Bo B Bunny wrote:
Minda, I live in Indiana where we have lots of limestone. How soon do you need it? I will send you some. Do you know of anything else that we might have here that would be good? I know when we were in Alabama the clay was so interesting! we have clay here, but the dirt doesn't turn red!
There is NO RUSH on this. Even if it comes months from now, I will still share it with the students. They are tremendously enjoying this unit and would be tickled to see rocks coming from all over. In any case, I plan on teaching 3rd grade for at least the next 5 years (it's about time I settled in somewhere), so I can use them from year to year.
Limestone is perfect! I think there's an experiment I can do, putting vinegar on limestone or something. I'll have to look it up. I believe it has a chemical reaction.
I was looking for rocks, but a small baggy of a bit of soil wouldn't hurt either. The students each collected a baggy of soil from outside of their homes and we're comparing them. It's surprising them how different the soil is just here in our own town.
Um I have a small card with 16 sorts of rock from Takaka here that i'd be glad to send you but am I would need it back....Its got green, pink, black and white marble, Hornbeldite, schist, quartz, Epidote, Granite, felspar, quartzite, calcite, wollastonite, garnet and tremolite. If the whole send back thing doesn't work i'm sure I can find you some rocks, they're everywhere lol. And yes how soon do you need it?
PepnFluff, I can most certainly send it back to you! Again, no hurry. I can share it with them any time it arrives and then ship it right back to you!
How soon do you need the rocks? Would you also like some petrified wood?
Please PM me an address and I'll try and remember to get a box tomorrow.
Wow! Petrified wood! The students would be so interested in that! I would bet that NONE of them have ever seen and definitely haven't touched petrified wood. I will PM my address as soon as I'm done with this post! Thank you!
Minda, I was wondering what kind of soil info you're using?
I've just finished an extensive soils course using the USDA 38 classification, 7th approximation stuff, and the Canadian Soil System Classification...
I could get you some info on the red-yellow podzolics, and lateritic soils in your region. Y'know, the connection between the soil and the rest of the environment.
I've got a link to soil songs too... Some neat classroom soil activities
How old are your students?
I can take a look and see if I have some international rocks I can send you... What are you looking for exactly?
In case you don't get some of the ones you're looking for
http://www.beg.utexas.edu/mainweb/publications/rockkits.htm
http://www.homeschoolscience.com/favorites/rock_kits.html
My students are 8-10 years old. They aren't at a sophisticated level of classification (I had to teach them, and am still working on getting them to remember, what classification IS). We are classifying based on our 5 senses. The older grades do similar units and go more in depth into the classification systems.
That first link for the rock kits is INSANELY reasonable! After Christmas, I will definitely order a class set. Even the shipping is good! The second link you provided is also reasonable. Thank you for the great information! If I get budget money next year to buy supplies, I know where it will go.
I'm looking for rocks of all shapes and types. One of the things the students have to do is come up with ways to classify the rocks and 4 categories in that classification. Such as COLOR as the classification, and then white, brown, orange and other for the categories. All I have at the moment are some dark grey landscaping stones. Doesn't help much for classification.
I'd love the links to the songs and activities!!!
Well, my husband is a "rockhound", and he got the whole family involved. So we have buckets full of rocks in our yard. You name it, we got it
. I'm sure we could spare you some :biggrin2:.
Seriously, there's at least 12 buckets or so full of rocks standing around. Lots of them we collected ourselves, from several places in California. My husband also has put some collections together for the kid's schools.
Thank you for the PM, Hazel-Mom! I am looking forward to seeing what you send, as well as the photos!!!
Thank you ALL!!!! What a great message board we are!
Minda
