Science Idea: Rocks and Gems

This is a relatively easy workbox theme.  Just toss in a couple of the worksheets (or plain paper) along with some reference texts, a pencil [the sheets require a penny, nail and metal file to test the hardness of the rocks, so include those too] and some rocks-and you have a mini-science lesson.  

We are using the Considering God's Creation program [continuing it from last semester] for the boy's science this year, and we are currently studying Rocks and Gems. So in true CM fashion, we set up an area for displaying our rock collection.  Since we live in the gravel pit area of the state, and our sub is located on a giant [no longer used] pit-we have a HUGE selection of rocks to choose from.  For the first time-living in a gravel pit area is actually a good thing (we usually curse the abundance of these rocks-as it is very hard to get anything to grow-rocks sprout like weeds and well-they are usually a nuisance]. We have a large variety too-from fossils, to sandstone, to volcanic rocks, to some we cannot even figure out.

It is very easy to get a collection going and fun to display them.  I wish I could find those cabinets that museums use to keep their goodies, maybe I will someday, but for now-the counter will do.  The egg carton serves as a nice tote for the rocks and you can have your student label their specimens too.  We haven't gotten that far yet....but we do have some nice notes on a few so far (worksheet provided in CGC worktext-and these are very nice-thorough and useful)...

 *all books are from the library, and you need a big variety due to there being so many rocks-the cross reference is necessary. Unless you have a geologist/petrologist in the family. The elephant carving was a gift  :) but that is soapstone, so it counts.

There are only a couple of these forms in the worktext, so I made copies-as I want the boy to do quite a few to get a good idea of the variety of rocks out there.