Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] rocks
Alan & Brenda Leonard
2/9/03 23:19:
a clean plastic jar (peanut butter, my directions said...maybe it's supposed
to smell better that way <g>), and roll, roll, roll, roll, etc.
A good rainy day project. I keep meaning to do it just for the heck of it.
I wonder how long it would take to have any effect.
brenda
> 4) Buy or borrow a tumbling machine and try all different kinds of rocksOr be totally cheap and put a few rocks, some tiny pebbles and some sand in
> in it. Make jewelry for presents.
a clean plastic jar (peanut butter, my directions said...maybe it's supposed
to smell better that way <g>), and roll, roll, roll, roll, etc.
A good rainy day project. I keep meaning to do it just for the heck of it.
I wonder how long it would take to have any effect.
brenda
Alan & Brenda Leonard
2/9/03 23:19:
might get some ideas. You might learn something cool that you could share
with him. You might even see why he's not particularly interested in these
books.
You could use some of his larger rocks in art projects. We've made some
cool painted rocks compliments of a klutz press kit that Tim got as a
present from his grandparents. But the kit only has ideas. All you need is
paint, it's nothing fancy.
How about repeating Gallileo's experiment on larger/smaller: which falls
faster. Can't be very hard to get any kid interested in dropping rocks out
of a second floor window! (Look out, below!)
Have you broken any of them open?
Explored crystals? Crystals are cool because you can make your own with
sugar and water and food coloring.
Would he be interested in how some native peoples made arrowheads out of
flint? (flintknapping, it's called, if you're googling it)
Any lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, or oceans nearby that you could go dig a
handful of rocks out of the bottom?
The cool part of any one interest to me is not how long we can prolong that
interest, it's all the totally different places any one interest can take
us. And how one thing can take us somewhere totally different.
My son is a fanatic coin collector. His allowance goes almost entirely
towards coin purchases. It started because we went to a church conference
in Rome. I was there to represent my church, and had hoped that Rome would
get him interested in history. You know, Roman history. (He was 5. Duh,
Mom.) But Tim seemed interested before we left, and was impressed by the
collesium and Roman ruins. For about 10 minutes.
But the people at my conference came from all over Europe, and the Bishop
from Portugal (wearing a really cool purple shirt) gave him a portugese coin
and mentioned that there were people here from Switzerland and Belgium and
other places. Everybody there met my "shy" son. He asked every single
person for money from their country.
He'll still ask people for money from their country. His goal is a coin
from every country in the world. From a trip to Rome, he learned about
money and talking to people. Kids are amazing.
Wonder where rocks will take your son.
brenda
> So my kids have interests...let's take my 9 year old son for example. He likesWhy don't *you* read the books yourself? Not to him, but to yourself. You
> rocks. He has collected them since he was little. Since this is something he
> is interested in, what exactly do I do now? I am waiting for our library to
> get a book about experiments with rocks (it is checked out at the time). He
> doesn't seem interested in reading books about rocks really because most of
> these are too encyclopedia-like to catch his interest.
might get some ideas. You might learn something cool that you could share
with him. You might even see why he's not particularly interested in these
books.
You could use some of his larger rocks in art projects. We've made some
cool painted rocks compliments of a klutz press kit that Tim got as a
present from his grandparents. But the kit only has ideas. All you need is
paint, it's nothing fancy.
How about repeating Gallileo's experiment on larger/smaller: which falls
faster. Can't be very hard to get any kid interested in dropping rocks out
of a second floor window! (Look out, below!)
Have you broken any of them open?
Explored crystals? Crystals are cool because you can make your own with
sugar and water and food coloring.
Would he be interested in how some native peoples made arrowheads out of
flint? (flintknapping, it's called, if you're googling it)
Any lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, or oceans nearby that you could go dig a
handful of rocks out of the bottom?
The cool part of any one interest to me is not how long we can prolong that
interest, it's all the totally different places any one interest can take
us. And how one thing can take us somewhere totally different.
My son is a fanatic coin collector. His allowance goes almost entirely
towards coin purchases. It started because we went to a church conference
in Rome. I was there to represent my church, and had hoped that Rome would
get him interested in history. You know, Roman history. (He was 5. Duh,
Mom.) But Tim seemed interested before we left, and was impressed by the
collesium and Roman ruins. For about 10 minutes.
But the people at my conference came from all over Europe, and the Bishop
from Portugal (wearing a really cool purple shirt) gave him a portugese coin
and mentioned that there were people here from Switzerland and Belgium and
other places. Everybody there met my "shy" son. He asked every single
person for money from their country.
