Rock Investigation + Easy DIY Dig-&-Discover

Do you want to grow children who know how to have FUN without the latest whizzbang trendy gadgets or expensive kits and boodles?

Hook your kids on rocks with this fun investigation!  I mean, heck, rocks are everywhere and they're totally free!  These activities will give your children a greater respect for the Earth.

Explore hardness using a DIY kit, plus make your own dig-and-discover activity.  Or if you can't be bothered with all that, try a fun family bonding activity that requires no resources.

This is not a whole geology unit, just an opportunity to observe different properties of rocks (Year 4, Australian Curriculum).

We used this fantastic Rock Observation Chart to investigate the following:

• colour
• texture
• lustre
• streak
• hardness
• size
• magnetism  

For the DIY kit you need...

• a nail
• a coin 
• smooth beach glass
• a magnet 
• a ruler 
• and obviously some rocks to test!

This is a great kit for taking out in your Nature Backpacks!  Simply use the materials to test the properties of the rocks and record your findings on the sheet.

For the dig-and-discover kit, you need:

• Clay 
• Something to put inside, such as Lego, gum nuts, foreign coins...
• A small hammer
• Child-size safety glasses
• A dust mask
• An old towel to contain the mess
• A paintbrush

I used terracotta clay.  I kneaded a small Lego kit into it.   The bigger the lump, the longer the drying period.  Mine took about three weeks to harden completely, then I gave it to my son with the hammer, brush and safety gear.  It was my first attempt at a dig-and-discover activity and it was super successful!

If you want to see how I presented the materials and which books I used, please watch the video! Just be warned that the footage is low quality and it's very... um... wordy at the start.  I promise I've learnt my lesson about waffling!  (S-Man says, "Oh really, mum?!")

Finally, if you can't be bothered with the DIY kits, try our favourite family bonding rock activity: "Sedimentary rock"!  Yup, you guessed it, we all lie on top of each other like layers of rock :-)

As you'll see from the video, I scored a bucket of clay from four kilometres under the ocean.  Now the only question is, what shall we make with it?!  Please post your ideas in the comments!  Also, where are the best places to observe interesting rock formations?  If you know, please tell us!

Thanks for popping by!  If you're looking for more things to do with rocks, try our Aboriginal Story Stones!  For more Nature Study, check out our Unzoo Post (with Printable) or try making one of our Bird Feeder Suggestions.