This is a photo of a glacier. A glacier is a slow-moving chunk of frozen water. Water can be found everywhere on Earth, though! Water can be found underground, in oceans, seas, ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps, streams, our atmosphere, and more. This is just one location to find water on Earth.

This is a photo of a river. A river is a large stream of flowing water. Water can be found everywhere on Earth, though! Water can be found underground, in oceans, seas, ponds, lakes, glaciers, swamps, streams, our atmosphere, and more. This is just one location to find water on Earth.

This is a photo of an ocean. An ocean is a large expansive collection of saltwater. Water can be found everywhere on Earth, though! Water can be found underground, in glaciers, seas, ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps, streams, our atmosphere, and more. This is just one location to find water on Earth. A majority of Earth's water (97%) is located in oceans.

This is a photo of a pond. A pond is a naturally formed small body of still water. Water can be found everywhere on Earth, though! Water can be found underground, in oceans, seas, glaciers, lakes, rivers, swamps, streams, our atmosphere, and more. This is just one location to find water on Earth.

Erosion is the changing of the land's shape due to the movement of weathered bits of earth to another place. When wind and water pick up bits of rocks, dirt, and debris from the ground, they bring them to new locations. This movement changes the shape of the land and creates new landforms.

Beach erosion is widespread and changes the shape of the land forever. The most reasonable and practical way to slow the wind and water would be to bring in sand to rebuild the beach; this will add more shoreline and help to strengthen the coast. Then they can build barriers in the water to help break some of the waves before they reach the shore, so there isn't as much force pounding into the rocks and sand. This should help slow some of the erosion and stop the land from changing.

This classroom investigation is very much like the real process of erosion that happens in the natural world. The students' production that the "wind" will blow the sand everywhere is correct. The best option to prevent the changing of the landform is to build a wall in front of the hill. Building the wall behind it still leaves the hill exposed and will not help. Also, making a river will not stop the "wind" from blowing, so it is not a good option. A wall would be secure and take the gust of wind instead of the hill, thus saving it from breaking apart.

Many towns face a similar problem to this because moving water is so strong. The force of the water can cause the riverbanks to change shape, which can be dangerous if there are buildings or homes constructed right along the river. The best option would be to build a dam upstream that would stop the water flow downstream. The town could control how much water passes through the dam so that the damage can be limited. This solution could slow the erosion and stop the changing of the land's shape.

London's simple example of eating a lollipop is very much like wind and water, changing the shape of the land. As waves crash into the shore of a beach, they move sand away and expose rocks that change the way the area looks. Rivers often rush through canyons carving the sides into new shapes and sights. Licking the lollipop is wearing it down and changing the shape.

The best and most reasonable choice for slowing wind and water from changing the shape of the land would be to bring in new sand or dirt to fill in areas that have started to wear away. Erosion is the movement of materials that have been broken down, so bringing in new sand or dirt can help slow the water and wind from changing the landform.