Jeanette Moore - Tunnels!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

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Have you ever driven toward a city and the road goes underground? Maybe youve had to drive under a large body of water or through a mountain. Tunnels help drivers get to where they need to be. Without a tunnel, youd have to go around the city, water, or mountain and add hours to your driving time!

Tunnels are hollow structures that exist underground. Some tunnels are dug by animals and insects. Many animals burrow in the dirt to go deep in the ground. They travel from place to place in their tunnels. Animals also store food, care for their young, and stay safe in tunnels.

WORDS TO KNOW

tunnel: a passageway that goes through or under natural or manmade obstacles, such as rivers, mountains, roads, and buildings.

hollow: having a hole or empty space inside.

burrow: to dig an underground hole or tunnel.

obstacle: something that blocks your way.

natural resource: something from nature that people can use in some way, such as water, stone, and wood.

destination: the place to which someone or something is going.

arch: a curved structure in the shape of an upside-down U.

cylinder: a hollow tube shape.

Humans dig tunnels for some of the same reasons as animals! People dig tunnels so they can move through or under obstacles , such as rivers and mountains. Tunnels can also move water from one place to another. Some tunnels are used to bring coal and other natural resources out of the ground.

WHAT IS A TUNNEL?

A tunnel is a passageway to another space. Tunnels can take us to the other side of a mountain, deep underground, and even beneath the ocean. Tunnels allow us to move to new destinations .

The tunnels we use are usually manmade. That means a person or group of people designed and built the tunnel for a reason. Some tunnels are shaped like an arch , which looks like half of a cylinder , or tube. Other tunnels are round, like a complete cylinder.

WORDS TO KNOW

echo: a sound caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface back to the listener.

reflection: when light or sound hits an object and bounces off it.

length: the measurement of something from end to end.

transport: to move goods or people from one place to another.

A tunnel is hollow. There is space in it, and nothing else! Because a tunnel has sides and a roof, the wind from the outside can be blocked. Sometimes, though, wind can be created by vehicles passing through the tunnel.

Have you ever shouted while in a tunnel or a cave? What did it sound like? You might have heard an echo . An echo is a reflection of sound. The sound created by your voice travels down the tunnel and bounces off the walls, making a repeating sound. The echo extends sound right along the length of the tunnel.

Humans have been designing tunnels for thousands of years. Early humans used tunnels for shelter, just as animals do. Now, humans use tunnels to transport things. Tunnels serve as ways to get items from one place to another. We can travel through them with our cars, trucks, and trains. Even boats travel through tunnels!

DID YOU KNOW?

Do you have satellite radio in your car? Sometimes, a person driving through a tunnel will discover that their satellite radio stops working. This is because the satellite signal is blocked by the soil and rock around the tunnel, so the service is interrupted until they come out the other end. This can happen to cell phones, too.

WORDS TO KNOW

irrigate: to supply land with water so that crops and plants will grow.

fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. These non-renewable energy sources come from the fossils of plants and tiny animals that lived millions of years ago.

sewer: a drain for wastewater.

cavern: a cave, especially one that is large and mostly underground.

earthquake: a sudden movement in pieces of the outer layer of the earth.

DID YOU KNOW?

Early civilizations dug tunnels to irrigate , or water, their crops. Today, some gardeners still use tunnels to bring water to their plants.

Tunnels are also used to transport fossil fuels , such as natural gas, crude oil, and propane. These products provide us with energy for our homes. Tunnels are dug for plumbing, sewers , and to transport water. Powerlines can even be placed in underground tunnels, to bring electricity to large cities and local neighborhoods.