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Rock Study #4: Granite!

This month we made sure to observe carefully the granite rocks in Yosemite National Park. We didn’t collect any because that isn’t allowed in a national park but we did learn a little more about the granites found there with a trip to the Visitor’s Center. They have a fabulous display of granites, showing the rock cycle and the way this particular granite was formed.

Everywhere you go in the park you are surrounded by granite! Granite of all shapes and sizes lines the trails and creates the majestic valley walls you see all around you. The biggest piece of granite that looms over you in the valley would be El Capitan.It is a rock climber’s heaven and we read in the Visitor’s Center that the granite that makes up El Capitan was cooled slowly which makes it particularly strong and resistant to erosion. We watched the climbers up there on the nearly 3,600 foot granite face…amazing courage to be up there!

The exhibit has many interesting facts about the granites of Yosemite National Park.

There were also samples of the different granites from different areas of the part…each one with a little different combination of elements. Fascinating!


So even though we didn’t actually collect a sample from Yosemite, we have plenty of other granite samples from our travels locally. We are continuing to work our way through the Rocks, Fossils, and Arrowheads book.

We have high hopes of studying two rocks in June as we travel to Oregon. I know that if we didn’t make this project part of the nature study goals for 2013 we would have let it drop. But, I am determined to get as many done this year as possible.

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Slate Nature Study – Rock Update #3


Slate is a natural part of our landscape and it turns out after a little research that at the beginning of the 20th century, our county had one of the biggest slate mining trades in the whole United States. There are slate mines just a short way from our house and I never even knew it. I had seen the quarry but it did not occur to me that it was a slate mine. Turns out that on our side of the river they have started mining slate again.

Once upon a time they had an elaborate cable car system to get the slate from one side of the canyon to the other…I had heard about the cable crossings but I guess I never had put much thought into what they actually carried across on the cables. It wasn’t until this year’s rock challenges that I even put it all together.

One of the little mountain towns used to be called Slatington and it was called that because they made slate shingles. I never knew.

After last month’s study of shale, we were on the lookout for some samples of slate to collect. It didn’t take much effort since we now knew to look for the layers and then to test the rock’s hardness. If it broke easily, it was shale. If it was hard and wouldn’t easily break, it was slate.

We found this wonderful specimen on our regular hiking trail.

I think what was confusing me was that I thought that shale had to be black….turns out that is not the case. Our shale can be black, brown, reddish…or in between. It is the texture and fissure qualities that make slate easy to identify.

This is our second official rock from the list which we pulled from the book Rocks, Fossils and Arrowheads (Take-Along Guides). I am attempting to find and collect as many of the rocks from the book as  possible during 2013: Rock Update.

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Shale Nature Study – Rock Update #2

Our local landscape is full of rocks…the area was settled by gold miners in the California Gold Rush and even today there are gold mines in our area that are back into production (the price of gold is up enough that they can make money). There is a park in our neighborhood that has an exposed bank next to the road and that is where we found our shale to study as part of my on-going year-long focus on rocks.


This is our official first rock from the list which we pulled from the book Rocks, Fossils and Arrowheads (Take-Along Guides). See last month’s entry for my preparation for this project where I will be attempted to locate and collect as many of the rocks from the book as  possible during 2013: Rock Update.

This is what our local shale looks like….like wafers that are either horizontal or vertical. The color varies but mostly the out-croppings we have seen are light colored from a light gray or red or even green. Doing some research has revealed that it is the organic materials in the shale that give it its color: iron oxide, hematite, geothite, or mica.

This is the piece of shale that is shown sticking out in the photo above. I could just slide it out.

Shale is a sedimentary rock that is mostly composed of clay and is sometimes called mudstone. It can easily be scratched with a knife and has a quality that is listed as “laminated”. This means that the rock is made up of many thin layers.

