Rocks and Minerals Roundup of Activities, Books, Resources, and Printables

Tori has always loved rocks. She has said for years that she wants to be a geologist when she grows up. We always look for ways to expose her to rocks and minerals when we travel – with fun field trips, museums, and activities.

I created this list of fun activities we have loved to use to learn about geology.

My kids really love these monthly themed Calendar Connections with fun science and history facts. We chose rocks and minerals for August.

Tori practiced her reading with this great rocks and minerals unit study from Currclick (link below)!

Tori loved seeing this huge crystal at Dorothy’s Glass Hut.

All my kids loved Mummelsee and the rocky Mermaid statue.

We loved the pattern on this eroding rock at Mummelsee.

Pick and Choose from these Amazing Rocks and Minerals Resources!

Projects and Crafts:

• Have fun with this edible rock project.
• Make crystals.
• Rock doodles project
• Get crafty and make a pet rock! Be creative. Paint it, glue on googly eyes, and give it hair!
• Celebrate Collect Rocks Day on September 16!
• Go on a nature walk and collect pretty and intersting rocks to study. Look them up online or in a guide book. Discuss texture, color, class. My kids are obsessed with rocks and collect them wherever we go – cheap souvenirs! (Make sure it’s legal to take rocks wherever you are! Some places don’t like it.)

Books

• If Rocks Could Sing: A Discovered Alphabet by Leslie McGuirk
• Geology Lab for Kids by Garret Romaine
• Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor
• Milo and the Magical Stones by Marcus Pfister
• Roxaboxen by Alice McLarren
• Rocks: Hard, Soft, Smooth, and Rough by Natalie M. Rosinksy
• If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian
• Jump into Science: Rocks and Minerals by Steve Tomecek
• Under One Rock: Bugs, Slugs, and Other Ughs by Anthony D. Fredericks
• Rocks, Fossils & Arrowheads by Laura Evert
• Ultimate Sticker Book: Rocks and Minerals
• National Geographic Kids Everything Rocks and Minerals by Steve Tomecek
• National Geographic Readers: Rocks and Minerals Readers by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
• Geology Rocks! by Cindy Bloboam
• Peterson Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals
• Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals
• A Golden Guide: Rocks, Gems and Minerals
• Apologia Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics
• Apologia Exploring Creation with Physical Science
• Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy

Notebooking and Printables:

• Geology pages from Homeschool Helper
• Rocks and Minerals pages from the Notebooking Fairy
• Metamorphic pages from the Notebooking Fairy
• Igneous pages from the Notebooking Fairy
• Sedimentary pages from the Notebooking Fairy
• Nature Study from Notebooking Pages (our favorite notebooking resource!)
• Handbook of Nature Study: Rocks – Articles, Printables, and Challenges

Unit Studies and Learning Links:

• Crystal Unit Study
• Montessori Rocks and Minerals Works from Living Montessori Now
• Rocks and Minerals from The Homeschool Den
•  with a great study guide and Powerpoint presentation from Currclick (see pic above of Tori reading aloud from it!)
• HUGE list of Rocks and Minerals curricula from Currclick
• Rocks and Minerals from Stacy Sews and Schools
• Lapbook and Unit Study from Simply Necessary
• Old Earth Geology FREE curriculum
• Mineralogy4Kids interactive website

Fun Field Trips Around the World:

See a list of Teacher Resources in the USA

Fun field trip ideas for rock hounds: museums, mines, archeological sites and digs, gold panning, canyons, gorges, waterfalls, rivers, creeks.

Northeast

• Sterling Hill Mining Museum in the Highlands region of New Jersey
• Mineral Collecting in New England and Mid-Atlantic
• Herkimer Diamond Mine in New York
• Crystal Grove Diamond Mine in New York

West and Southwest

• Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
• Colorado Geological Survey
• Northwest Geology Field Trips
• Some great Kansas rocks field trips
• Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah
• Gemstone Museum and Dinosaur Park in Ogden, Utah
• Idaho Museum of Mining and Geology
• Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine in Montana
• Glacier National Park in Montana
• Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Montana
• Gold Bug Park in Placerville, California
• Julian Mining in Julian, California
• Cavern Tours and Mining in the Sierra Nevadas
• Royal Peacock Opal Mine in Nevada
• Bonanza Opal Mine in Nevada
• Crater of Diamonds in Arkansas

Hawaii

• Volcanoes National Park for hiking and learning about volcanoes, lava, rocks

Northwest

• Independence Mine State Park in Alaska
• State Parks near Tok in Alaska
• Trapper Creek Museum in Alaska
• Pioneer Park in Alaska
• Crow Creek Gold Mine in Alaska

South

• Rock City in Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Morefield Mine in Virginia
• Sliding Rock near Asheville, North Carolina
• Cherokee Ruby and Sapphire Mine in North Carolina
• Hiddenite Gems in North Carolina
• Crisson Mining in Dahlonega, Georgia
• Consolidated Mining in Dahlonega, Georgia
• Diamond Del’s Gem Mining Adventure

Virtual

• Dig into Mining Virtual Field Trips
• Online Mineral Museum
• Skull Cliff, Alaska 

Canada

• Check out Mining Matters
• Britannia Mine Museum near Vancouver, BC

Australia

• The Crystal Caves in Queensland, Australia
• Blue Hollow Mine in Queensland
• Miners’ Heritage in Queensland
• Rubyvale in Queensland
• Mt. Surprise Gems in Queensland
• Pat’s Gems Fossicking Park in Queensland
• The Big Sapphire Gemfields Information Centre in Queensland
• Carman’s Tunnel Goldmine in Maldon, Victoria
• Gemtree Caravan Park in Northern Territory
• Outback Mining near Perth
• Australian Museum
• Melbourne Museum

Europe

• Fischbach Copper Mine in Germany
• Berchtesgaden Salt Mine in Germany
• Salt Mines – Bavaria, Germany
• Hallein Salt Mine in Bad Dürrnberg, Austria
• Partnach Gorge in Bavaria – great opportunity to discuss erosion and collect river rocks!
• Grube Wenzel Visitor’s Mine in OberWolfach, Germany
• KristallWelt in Dietingen, Germany
• Mummelsee in the Black Forest, Germany: A kettle hole lake – shallow, sediment-filled body of water formed by retreating glaciers
• The German gemstone route – especially the Idar-Oberstein Steinkaulenberg gemstone mine – our family loved it!
• Geology Museum in Rome, Italy
• Mineralogy Museum in Rome, Italy

What are your favorite tools to study geology?

More fun resources on my Geology Pinterest board:

Follow Jennifer’s board Geology on Pinterest.