A Fun Education on Rocks and Minerals for Kids with links and a video.

It’s not surprising that girls love geology, as in rocks and minerals. Boys do too, but it’s just a hop, skip, and jump from rocks and minerals to jewelry and gems. My oldest had a pretty good rock and mineral collection but finally, after giving her room a solid purging, they ended up in the side garden where they sparkle in a tempting way every time we walk past them going in and out of the car. The rocks and minerals were gathered mostly from the Museums of Sciences in various cities from the gift shops where there is a flat fee for the filled pouch.

I had visions of “Science Fair” displays and delving into mineralogy but that never happened. Oh well. It will be fun to excavate that part of the yard for the stones one day! How about you? Are your kids fascinated by rocks and minerals? And if so, are they itching to identify them, or do they just like shiny, pretty things like my kids? Ok, so maybe they are future gemologists, not mineralogists. That’s fine too (and will probably result in better Mother’s Day gifts!)

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Rocks and Minerals Earth Science for Kids

I found some great sites for rocks and minerals from a homeschooling site if you want to explore this topic further with your kids.

Below is a great video to identify rocks:

Where Wonder Grows by Xelena González, illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia

Within the rocks, crystals, meteorites, and shells in Grandma’s garden are stories that she reveals to her granddaughters. Wonder blooms in each rock that was formed long before humans inhabited the earth, and each possesses knowledge. There is more information in the back matter about Indigenous cultures and how they used rocks in their ceremonies. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

What Can A Rock Reveal: Where They Come From And What They Tell Us About Our Planet by Maya Wei-Haas, illustrated by Sonia Pulido

There is no such thing as a boring rock and this book proves its point! Rocks tell us about the history of Earth from how it was formed to what happened in certain places to the fossilized plants and animals. Rocks and minerals are also beautiful, from being coveted gemstones to just interesting shapes and colors. Discover the wonder of rocks in this oversized, STEM nonfiction book. It might turn a child into a future Earth scientist! [nonfiction picture book, ages 6 and up]