Fall is my favourite season. Warm colours are all around us, and there’s nothing like a walk in the crisp autumn air. Here in Alberta autumn tends to be brief, so all the more reason to savour the season by getting outside with our kids. Plus, there’s no better teacher than nature herself.
A few days ago, we went on an unplanned “rock hounding” trip. Walking through paths collecting leaves, my kids began picking up rocks of various shades and shapes. We live near a reservoir, so we went down to the water where the kids spent about an hour collecting all kinds of rocks. They look quite pretty in water, don’t you think?
Naturally, they were curious to identify the differences between the rocks they had collected. I found this neat website that helped us classify the rocks into metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous. Kids also had fun playing the “Who Am I Rock Game.”
Finally, we found this beautiful book at the library from Eyewitness Books.
So colourful, informative, and even has a clip-art CD. My kids were instantly taken, and I have to admit, I’m interested too!
Learning doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Get outside, enjoy the beauty of the season, and let mother nature inspire curiosity.
8 comments
PragmaticMom says:
October 11, 2012 at 7:34 am (UTC -6 )
My girls are really into collecting rocks but we need to do the next step to ID them. They called everything a quartz crystal.
educationdiva says:
October 11, 2012 at 11:26 am (UTC -6 )
It’s funny how addictive rock collecting can be, once you start to learn how to ID them. I am learning a lot with my kids, because I used to call every type “rock.”
Jacquie F. says:
October 11, 2012 at 7:46 am (UTC -6 )
My daughter is all into rocks right now – in fact, today is show and tell and she brought her rock collection. We are currently growing crystals with one of the rocks and vinegar
And yes, the DK Eyewitness books are amazing resources – I need to get this from the library for her! Great fall activity!
educationdiva says:
October 11, 2012 at 11:29 am (UTC -6 )
My son is going to bringing his rock collection for show and tell too. He’s so excited about it. They grew crystals last year at school, and we had to keep them around for over a year
Agreed – DK Eyewitness books are great quality. My kids love even just looking at the photos of the rocks.
Trisha @ Inspiration Laboratories says:
October 11, 2012 at 12:12 pm (UTC -6 )
My almost 3 year old son loves rocks, and he loves looking at the rock field guide. Eventually, we’ll connect the two together.
educationdiva says:
October 11, 2012 at 10:54 pm (UTC -6 )
I’m sure eventually it will all come together
Eshelle Bennett says:
November 13, 2012 at 7:03 am (UTC -6 )
Now this is a cool science activity that is very inexpensive. Love it.
educationdiva says:
November 16, 2012 at 10:50 pm (UTC -6 )
Funny how sometimes the most inexpensive activities turn out to be the best