Rocks
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Getting To Know Geology
They're all around us and, at first glance, they may seem pretty boring. But take a closer look and you'll see that there's a lot more to rocks than you might have thought.
First of all, the planet we are living on is one giant rock. The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. The earth's molten inner layer is made of melted rock.
Almost everything we do involve rocks and minerals and the metals we extract from them. According to RocksandMinerals.com, it is estimated that you - and every other person in the United States - will use more than a million pounds of rocks, minerals and metals during your lifetime! That's a lot of rocks!
Don't you think it would be worthwhile to learn a little more about these things which play such a huge part in our everyday lives?
First of all, the planet we are living on is one giant rock. The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. The earth's molten inner layer is made of melted rock.
Almost everything we do involve rocks and minerals and the metals we extract from them. According to RocksandMinerals.com, it is estimated that you - and every other person in the United States - will use more than a million pounds of rocks, minerals and metals during your lifetime! That's a lot of rocks!
Don't you think it would be worthwhile to learn a little more about these things which play such a huge part in our everyday lives?
Where To Go For Info
You want to learn more about rocks, but where should you start? Here are several sites which will get you going on your way to becoming a true rock hound.
Rocks For KidsThis site is for kids of all ages who love rocks. Here you will find out stuff about rocks & minerals and where to go to find out more. If you already collect rocks then this is the place for you! Find out where you can get more rocks, look at some super pictures of rocks, learn how to identify the rocks you already have and discover neat things you can do with rocks.
Neighborhood Rocks
Want to come rock hunting with us? Maybe you can get some ideas for finding rocks in your neighborhood!
Discover How Rocks Are Formed
View these animations that will show you how the three different kinds of rocks are formed by clicking on different areas of this picture.
Exploring How Rocks Are Formed
In this lesson, students are introduced to the three types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. After receiving background information on the processes by which these rocks are formed, students are allowed to perform activities which will help them understand the conditions leading to rock formation.
Free Geology Flashcards
These full color geology flash cards are super easy to print and use. 24 fascinating specimens await your children. Print them on a heavy cardstock or laminate them to last a long time. You can use the beautiful pictures in reports and lapbooks, too! There is even a blank flashcard page so you can print and make your own companion study cards.
curated content from Flickr
Rock Recipes
You've studied rocks, and now you can eat them too!
Igneous Rocks
1 can evaporated milk (6 oz.)
1-1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1-1/4 c. mini-marshmallows
1-1/2c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Grease an 8" or 9" pan. Combine evaporated milk with sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring for 5-9 minutes. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently. Pour into prepared pan. Let cool. (refrigerate) 1 pan (8") makes 30 (1") squares.
Metamorphic Rocks
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1/2 c. crushed pineapple, well drained
1 egg, beaten
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 375°. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the beaten egg and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the fruit and nuts. Drop by tsp. onto cookie sheet and bake for 7 min. at 375°. (chocolate chips, coconut, wheat germ, etc. can also be added)
Sedimentary Rocks
1-1/4 c. crushed flake cereal
1-1/2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. margarine
1 c. chocolate or butterscotch chips
1-1/4 c. coconut
1 c. chopped nuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
Preheat oven to 325°. Melt the butter. Mix with the cereal and sugar. Press into an 8" or 9" pan. Add the following (in layers): chips, coconut, and nuts. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over all. Bake for 25 minutes at 325°.
1 can evaporated milk (6 oz.)
1-1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1-1/4 c. mini-marshmallows
1-1/2c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Grease an 8" or 9" pan. Combine evaporated milk with sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring for 5-9 minutes. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently. Pour into prepared pan. Let cool. (refrigerate) 1 pan (8") makes 30 (1") squares.
Metamorphic Rocks
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1/2 c. crushed pineapple, well drained
1 egg, beaten
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 375°. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the beaten egg and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the fruit and nuts. Drop by tsp. onto cookie sheet and bake for 7 min. at 375°. (chocolate chips, coconut, wheat germ, etc. can also be added)
Sedimentary Rocks
1-1/4 c. crushed flake cereal
1-1/2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. margarine
1 c. chocolate or butterscotch chips
1-1/4 c. coconut
1 c. chopped nuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
Preheat oven to 325°. Melt the butter. Mix with the cereal and sugar. Press into an 8" or 9" pan. Add the following (in layers): chips, coconut, and nuts. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over all. Bake for 25 minutes at 325°.
- Edible Rock Layers
- Build an experiment that simulates the movement and folding and faulting of rock strata like sandstone, siltstone, limestone, and shale. Once you have built the experiment and have demonstrated how it works, you can eat it!
- Metamorphic Rock Pancakes
- Helps students grasp and remember the concept of metamorphic rocks.
