Just Wearing Away
Characters: Roger Rock, Benny Boulder, Wilma Wind, Rory River, Tiny Boulder, Tiny Rock
Props: water spray bottle, cookie sheet for thunder noise.
Roger Rock Howdy, Benny Boulder.
Benny Boulder Hi, Roger Rock.
Rock Benny, do you ever think about the future? You know, like what you’re gonna be when you grow up?
Boulder When I grow up? Roger, we’re boulders! We don’t grow up – we grow down!
Rock What do you mean, we grow down?
Boulder I mean, we keep getting smaller. You know, it’s because of erosion.
Rock Erosion? What does that mean?
Boulder Erosion means wearing away and carrying away. The agents of erosion are always grinding away at us, breaking off chunks, sanding us down, carrying us off, bit by bit. Why, in a few million years, we’ll be nothing but dirt.
Rock Wow! They must be powerful agents if they can turn a giant boulder like you into dirt!
Boulder They sure are. Don’t you remember the glacier that brought us here? Glaciers are powerful agents of erosion.
Rock Glaciers? You mean that thick layer of snow and ice that once filled up this whole valley? I remember that ride. It carried us along and then dropped us off here when it melted.
Boulder That’s right, Roger. That glacier carved out this valley! It scraped off rocks from the sides and ground them up into gravel, scooped out those lakes, and rounded out those mountaintops.
Rock Glaciers are like bulldozers! Brmm, brmm! (moving back and forth like a bulldozer) Nothing could be as powerful as a glacier, could it?
Boulder Well, gravity is pretty strong too. It keeps pulling everything downhill. Why, I can feel gravity working on me right now. Uh oh! I’m beginning to slide! So long, Roger! I’m going dowwwwwwwn. (exits, hit cookie sheet to make a loud bang)
Rock So long, Benny! I guess gravity is a powerful agent of erosion too! (sound of howling wind) Now what’s that noise?
Wilma Wind It’s me, Wilma Wind. Sometimes I’m a gentle breeze, but sometimes I can blow hard like this! Woosh!
Rock (tilting to the side) Wow! You are strong! Are you an agent of erosion, too?
Wind Yes, and when I blow hard, I can pick up loose sand and move it around!
Rock Ouch! You’re pelting me with sand. That stings!
Wind It’ll wear you down too. And I can build up sand dunes or blow them away. And when I’m a tornado, I can pick up houses and cars and rocks like you.
Rock Now that would be a wild ride!
Wind Well, I’ll be on my way now. So long, Roger Rock. (exits)
Rock Lucky for me! (spray water at audience) Hey, it’s starting to rain. Why, these little raindrops are carrying off bits of sand and dirt. They’re agents of erosion too. (spray more water) Hey! All this rain is washing away the ground under me. I’m starting to slip! Whoa! Look out below!
Rory River Hold on tight, Roger Rock! After all that rain, I’m a raging river. I’m so swift and strong, I can carry big rocks like you along!
Rock (bouncing up and down) Whoopie! It’s like riding a bucking bronco! Only I keep bumping into other rocks or hitting the stream banks.
River Yes, by the time you reach the sea, you’ll be as smooth as glass!
Rock You sure are a powerful agent of erosion if you can polish a rough rock like me.
River I am strong. I carved out this channel long ago, and when I’m full, I’ll carve away the banks and carry away the sand and silt.
Rock All this silt in the water must make it hard for the fish to breathe.
River Yes, it’s better when there are trees on the banks to hold the soil in place. Well, Roger, I’m heading out to sea now, so I’ll leave you here on this beach. So long! (rushing water sound as river exits)
Rock Shucks, it was fun running the rapids.
Gee, I sure have met some powerful agents of erosion – glaciers and gravity, raindrops, rivers and wind. I wish I could tell Benny Boulder about them.
(rattle cookie sheet to make thunder)
Is that thunder? No! It’s the surf. Here come the booming breakers! They must be agents of erosion too. Looks like I’m off for another wild ride! Whoopie! (exits)
Tiny Benny Boulder and Tiny Roger Rock appear. High voices.
Tiny Rock Howdy stranger!
Tiny Boulder Hi!
Tiny Rock What’s your name?
Tiny Boulder I’m Benny Boulder.
Tiny Rock Benny Boulder? Hee hee! You? You’re just a tiny pebble!
Tiny Boulder (offended) Well, I was a boulder, but I got eroded.
Tiny Rock You mean you’re really Benny? I used to know you when you were a big boulder. Remember me? I’m Roger Rock!
Tiny Boulder Roger Rock? Look at you. You’re no bigger than a peanut!
Tiny Rock Well, you’re no bigger than a pea!
Tiny Boulder I guess we’ve both met some agents of erosion.
Tiny Rock Yeah, we sure have. So, Benny, what do you want to be when you get older?
Tiny Boulder I want to be dirt.
Tiny Rock Yeah, me too! For things to grow in. And you know what?
Tiny Boulder We’re almost there!
Tiny Boulder and Tiny Rock Yippee! Hurray! Hurray for erosion! Yay!
THE END
Nearby Nature 