He'll still ask people for money from their country. His goal is a coin
from every country in the world. From a trip to Rome, he learned about
money and talking to people. Kids are amazing.
Wonder where rocks will take your son.
brenda
Olif VanPelt
Thanks for all the rock ideas, everyone! I will try not to go overboard with him but throw out a few suggestions. Unfortunately it is a tad too cold in the Chicago area for a nature walk right now, for me it definitely is anyway.
I think I am going to get of this thing (computer) and see if he would like to make some rock candy! What kid wouldn't want to do that?!Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I think I am going to get of this thing (computer) and see if he would like to make some rock candy! What kid wouldn't want to do that?!Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/9/03 4:50:40 PM, abtleo@... writes:
<< Any lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, or oceans nearby that you could go dig a
handful of rocks out of the bottom?
I was visiting a family with two mid-age kids, and one brought his rock
collection to show me, out at a picnic table in the yard. I asked his mom
for a pan of water and we put each rock in the water to see it change. He
was amazed. It was fun.
Sandra
<< Any lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, or oceans nearby that you could go dig a
handful of rocks out of the bottom?
>>Just putting his own rocks in water will be fun.
I was visiting a family with two mid-age kids, and one brought his rock
collection to show me, out at a picnic table in the yard. I asked his mom
for a pan of water and we put each rock in the water to see it change. He
was amazed. It was fun.
Sandra
Betsy
**How about repeating Gallileo's experiment on larger/smaller: which falls
faster. Can't be very hard to get any kid interested in dropping rocks out
of a second floor window! (Look out, below!)**
My son likes the Bill Nye episode about gravity. They throw TVs and
watermelons off of buildings. Irresistable.
Betsy
faster. Can't be very hard to get any kid interested in dropping rocks out
of a second floor window! (Look out, below!)**
My son likes the Bill Nye episode about gravity. They throw TVs and
watermelons off of buildings. Irresistable.
Betsy
[email protected]
From a dad who got involved in his kids interests:
Collecting rocks
http://www.saltthesandbox.org/rocks/index.htm
why to support kids interest in collecting
http://saltthesandbox.org/ChicagoParentArticle1.htm
Collecting rocks
http://www.saltthesandbox.org/rocks/index.htm
why to support kids interest in collecting
http://saltthesandbox.org/ChicagoParentArticle1.htm
the_clevengers <[email protected]>
--- In [email protected], dacunefare@a... wrote:
in growing sugar crystals, but maybe the salt ones they talked about
will be easier.
I had to have a good laugh at myself though, after posting earlier
today about unschooling ourselves and not grouping things
into "subjects", I duly filed away the above URL into my "Geology"
folder. Oh what I good student am I. :-)
Blue Skies,
-Robin-
> From a dad who got involved in his kids interests:That's a *great* site. Thanks for passing it on! We were unsuccessful
> Collecting rocks
> http://www.saltthesandbox.org/rocks/index.htm
> why to support kids interest in collecting
> http://saltthesandbox.org/ChicagoParentArticle1.htm
in growing sugar crystals, but maybe the salt ones they talked about
will be easier.
I had to have a good laugh at myself though, after posting earlier
today about unschooling ourselves and not grouping things
into "subjects", I duly filed away the above URL into my "Geology"
folder. Oh what I good student am I. :-)
Blue Skies,
-Robin-
Aleksi <[email protected]>
If you haven't already you may want to check out this children's book called "Rocks in His Head". Very funny and true. Based on the author's dad who collected rocks as a hobby. He had a gas station during the depression and had his rocks on display. He had to shut down the gas station and the only job he could find was janitor at a museum. His passion turned into a career as curator at the museum.
Aleksi
Aleksi
Alan & Brenda Leonard
2/10/03 04:14:
in the Chicago area, I can tell you of two:
Lazadro Museum (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) in Elmhurst, IL has a
fabulous rock collection.
Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago has a very nice gem room, and I'm
pretty sure there are rocks and geology stuff there, too.
brenda
> I think I (Olif) wrote this. I am in IL. I found a website that lists geologyI don't remember where you are in Illinois, Olif, but just from growing up
> groups or museums, etc., but there weren't any in IL. I am going to search
> some more.
in the Chicago area, I can tell you of two:
Lazadro Museum (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) in Elmhurst, IL has a
fabulous rock collection.
Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago has a very nice gem room, and I'm
pretty sure there are rocks and geology stuff there, too.
brenda
nellebelle
Don't know if they have them for every state, but we have a Roadside Geology
book for our state that explains rock formations along our state's highways.
