Geology is an earth science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change. In essence this is the easiest science project that you can pick up as a homeschooling family. Basically you are studying, collecting and experimenting on rocks of different types that you can find on your outings to the park, in the backyard, or even a hike you take the homeschool students on. You can find new rocks and stones literally everywhere!
Find and Categorize Rocks in to the Basic Three Types
Encourage your children to look for different looking rocks on your outdoor escapades. Give each of them a strong bag which they can collect unusually shaped rocks in. These can be brought back home and split into the three basic types. Get them to understand what minerals can be found in different coloured rocks. It would be a good idea to show them some photographs of different mineral rocks on the internet before you take them out so that they have a better idea of what they are looking for. As an extra arts and craft activity, they can select the smooth stones and paint them to make different animal shapes.
Geodes Make Rock Study More Interesting
Geodes are essentially rocks with a hollow cavity inside a seemingly solid stone. These can be formed by by a gas bubble in a lava flow; by limestone being dissolved by an acidic substance; or by a shell not being filled completely with sediment when it is fossilized. So when you find a geode it is a good idea to put on some protective eye gear and use a rock pick to see what surprise you can find in the hollow cavity. Some crystal formations are really pretty. Naturally not all stones have geodes but there are speciality stores where you can get geodes for scientific study. Teach your homeschool students about the different things they can find inside a geode and encourage them to do rock surgery. They can record what they find with images to make up a larger study.
