Our modern lives are enabled by a huge range of appliances and technologies, from mobile phones and household items to the wind turbines and solar panels that are powering our sustainable future. These everyday items appear in our lives without much thought as to where they come from and how they are made, yet they all have something surprising in common: they rely on a whole host of metals and minerals that are extracted from the ground.
Resources available in this section
![A wooden tree sculpture adorned with items from modern life. Commoditree BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/P1035830-645x960.jpg)
Modern life doesn’t grow on trees!
Modern Life Doesn’t Grow On Trees is a touring festival stand curated and designed by BGS’ public engagement team and scientists, which features #TheCommoditree installation.
![Illustration of an electric vehicle. © Shutterstock](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/CMIC-resources-shutterstock-1614773872.jpg)
Critical raw materials classroom activities
Our modern lives rely on a whole host of metals and minerals that are extracted from the ground. These curriculum-linked lessons are designed to engage pupils with the idea of Critical Minerals.
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![Hazards_Feature_P920770](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Hazards_Feature_P920770.jpg)
Earth hazards resources
Make a volcano model or work through some classroom activities that introduce P- and S- waves, earthquake seismology and marsquakes.
![Spiral timeline](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Fossils_geological_time_feature-1.jpg)
Fossils and geological time resources
You can download, print and make a number of paper dinosaur puppets to play with or colour-in a geological timeline to hang in your bedroom or classroom.
![Fragments of rocks found around Rutland Water, the oolitic limestone is at the top, a green-grey stripy volcanic rock is to the right, then chert (white), quartz (red), ironstone (brown) and granite (grey, white, black, pink). Source: BGS © UKRI](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/rocks-around-rutland-water_960x645.jpg)
Rock observation resources
Activities to help budding geologists identify rocks and minerals. Available resources include grain size charts, rock loan kits, and classroom activites.
![©iStock.com/sscreative](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/child-and-mud-1_960x645.jpg)
The CheMUDstry Investigation
Our CheMUDstry investigation makes use of mud pies and uses them in different activities to look at soil chemistry. Use the observation booklet to practise taking soil samples and make observations of soil samples and their environment.