My dh loves for me to read this aloud to him on car trips.
Mary Ellen
book for our state that explains rock formations along our state's highways.
My dh loves for me to read this aloud to him on car trips.
Mary Ellen
Cathy Hilde
I have been out on a couple rock hounding trips and I like to pick the
brains of the folks at the US forest service. They usually know where all
the *best* spots are.
Cathy
-----Original Message-----
From: nellebelle [mailto:nellebelle@...]
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2003 8:34 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] rocks
Don't know if they have them for every state, but we have a Roadside
Geology
book for our state that explains rock formations along our state's
highways.
My dh loves for me to read this aloud to him on car trips.
Mary Ellen
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brains of the folks at the US forest service. They usually know where all
the *best* spots are.
Cathy
-----Original Message-----
From: nellebelle [mailto:nellebelle@...]
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2003 8:34 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] rocks
Don't know if they have them for every state, but we have a Roadside
Geology
book for our state that explains rock formations along our state's
highways.
My dh loves for me to read this aloud to him on car trips.
Mary Ellen
~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~
If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please email
the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the list owner,
Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).
To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address an
email to:
[email protected]
Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
nellebelle
Our sugar crystals haven't worked either. We did manage salt crystals. The
container needs to be not touched at all until the crystals form.
While in Mexico, the kids found stuff on the rocks. Turns out it was quite
lovely salt crystals from very high tides leaving salt water to dry! Kind
of dirty though. I found an old 'geology for kids' picture book and brought
it with us on the trip. We had a lot of fun one day trying to break rocks
open on the beach to see inside. The book explained basic rock formation
and simple tests to determine how a rock was formed. I mean really simple
tests, like break it open if you can, then explaining how the way it broke
(crumbled, or layers, etc.) can help you determine what type of rock. We
found some small fossils too.
Mary Ellen
container needs to be not touched at all until the crystals form.
While in Mexico, the kids found stuff on the rocks. Turns out it was quite
lovely salt crystals from very high tides leaving salt water to dry! Kind
of dirty though. I found an old 'geology for kids' picture book and brought
it with us on the trip. We had a lot of fun one day trying to break rocks
open on the beach to see inside. The book explained basic rock formation
and simple tests to determine how a rock was formed. I mean really simple
tests, like break it open if you can, then explaining how the way it broke
(crumbled, or layers, etc.) can help you determine what type of rock. We
found some small fossils too.
Mary Ellen
----- Original Message ----- We were unsuccessful
> in growing sugar crystals, but maybe the salt ones they talked about
> will be easier.
Deborah Lewis
The geology departments of universities usually have cool rock
collections and smart people who like to talk. The university here does
summer programs, taking kids out to look for rocks and crystals. That's
fun because you learn some good places to hunt for rocks and there are
usually some stray geologists along for the ride. The programs here
are not structured at all. You show up at the university, pay five
bucks, jump in their van and go look for rocks. Pack a lunch, wander
around, have fun. LOTS of folks on those types of excursions are
homeschoolers.
Dylan keeps his little rocks in egg cartons and his big rocks everywhere
else.<g>
There's a pretty book called Pebble Mosaics by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell
and Gloria Nicol
ISBN# 1-55297-573-8 published by Firefly books and it shows you how to
make baskets and fountains and walkways and such out of pebbles. We made
some stepping stones after looking at that book and they're really
beautiful.
We haven't found the various rock field guides to be especially useful.
The rocks in those books are museum quality specimens and almost never
look like the chunk of geology you're holding in your hand. They have
other good information in them but I think you need to be an expert to
accurately identify rocks by a field guide and then of course, you
wouldn't need the field guide.
It's wonderfully fun to look at rocks under a microscope. We look at
rocks first just like we found them, with dirt and junk still on them.
Sometimes you can find other cool stuff this way. Once we found an
ant's head in a crevasse of a rock and were able to gently lift it out
with a needle. Under the microscope it looked just like those pictures
of little gray aliens that are always being seen in the Ozarks by guys
named Joe Bob.
After you look at them dirty you can scrub them up and see what was under
all that dirt.
If you already have some river rocks piling up you can put them in your
plants (I first typed "pants" there, I must still be thinking of
Cadburrys) or cleaned up really well into a fish tank or frog or turtle
tank. That's a great excuse to get some frogs, if you needed one.<g>
Which reminds me of pants again as African dwarf swimming frogs are
extraordinarily lusty.
