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Playing with Rocks

Sure, Ethan and Aaron are serious rock collectors,
but they are also kids -- and kids have got to play!
We've found lots of ways to play with rocks.

	Transporting rocks
	Digging for rocks
	Growing crystals
	Making volcanoes

Transporting Rocks

Rocks were made to be moved. Our big yellow
dump trucks keep busy moving gravel from the
front yard to the back -- and then back again.

Digging for Rocks

Digging in Play Dough

We like to bury polished rocks in play dough, and then dig them out with model construction vehicles. We make our own play dough. We like the following recipe because it makes lots of play dough:

< http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/pep/playdo.htm >

Digging in Mock Rock

Mock rock is pretend rock (kind of like play dough, but with sand in it). We make mock rock, bury stuff in it -- polished rocks, fossils, whatever -- then dig out the stuff.

Go here to learn how to make mock rock.

Growing Crystals

It's easy to grow crystals right at home!

Salt-Crystal Geodes

	We mix warm water, lots of table salt, and some food coloring in a plastic bowl.
	We set the bowl on a radiator to dry for a week or so.
	Once all the water has dried up, the bowl is coated with colored salt crystals!

	Crystal Garden We followed directions at this website: < http://www.rockhoundingar.com/pebblepups/growcryst.html >

These websites have information about growing crystals:

Experiments in Growing Crystals. This page is part of the Rockhounding
Arkansas website. Learn how to grow rock candy and alum crystals, and
how to make a crystal garden.
< http://www.rockhoundingar.com/pebblepups/growcryst.html >

Grow Your Own Crystals. Step-by-step instructions for growing salt
crystals from the San Diego Museum of Natural History.
< http://www.sdnhm.org/kids/minerals/grow-crystal.html >

Making Volcanoes

				If you want to find out how we made volcanoes, visit this page.
We made simple volcanoes...		...and more complex ones.