We've had a lot of fun studying rocks this last week, even if I'm not very good at identifying them. Having a geologist in the family isn't the key to having a fun rock study, however -- rocks are! So, where do you get the rocks?* Email groups. A great way to get rocks from all over the country is to simply ask the people in your email groups to mail you a few interesting ones. We did a rock exchange with several families and wound up with a nice variety of rocks we might not otherwise be able to find in our area.
* Friends and family. If you've got friends or relatives in other parts of the country, ask them to send you some interesting rocks. Even those who live in the same area you're in may be a good source. We got a really nice collection of rocks from the "overstock" of a rock-collecting friends set.
* Rock Hounds Clubs. We purchased a set of rock from a local rock hounds club. This was a really neat set because it had an example of each type of rock (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic) and included some interesting specimens that we'd probably not have been able to find otherwise.
* Museums. Many children's museums or aquariums offer rocks and gemstones for sale.
And, thanks to 5intow at Delighting in His Riches, we were able to identify some of the rocks in our collection. Although I'm still not very good at identifying them, she send me the link to The Rock Key, which definitely helped. We'd decide what we thought the rock was, then, Google to find a picture to see if we were correct. It was definitely more fun than reading about rocks in a book.
Now, to get to the library and pick up that field guide.
**Be sure to enter my giveaway to win a copy of Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys! Click here for details.**
I've got a few rock hounds over here. I can't wait to get out our geology stuff. I got the kids a rock pick, field guide, rocks to identify, and a mining for gems kit plus some rocks that glow in the dark. Anyways, I'm looking forward to identifying the different characteristics. Thanks for the tips on getting more rocks, I hadn't thought of those.
ReplyDeleteBrenda @ http://www.thetiethatbindsus.blogspot.com
Whoa! We just went to a rock shop on Tuesday! I was telling my kids how I used to collect them when I was their ages, and still do if a small one jumps out at me... like that amethyst crystal did. It was just a buck and a half, and I couldn't help myself! Anyways, it was fun to read your post so soon after... Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for this info! I have a son that loves to throw rocks, one that loves to learn about rocks and one that likes to eat them-hee hee... Do you have the name of a good book or field guide to identify rocks? ssealing@cfaith.com
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post ! Thanks for sharing it in the CM Blog Carnival.
ReplyDeleteGrace & Peace,
Tammy
I love the idea of a rock exchange. We did this a long time ago with someone in VA and it was interesting to see the different kinds of rocks.
ReplyDeleteWe are working on our rock collection this spring so I loved seeing all your resources and ideas.
Thanks for submitting this to the carnival.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
Oh neat!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen many posts on rock collecting. My daughter...not my sons...is into rock collecting a bit.
My children all love rocks- seems I always have a collection popping up somewhere in my home! Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeletePauline in Australia "O)
Great ideas!! We have a big container of rocks my boys have collected it would be nice to be able to identify some of them =) Be Blessed-Angie in GA
ReplyDelete