Field Trip: Rock & Gem Show

We are currently working on a study on the Earth because a few months ago, Big Snail asked, "What is the Earth made of?" My short answer was rocks, dirt, and water. He has also been interested in fossils. He was very excited when we woke up this morning and told him we were going to a rock and gem show. Our favorite booth to visit while we were there was The Stones & Bones. Big Snail bought a magnifying glass from them with his own money. Even though we didn't buy one, I highly recommend their beginning fossil kits.




Big Snail wants to have a rock and gem collection now and was inspired by how they displayed various collections. He said that "they keep 'em neat."

We got a good lesson in "do not touch."

They had beautiful displays of various collections from individuals, organizations, and universities. Of course the ammonites were our favorite. They look like snails!

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While there, I feel in love with ulexite. Its nickname is the "t.v. rock" because it acts like fiber optics. It's a neat mineral because it is not clear. It's opaque. But place it directly on top of something, and the magic begins! This company has some for sale (I am not endorsing this site because I have never ordered from them).

Here are some pictures of me playing with my ulexite:


And here is a cool video of someone playing with it:

We are just starting our studies on the Earth, geology, rocks, minerals, etc. If you have done an activity in this unit of study, please share your links in my comments. I would love some ideas!