40 + Resources for Rocks and Minerals
My daughter has been interested in studying rocks off and on for over 3 years! I’ve looked into Rock Collection Kits, Rock Collector’s Backpack, and tons of other resources that cost BIG BUCKS. We homeschool on an almost zero budget so those items are way out of the question. Disclosure: I have used affiliate links which add no cost to you but help support our blog and our homeschool.
In the beginning, Princess just wanted to collect rocks and examine them. Easy and inexpensive, right? Just so happens that I had a small collection of rocks and some rocks from Colorado that I had collected as a kid. Some were at our house but most were at grandma’s. Off we went to grandma’s playroom and craft room to find those rocks. Once we were in the playroom there was a Rock Game on the shelf-BINGO!
Creationist Resources:
Fossils from Answers in Genesis
Geology from Answers in Genesis
Study Guides from New Leaf Press– includes Archaeology, Astronomy, Caves, Ecology,Fossils, Geology, Ocean and Weather plus many more!
Lapbooks, Printables, and Unit Studies:
Rock and Roll: A Kindergarten Science Unit on Rocks and Soil
Magic School Bus: Rock Road Trip Lapbook – Yee Shall Know
Rocks and Mineral Lapbook – Homeschool Treasure Trove
Geology ideas and printables – Eclectic Education
Geology printables – Enchanted Learning
Eclectic Homeschool Online– tons of resources and websites
Free Teacher Pay Teacher Resources for Rocks & Minerals
K-12 Earth Science from Geological Society of America
Moh’s Hardness Scale to test the Hardness of a Rock
Journey Along a Field Line
A sixteen-page comic book about the Earth’s magnetic field. Travel down through the interior of the earth then back up into the ionosphere to learn how the magnetic field works.
Ohio Geology Unit Study (Pay What You Want on Currclick)- This is a unit study I helped to contribute too! (Affiliate link)
Rock, Mineral, and Gems Unit Study from Noah’s Ark Homeschool has a huge list of resources.
Rocks and Minerals Lapbook and Unit Study from Simply Necessary
Rocks and Minerals Unit Study from Sarah’s Sweeties
Rocks Unit Study from the Home School Mom
Rock & Mineral Lesson Plans from Dottie’s Homeschool Universe
Rock Identification Tables-Identify almost any rock type you’re likely to find
Learning Laboratory: Rocks from Mama Smiles
Rock Definitions Worksheet from The Teacher’s Wife
Rock Unit Study and Classifying Gemstones from Weiser Academy
Rock Tray from Homeschool Escapades
USGS Science Resources for Primary Grades (K–6)
Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Module– interactive website
FREE Ebooks:
Geology– mostly high school or college level (Evolution may be presented)
Minerals and Rocks– a complete ebook of over 160 pages about rocks.
Rocks and Minerals Resource list from Dakota State includes games and powerpoints
PRESCHOOL:
Exploring Rocks with Toddlers from House of Burke
Hints for Rock Collectors (USGS website)
- Label specimens as they are collected. Identification can wait until later, but the place where the rocks were found should be recorded at once. Many collections have become mixed up because the collector did not do this.
- Trim rocks in the collection to a common size. Specimens about 3 by 4 by 2 inches are large enough to show rock features well. Other display sizes are 2 by 3 by 1 inch, or 3 by 3 by 2 inches.
- Ask for permission to collect rocks on private property. The owners will appreciate this courtesy on your part.
- Be careful when collecting rocks. Work with another person, if possible, and carry a first aid kit. Wear protective clothing–safety glasses, hard-toed shoes, hard hat, and gloves–when dislodging specimens. Avoid overhanging rock and the edges of steep, natural or quarried walls.
- Do not collect rocks in national parks and monuments or in State parks; it is illegal. Similar rocks commonly crop out on land nearby.
- Look for unusual rocks to study in large buildings or in cemeteries. Dimension stone blocks and monument stone are often transported long distances from where they are quarried. Polished stone sometimes looks different from unpolished rock. This provides good identification practice.
- Join a mineral club or subscribe to a mineral magazine. They occasionally discuss rocks.
- Collecting rocks from each State or country has no scientific significance. The distribution of rocks is a natural phenomenon and is not related to political divisions.
CRAFTS:
Making Boxes for your Rock and Mineral Collection
Cut-and-assemble Mineral Crystal Shapes
VIDEOS:
Tips for Growing Sugar Crystals
Paid Products
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