Look for interesting rocks around gopher holes. Apparently gophers don't
care much about keeping cool rocks and they just leave them where anyone
can pick them up. Also, if the gopher is gone, look for spiders webs
and their occupants in the opening. We have seen some great spiders
this way.
I don't know what that has to do with rocks, but I'm now wondering if it
has anything to do with the vanished gopher...
Deb L
collections and smart people who like to talk. The university here does
summer programs, taking kids out to look for rocks and crystals. That's
fun because you learn some good places to hunt for rocks and there are
usually some stray geologists along for the ride. The programs here
are not structured at all. You show up at the university, pay five
bucks, jump in their van and go look for rocks. Pack a lunch, wander
around, have fun. LOTS of folks on those types of excursions are
homeschoolers.
Dylan keeps his little rocks in egg cartons and his big rocks everywhere
else.<g>
There's a pretty book called Pebble Mosaics by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell
and Gloria Nicol
ISBN# 1-55297-573-8 published by Firefly books and it shows you how to
make baskets and fountains and walkways and such out of pebbles. We made
some stepping stones after looking at that book and they're really
beautiful.
We haven't found the various rock field guides to be especially useful.
The rocks in those books are museum quality specimens and almost never
look like the chunk of geology you're holding in your hand. They have
other good information in them but I think you need to be an expert to
accurately identify rocks by a field guide and then of course, you
wouldn't need the field guide.
It's wonderfully fun to look at rocks under a microscope. We look at
rocks first just like we found them, with dirt and junk still on them.
Sometimes you can find other cool stuff this way. Once we found an
ant's head in a crevasse of a rock and were able to gently lift it out
with a needle. Under the microscope it looked just like those pictures
of little gray aliens that are always being seen in the Ozarks by guys
named Joe Bob.
After you look at them dirty you can scrub them up and see what was under
all that dirt.
If you already have some river rocks piling up you can put them in your
plants (I first typed "pants" there, I must still be thinking of
Cadburrys) or cleaned up really well into a fish tank or frog or turtle
tank. That's a great excuse to get some frogs, if you needed one.<g>
Which reminds me of pants again as African dwarf swimming frogs are
extraordinarily lusty.
Look for interesting rocks around gopher holes. Apparently gophers don't
care much about keeping cool rocks and they just leave them where anyone
can pick them up. Also, if the gopher is gone, look for spiders webs
and their occupants in the opening. We have seen some great spiders
this way.
I don't know what that has to do with rocks, but I'm now wondering if it
has anything to do with the vanished gopher...
Deb L
[email protected]
a few more words on rocks in Illinois (and elsewhere):
Geology Underfoot in Illinois by Raymond Wiggers is worth having
His website has more GOOD links than anyone will care to follow
http://raymondwiggers.homestead.com/Geology_Links_Page.html
The Illinois State Geological Survey leads two field trips a year to
interesting geological destinations. Information and registration online at
http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/field-trips/ft02-03/ft02-03.html
Deborah in IL
Geology Underfoot in Illinois by Raymond Wiggers is worth having
His website has more GOOD links than anyone will care to follow
http://raymondwiggers.homestead.com/Geology_Links_Page.html
The Illinois State Geological Survey leads two field trips a year to
interesting geological destinations. Information and registration online at
http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/field-trips/ft02-03/ft02-03.html
Deborah in IL
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/10/03 10:12:02 PM, ddzimlew@... writes:
<< If you already have some river rocks piling up you can put them in your
plants (I first typed "pants" there, I must still be thinking of
Cadburrys) >>
I caught a good type this morning (didn't send it out) in private mail to
Carol Rice (who wrote the late reading article).
She had written to me and said her three youngest kids, by name, were really
enjoying playing orc ball with Marty. They've played every Sunday for
several weeks now.
I wrote back to tell her that even her oldest son who doesn't live at home
anymore had shown up this week. His name is Chris. I wrote "Even Christ
played this week."
Sometimes I love typos.
Sandra
<< If you already have some river rocks piling up you can put them in your
plants (I first typed "pants" there, I must still be thinking of
Cadburrys) >>
I caught a good type this morning (didn't send it out) in private mail to
Carol Rice (who wrote the late reading article).
She had written to me and said her three youngest kids, by name, were really
enjoying playing orc ball with Marty. They've played every Sunday for
several weeks now.
I wrote back to tell her that even her oldest son who doesn't live at home
anymore had shown up this week. His name is Chris. I wrote "Even Christ
played this week."
Sometimes I love typos.
Sandra