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Rocks and minerals are an important topic in the field of geology. Learning about rocks and minerals can be so fun for both kids and adults. Here are 7 hands-on rocks and minerals activity ideas to try out in your classroom or homeschool.
1. Rock Cycle Model
Try making a model of the rock cycle. This is a popular rock and mineral activity for the classroom! There are many ways to do this – with chocolate, marshmallows, starburst candies, crayons – the list goes on.
The basic concept is this:
- Sedimentary Rocks: big solid chunks lightly compacted until they stick together. This can be done by cutting up the material into pieces, and then squeezing pieces together in your hands until they stick together.
- Metamorphic Rocks: warped under heat and/or pressure, but not enough to fully melt. This is done by briefly warming your material to a moderate temperature in an oven and then applying pressure.
- Igneous Rocks: fully melted, the re-solidified material. This can be done by fully melting your material in an oven, and then allowing it to cool at room temperature.
This activity is great for teaching the basics of the rock cycle before continuing on with the other rocks and minerals activity ideas.
2. Mineral Lab
Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. Geologists can examine minerals for their physical properties and then identify them. A minerals lab is super fun, because it involves testing minerals for magnetism, acid reaction, and other unique physical properties! To test for these properties, you will need to make or buy a mineral test kit, such as this test kit (external link).
With a little practice, you and your students can identify common minerals too. Read my separate post here about how to set up your own minerals lab in your classroom. You can also download my Minerals Mini Study which includes all of the worksheets, handouts, and directions that you’ll need for an awesome mineral lab in your classroom!
3. Guided Geology Hike
Are there any national parks or state parks in your area? Some have rangers that will put on guided nature hikes covering many topics including local geology.
If not, you could also reach out to a local geology expert to join your class or homeschool group on a hike, to learn about geology. When I was a graduate student, a homeschool group reached out to me to lead a geology hike like this. We hiked a short way through a canyon and talked about how plate tectonics and flowing water helped shape the area.
4. Make Rock Candy
This is a tasty way to learn about mineral precipitates, which you may know form some of our sedimentary rocks, such as limestone. This activity takes several days, in which you will watch crystals form! You can follow a rock candy recipe, such as this recipe (external link).
5. Rock Identification
Rock ID can be challenging, but it is so rewarding to be able to identify common rocks in your area. Learn about foliation, grain size, rock compositions, textures and more! If you are looking for a good place to get started with Rock ID, I think you’ll love my Rocks Mini Study. It includes all the printable handouts, worksheets, and directions you will need for an awesome Rocks Lab!
6. Play Rock or Mineral Bingo
These are great review games for practicing rock and mineral identification. Each student gets a bingo card with different rocks or minerals. The teacher then reads out the properties of a mystery rock or mineral. The students must figure out which rock or mineral it is, then mark it on the bingo card!
I’ve created these mineral bingo and rock bingo sets (complete with calling cards!) to help you play this game in your classroom:
7. DIY Fossils
Unlike living things, which come and go, rocks stick around for incredibly long periods. This allows rocks to act as time capsules, preserving clues about our planet’s past – fossils! Learn about how fossils form by creating your own fossils (external link).
Bonus: see real fossils up close for inspiration! Look for a geology museum in your area to see collections of amazing and rare gems, minerals, rocks, fossils, and much more! You can also look for gem and mineral show events in your area (external link).
Study Rocks and Minerals with Wild Earth Lab
Many of the rock and mineral activity ideas from this post are found in or go great with my complete Rocks and Minerals Unit! It is a complete set of printable materials including worksheets, handouts, classroom posters, lab activities, and much more!
Explore curriculum from Wild Earth Lab:
If you enjoyed the rocks and minerals activity ideas in this post, I know you will love using my environmental science materials in your classroom!
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