Do you need geology activities? For a classroom? Homeschooling? Something different for an after school program? Maybe you dont know how much you need them.

If youve ever taken a walk in the woods with a young child, youve probably observed a natural love of rocks and minerals. Shape, color, textureany of these can warrant special notice, a quick pick-up and a drop in the pocket. Once home, those same rocks can spark a memory or an imagination of how it came to be there at just that spot in the path.

A love for the natural world is so universal that if you drop rocks and minerals into a Related Sites youll find over 9 million websites from countries all around the world--and lots of these are directed to children or made by children. On a short search, I encountered sites by teachers for students, by avid rock hounds for aspiring rock hounds, by colleges, universities, and museums, and by folks who just LOVE rocks!

Thats why we recommend starting a geology club.

Geology Club In Ohio

Last year, Kathy Koenig of Cincinnati started a geology club for 7 and 8 year-olds. Being a teacher, she wanted to inspire kids in a subject she knew would be lots of fun. She also wanted to give the students plenty of opportunities for some genuine science work. She planned out a years worth of geology activities and lessons.

The Basic Plan

The club met for eight sessions monthly throughout the school year. Students paid $25 for the year-long club, all of which was to be used to purchase specimens, experimental materials, and geology activities, that could then be owned by the students. Kathy searched hard to find resources who would give her a lot for her money. (Thats how she found us at www.fossilicious.com!)

Attendance

Would you be surprised if you found out that this geology club had nearly 100% attendance, even on Friday afternoons after school? Thats what happened! Even on the last day of the week, kids were thrilled to spend time LEARNING!

The students worked with:

crystals and crystal growing
classification of minerals
the practical uses of minerals around the house
the rock cycle and the events that lead to different formations
how fossils are formed
how to identify and dig for fossils
and, of course, starting their own fossil,rock and mineral collections.

Careful Planning And a Little Help

While Kathy planned the sessions and led the meetings, parent volunteers were there to support the students in their geology activities. Most of the meeting time was spent in hands on geology activities with real specimens. The extra adult support allowed more of the children to be engaged and successful.

The Results

By the end of the year, students had not only learned a great deal, they had also begun personal collections, nicely labeled and ready for display. These budding paleontologists and geologists were becoming well-versed in the process of excavation and labelingand theyd had a first-hand experience with creating good field notes.