- Layer Cake Geology
- Students will understand the mechanisms by which folds and faults occur within the earth's crust, recognize the difference in behavior between brittle and ductile rocks, predict the structure likely to result from application of various forces to layered rocks, interpret "core samples" to determine rock structures beneath the land surface, and learn the meaning of the following geologic terms: fold, fault, brittle, ductile, fracture, and core samples.
curated content from Flickr
curated content from YouTube
Rocks in His Head
Amazon Price: $7.97 (as of 02/17/2012)
Homeschool Share has a free unit study for this book which includes a nice collection of minibooks you could use in your rock lapbook.
Make Your Own Geode!
Geodes are limestone rocks with quartz crystals growing in their center. With this experiment, you can get a better idea of what they look like and how they form.
water
borax*
clean egg shells halves
egg carton
waxed paper
Create a super-saturated solution of borax and water -- fill a jar with boiling water then add borax one tablespoon at a time until no more will dissolve. This will be about three tablespoons per cup of boiling water. Place small pieces of waxed paper in the egg carton sections. Set the clean egg shell halves in the carton on top of the waxed paper. Pour a small amount of the super-saturated borax solution into the egg shell halves. In a few days, or less, crystals will form inside the shell.
*You can use other solids to make super-saturated solutions such as: table salt, rock salt, sugar, baking soda, and Epsom salts. Each of these will create a different looking crystal and will require a different ratio of water to solid, and will require a different number of days to form. Makes an interesting science project.
borax*
clean egg shells halves
egg carton
waxed paper
Create a super-saturated solution of borax and water -- fill a jar with boiling water then add borax one tablespoon at a time until no more will dissolve. This will be about three tablespoons per cup of boiling water. Place small pieces of waxed paper in the egg carton sections. Set the clean egg shell halves in the carton on top of the waxed paper. Pour a small amount of the super-saturated borax solution into the egg shell halves. In a few days, or less, crystals will form inside the shell.
*You can use other solids to make super-saturated solutions such as: table salt, rock salt, sugar, baking soda, and Epsom salts. Each of these will create a different looking crystal and will require a different ratio of water to solid, and will require a different number of days to form. Makes an interesting science project.
curated content from Flickr
Papercraft Models
- Crystal/Cleavage Models
- Includes hexahedron, rhombohedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, prismatic - 60º/120º, and prismatic - 87º/93º block models.
- Trilobite Model
- make a paper model of a fossil
Lapbooks
Creating a lapbook is a great way to record what you have learned in your study of rocks. Here are some ideas and printables that you might find helpful.
- Rock Lapbook
- Photos and description of a lapbook created by Erna of Simply Lapbooks.
- Rocks-N-Minerals Lapbook
- Free lapbook created by Sonya and available from HS Treasure Trove Yahoo Group.
- Space Rocks Lapbook
- You will need to download the free files from ECW Cht. 8 to create this lapbook. There are pictures of the finished lapbook at the Learning By Living Blog.
- Rocks & Minerals Lapbook
Learn about these fascinating materials of our world in the Rocks and Minerals Project Pack from In the Hands of a Child. This 60-page Project Pack includes a 16-page Research Guide that covers types of rocks, rock cycles, Mohs scale of hardness, minerals, crystals, gemstones, classes of minerals, and collecting rocks and minerals. Next, your student will use the information found in the Research Guide to complete 20 hands-on activities to make a lapbook on the science of Rocks and Minerals.- Rodney Rockhound's Rocks & Minerals Lapbook
- Rodney Rockhound loves rocks! Help Rodney learn about rocks in the Rodney Rockhound Project Pack from In the Hands of a Child. This 42-page Project Pack includes a 5-page Research Guide that helps your Early Elementary student gain a brief knowledge about collecting rocks and minerals. Next, your student will take the knowledge gained in the guide to complete 10 hands-on activities, including experiments, to make a lapbook on Rocks and Minerals.
Rock Paper Scissors
This simple game is played by children all over the world. It doesn't really teach you anything about rocks, but it's fun to play.
curated content from YouTube
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fullofshoes
Dec 22, 2011 @ 2:05 pm | delete
- rocks have always intrigued me. used to take my children rock collecting....would love to do it again.
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NorDac
Sep 17, 2011 @ 11:31 am | delete
- I love rocks, when every I"m traveling I like to try to find rocks that are only indigenous to that area to keep in a collection.
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Tipi
Sep 8, 2011 @ 9:48 pm | delete
- I'm a rock lover so I particularly enjoyed this! What fun to have rock recipes, I wonder if you know about the recipe module we have that allows for a printable version. Just Browse all Modules, All Modules and "R", its very user friendly.
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franstan
Aug 10, 2011 @ 1:41 pm | delete
- Blessed
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franstan
Aug 10, 2011 @ 1:40 pm | delete
- Wonderful ideas
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by LilliputStation
LilliputStation
Homeschooling mother of nine: ages 8 months-16 years. We love notebooking, lapbooking, unit studies, and hands-on education. Visit Lilliput Station Adventures... more »
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