AMAZING AMETHYST ADVENTURE
Amethyst is a precious gemstone that exhibits different intensities of the color purple. While the deeper shades of purple can drive a higher price, you can find many variations of amethyst that are not only reasonably priced, but still extremely beautiful.
While you can easily find inexpensive tumbled amethyst, for the Amazing Amethyst Adventure we suggest you use raw amethyst pieces. These chunks will have unique shapes, edges, and crevices. Your excavating adventurer will appreciate their unique and amazing amethyst specimens they discover in this fun excavation activity.
Fun Fact: Amethyst is the February birthstone and is a variety of quartz.
Materials:
- Sand
- Plaster of Paris
- Water
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups
- Excavation tools. Wooden dowels and other blunt instruments work well. Sharp tools are unsafe and not necessary as the excavations are reasonably brittle and excavate easily.
- Safety goggles
- Small brush
- Bulk raw amethyst. You can easily find this online for reasonable prices. Be sure the look for a description that mentions the average size of the pieces you will receive. This will let you know what to expect to receive and will also help you determine the size of container you will need.
- Container - Any plastic container will do as long as it will hold the amount of amethyst you hope to include in the excavation.
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Instructions:
- Put one cup of sand in your mixing bowl.
- Add one-third cup Plaster of Paris.
- Use the wooden spoon to mix the sand and Plaster of Paris.
- Add one-third cup of water and mix.
- Keep adding small amounts of water until you reach a pancake like batter consistency.
- Add the amethyst to the container.
- Pour a layer of the mixture into the container to cover the amethyst.
- Gently tap the sides of the container to remove any air bubbles. This will also allow a little mixture under and around the amethyst.
- Optional - Once the excavation begins to set, put a few small pieces of amethyst in the surface of the excavation for a little decoration.
- Set the Amazing Amethyst Adventure in a safe location to dry undisturbed overnight. I like to put the excavation in front of a fan.
Now the Amazing Amethyst Adventure is ready to be enjoyed. Find an area that is easy to clean up, distribute the safety goggles, excavation tools, and let the excavating begin.
I hope you enjoyed this super quick tutorial and enjoy making Amazing Amethyst Adventure. These excavations are very easy to make, inexpensive, and a lot of fun!
Pro tip: Use this activity to create some excitement around discussions or lessons regarding rocks, minerals, gemstones, and geology
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