A Note to Parents
Chris has always encouraged young children to learn about and become interested in rocks and minerals. Her own interest was sparked at a very young age. Now that we have our own web site, she insists that we devote these special pages to spark the interest of young children to the fascinating world of rocks and minerals...So here it is...
We have a lot of information just for learning and fun on our site, the choice is yours! Chris just wants to help start the next generation of rock hounds... "Pass on the knowledge and the wonder of this world" and help all the pebble pups, rock hoppers and rock pups. We know, very old fashioned sounding, but that's who we are.
Mud
Almost every child knows what mud is. Did you know that mud can harden and turn into a rock?
Here is a picture of one of my first rocks. There is a leaf pattern from a seed fern that fell into mud and then the mud hardened and turned into stone. That is how a fossil begins.
When mud is put under a lot of pressure, it will turn into shale.
More pressure will turn the shale into slate
Shale (big rock), Slate (small rock)
Many types of fossils can be found in these kind of rocks. Fossils can be plants, or even small animals like snails.
Here is another kind of fossil.
Sand
Sand on the beach may also turn into stone. Sand gets left in layers and is cemented together by different minerals. This is called sandstone.
Different types of minerals in the layer of sand create banding in the sandstone. Here are examples of sandstone and banded sandstone.
Volcano Rocks
Some rocks come out of volcanos. These pictures are of rocks that are actually the cooled and dry lava that flows out of a volcano when it erupts.
What is something that you see everywhere you go or look? They might be very small or very large; I'll bet you have some in your yard. Sometimes they even get in your shoes! You guessed right! ROCKS!
Rocks are everywhere! They have been on the earth over four billion years. The rock you find might have been part of a beautiful mountain range or spooky cave. It might even be a petrified dinosaur egg! Rocks are an exciting way to discover information about the history of our earth. Most rocks are made of minerals, But all rocks are not the same. That is why rock collecting is so exciting and fun. Every single rock has its own special story. There are three basic rock types: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. How a rock is formed determines which type it is.
Rock Jokes
A Rock Star
A Rockhound
Rock it
Rock 'N Roll
On Bedrock
Nothing it's a rock!!!
A Rocket
Cocoa Pebbles
The Hard ROCK Cafe!
"Third Rock from the Sun"
Here are some links to helpful websites and books for Junior Rockhounds!
RockPup Says:
Don't Delay!! Learn More Today!!
We are revising our recommendations for learning resources...check back soon!