's incredible dramatic phenomena to see on a school trip is Geysir, known to the rest of the world as the Great Geysir - it erupts boiling water up into the sky, reaching as high as 70 metres. It is thought to have been active for about 10,000 years, and became the subject of much study and fascination in the 18th century, when its name was taken and applied to the phenomenon generally. It was researched extensively by Robert Bunsen, who provided the first accurate measurements of the height and timings of its eruptions. His work provides an enlightening piece of science history for those interested.
Angela Bowden works for STS (School Travel Service), the UK's largest educational travel company, providing school trips for secondary schools, primary schools and colleges. A school trip with STS can encompass art/design, foreign languages, history, science/nature, geography and more, to worldwide destinations.