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Chris V
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| Posted: May 10 2011 at 9:32am | IP Logged
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My 6 year old little girl has quite the zeal for collecting rocks! ... she certainly takes after my own Dad in this passion. He is a hobbiest collector, geologist, engineer, and proclaimed (by me) to be an expert on all things granite and basalt. My parents gifted her a beautiful colllection of polished rocks last year, with a carrying case and a book called "A Pocket Guide to Rocks & Minerals". She will often sit on the sofa and browse through this book as though she were reading her favorite picture book  .
This interest of hers ebbs and flows often and right now it just happens to be flowing, so I would love some suggestions on how I can help foster her passion with this. Picture books about rocks? Videos about rocks or rock formations?
I love some guidance on how to make my budding geologist learn even more about rocks!
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MaryM
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Chris, I only have a few minutes this morning so am just linking an old thread Rocks - books/projects?. There are a couple good picture books there as well as general rock/mineral study resources. We love rock collecting. My suggestions for information and study are in that thread.
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Mary M. in Denver
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JodieLyn
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field trips are lovely too.. especially if it's somewhere you'll meet up with other collectors, geologists etc.
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stacykay
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Oooh, she sounds like a girl after my own heart! When I was young, I loved rocks! I had a great huge hill and field to explore next to our house, and I would bring rocks home by the hundreds! Then, I would proceed to line them up on our sidewalk, and wash them, letting them air-dry while I prepared a box for them! Nutty, huh?
I have gone over some geology/rock study with my boys. A good early book is Let's Go Rock Collecting. I'm sure a search at your library will bring up other good titles.
If you live near a natural history museum, they usually have great rock displays. Most universities have such museums, and, at least those we've visited in MI, are free. 
Are you in Washington State? There are lots of great geologic sites there! When I was little, we would take trips to our cottage on Lake Huron, and I loved searching for and finding Petoskey stones. There must be great places near you for field trips.
My Rock Tumbler was one of my all-time favorite gifts. I still have it!
Such a fun topic to really get into!
In Christ,
Stacy in MI
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Chris V
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| Posted: May 11 2011 at 11:21pm | IP Logged
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MaryM wrote:
| Chris, I only have a few minutes this morning so am just linking an old thread Rocks - books/projects?. There are a couple good picture books there as well as general rock/mineral study resources. We love rock collecting. My suggestions for information and study are in that thread. |
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Ooo yes! Thank you for pointing me in the right direction here  . Can't wait to dive in, read up, and get her well on her way rock collecting enjoyment!
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Chris
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Chris V
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| Posted: May 11 2011 at 11:26pm | IP Logged
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Stacy, I can remember collecting rocks as a little girl and giving them to my Dad so that he could polish them in his rock tumbler ... never did have my own, but lucky me he knows how to share !
A Natural History Museum is a great suggestion, and yes, here in WA state we do have a lot of geological sites. With summer around the corner, this is a perfect opportunity to get out there.
Thank you!
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Chris
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stacykay
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I know you'll enjoy your rock adventures. I have one little add here. After my parents retired and moved to FL, my mother decided to open up and check the contents of my boxes they had moved from MI to FL (fees of which are based on weight.) In addition to my favorite books, dolls, and little stuff, she found three large boxes filled with my rocks, and my rock tumbler! Fortunately for me, she laughed! And in their travels over the years, back and forth, to MI, they managed to bring all the boxes back. They are now in my basement!
In Christ,
Stacy in MI
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Chris V
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| Posted: May 12 2011 at 8:22am | IP Logged
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stacykay wrote:
I know you'll enjoy your rock adventures. I have one little add here. After my parents retired and moved to FL, my mother decided to open up and check the contents of my boxes they had moved from MI to FL (fees of which are based on weight.) In addition to my favorite books, dolls, and little stuff, she found three large boxes filled with my rocks, and my rock tumbler! Fortunately for me, she laughed! And in their travels over the years, back and forth, to MI, they managed to bring all the boxes back. They are now in my basement!
In Christ,
Stacy in MI |
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 You have awesome parents! Fabulous they kept them all these years, and now YOU have them forever! I love it!
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Chris
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wamegomom
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My Annie, 13, has a "geology room" in the basement. She started at age 8 or so with the 4-H geology program. She has collected some really gorgeous fossils and other specimens and we've all learned a lot as a family. This summer we just can't take part in the project and feel sad about it, but other things are making the field trips impossible. She's ok with it. Maybe this is as far as she wants to take it for now.
I highly recommend the 4-H geology project, but since your dd is 6 she's a year too young to join. What you might do is call your county extension office and ask for the name and number of the county geology project coordinator. In my experience, these are folks passionate about local geology and very knowledgeable, and eager to share that passion. They might be able to give you location information for collecting areas that are public, like road cuts, where you don't need permission to collect. If you can get your hands on some of the trip guidebooks, you can find out where cool things are and get a leg up on learning what fossils, minerals and rocks are in your area.
Have fun! Some of our favorite outdoor times have been on geology field trips. In our area, everyone comes, from toddlers to grandparents, not just the 4-Her and parent. It's a blast, and many nice friendships are formed.
Mary Alice in Kansas
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: Rock Collecting!
