Instructions
Read the short story about the amazing "living rocks" at Lake Clifton, and then complete the fun activities below!
Meet the Thrombolites!
Imagine a rock that is actually alive! Well, kind of. In a special place in Australia called Lake Clifton, there are strange, lumpy things in the water called thrombolites. They look like bumpy grey rocks, but they are built by billions of tiny, tiny living things called microbes.
These microbes are super old! They are some of the oldest life forms on Earth. For millions of years, they have been slowly building these rocky homes for themselves, layer by layer. A long, long time ago, before dinosaurs or even plants, these little microbes helped make the air on our planet breathable by releasing something called oxygen. So, next time you take a big breath, you can thank ancient microbes like the ones that build thrombolites!
Activity 1: Thrombolite True or False?
Read each sentence below. Is it true or is it false? Circle your answer!
- Thrombolites are made by giant sea monsters.
TRUE / FALSE - You can find thrombolites in Lake Clifton.
TRUE / FALSE - Thrombolites are brand new and were only made last year.
TRUE / FALSE - Tiny living things called microbes build thrombolites.
TRUE / FALSE
Activity 2: Word Scramble
Unscramble these words from the story. They are all mixed up!
- KROC → _________________________
- KALE → _________________________
- CIMBORE → _________________________
- TINECNA → _________________________
- XENOGY → _________________________
Activity 3: Draw the Living Rocks!
Thrombolites look like lumpy, bumpy, grey rocks sitting together in the shallow water. Use your imagination and draw what you think the thrombolites of Lake Clifton look like in the box below!
Your Drawing Here
Activity 4: Fill in the Blanks
Use the words from the word bank to complete the sentences.
Word Bank: old microbes Lake Clifton rocks breathe
- Thrombolites look like lumpy ____________________.
- They are built by tiny living things called ____________________.
- You can find these special living rocks at ____________________.
- Thrombolites are very, very ____________________.
- Long ago, they helped make oxygen for us to ____________________.
Answer Key
Activity 1: Thrombolite True or False?
- FALSE
- TRUE
- FALSE
- TRUE
Activity 2: Word Scramble
- KROC → ROCK
- KALE → LAKE
- CIMBORE → MICROBE
- TINECNA → ANCIENT
- XENOGY → OXYGEN
Activity 3: Draw the Living Rocks!
This is a drawing activity. Answers will vary based on your amazing imagination!
Activity 4: Fill in the Blanks
- rocks
- microbes
- Lake Clifton
- old
- breathe