In this fun and easy geology science experiment, we’re going to investigate and explore rocks and minerals by learning how to discover, identify, and collect specimens.
Materials:
- Bucket for collecting rocks and minerals
- Small shovel
- Brush
- Gloves (optional)
- Index cards
Subscribe to Excavating Adventures YouTube channel and enjoy our super easy and fun DIY excavation videos!
Check out our awesome $1 excavation offers by clicking the image below.
Instructions:
- Find an area that you can explore and have permission to visit. Find as many different rocks and minerals as possible. Collect them in your bucket.
- Once you have a decent amount of specimens, return home and work to identify your rocks and minerals. The internet is a great resource as well as rock and mineral guides.
- Now that you have identified a specimen, label the rock or mineral. You can write the name on an index card along with the date and location where the specimen was found.
- After you collection grows, you will need to catalog your collection. This simply means organizing your specimens in a way that you can store and find them as needed. This may simply be numbering each specimen at first and evolving your process if needed further down the road.
- Finally, you are going to want to display your favorite specimens. You can organize the rocks and minerals on a shelf or case. Be sure to include the label for each rock or mineral!
I hope you enjoyed this super quick starter guide for collecting rocks to investigate and explore.
Pro tip: Use this activity to create some excitement around discussions or lessons about rocks, minerals, the rock cycle, geology and more!
If you love rocks, geology, and excavating as much as we do, be sure to check out our Excavating Adventures monthly subscription by clicking the link below and get an awesome new excavation delivered each month loaded with rocks, minerals, gemstones, fossils, and more!
Happy Excavating!
