martinzoo

Today GB and I started a rock study for our science curriculum. We began by boning up on the rock cycle. We studied this, in brief, about two years ago. But I’m hoping to go a little more in depth this go around.
The animated rock cycle at this site was invaluable. Everything was presented so clearly.
.Click the picture to take you to the animation page:

We reviewed the three types of rocks again, igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary. And then I set up mystery stations in the kitchen with a set of rocks that I had purchase a few years ago from Home Science Tools. We also looked at some of the gems and rocks that we brought home from the rock mine a few weeks ago.

Using a rock key, similar to this one, GB was able to identify all but one. He used a magnifying glass to look closely at the rocks and the stereoscope for extremely close-up inspection.

He particularly enjoyed submerging a couple of the rocks, the limestone and the marble, into vinegar to see if the would fizz.
The following video, and all the pictures were taken with my new camera. I’m still getting used to it’s new features, but I was thrilled with the quality of the video; especially compared to some of my recent ones. I still sound like Minnie Mouse, but it’s better.

We also learned that sedimentary rocks are grouped into three categories;

clastic rocks, which are formed by mechanical weathering

chemical rocks, which are formed from chemical weathering

and organic rocks, which are formed from biotic weathering

We’ve gotten a lot of information and knowledge from this wonderful site during our studies of geology: Geography for Kids – by KidsGeo