The mystery rock from last month’s entry turns out to be slate which is the metamorphic form of shale. Guess what next month’s rock will be? You guessed….slate! I will explain how you can tell the difference because in the process of identifying the shale I also learned quite a bit about slate.

You can read all my 2013 nature study goals here on my blog.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival – Rocks Edition

OHC Blog Carnival

This month you all surprised me with the number and variety of entries submitted for the rock related challenges. Your families are out there doing some great nature study even in the middle of winter. Thank you for continuing to inspire me to be outside as well. We have had a really cold month here in our neck of the woods and I could just as easily slacked off going outside. Instead, I was out there like the rest of you looking at rocks and learning so much more than I thought I could.

Our families rock entries from this month’s study (in case you missed one):
Our Rock Grid Study – Rocks for Our Collection
Top 5 Ways to Display Rocks
Rock Observations January 2013

Be inspired. Be encouraged. Get outdoors!

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Lisa and her kids are on a rock study adventure

Rock Grid Study
Desiree from Our Homeschool Notebook has a fantastic entry showing so many of their rock related activities from this month’s Rock Grid Study. I really enjoyed seeing how the incorporated so many of the grid study and newsletter suggestions.

Shirley Ann from Under An English Sky shares their unfolding rock-related nature study in her entry: Rock Study Grid. I think this is a great example of how you can find something interesting to learn about by just choosing a few of the grid suggestions and getting started. Thanks Shirley Ann!

Lisa from Pilgrims at Tinker Creek shares their two rock study entries in January Nature Walk and Rock Walk. They found lots of rocks very close to their home…love the striped one! She would love some help identifying some of their rocks if you are familiar with Virginia geology.

Robin from Academia shares their Geodes with the carnival. Looks like Tabbi got a great collection from this activity!

Angie from Petra School’s January Nature Study: Rocks entry is a delight! She shares not only her thoughts on rocks but nature study in general and I think you will find it very encouraging.

Diana from Homeschool Review shares their Nature Study #2 2013 entry with carnival readers. They were on the lookout for rocks but also share their mid-winter nature walk discoveries. Thanks for showing us you finds!

Tricia from Hodgepodge found a unique place to observe some local rocks – the State Capitol! Read all about it in Georgia Rocks Nature Study. Now that was resourceful!

Carla from Inside Outside Michiana shares their awesome Rock Grid Study entry with the carnival. Wow! You are going to love seeing all the great things they accomplished using the grid ideas. Check out their rock stacking!

Nadene has written a thoughtful post relating their Rocks and Stones Experience for the carnival. They took a more relaxed approach to their rock study and were delighted with the results.

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Angie from Petra School – stacking rocks

Rock Collection
Angie from Petra School has submitted their Rocks-Collecting By Type entry for the carnival. Wow! You are going to love seeing how her more advanced students took the grid study to a new level. I am inspired!

Robin from Academia share Tabbi Rocks! with carnival readers. She writes about Tabbi’s collection and the ones they borrowed to look at as part of this month’s rock challenges. Excellent idea to share collections!

Carla joins the carnival with their Start a Rock Collection entry from her blog Inside Outside Michiana. Even her littlest guy was able to participate in this challenge with great success! Related to this entry, Carla shares some additional insights about The Power of Their Own Stuff.

Michelle from Following Footprints had a great rock month and she shares their activities in their entry: Outdoor Hour Challenge-Our Rock Collection. They made a rock sculpture in the middle of their dining room table each day…fantastic idea! Don’t miss their journals too!

Sarah from GranWood Explores writes about their Outdoor Hour Challenge-Rocks and Minerals activities for the carnival. They made an excellent display of their rock collections with labels.

Michelle’s kids are off on a rock walk with Dad – pockets and pretty purse ready for collecting 3 rocks!

Rock Up-Close
Angie from Petra School comes through with an awesome entry for Rocks Up Close! I invite you to click over and be inspired by her thoughts and images. Love her Oregon Coast geology!

Angie also submitted their Rock Observation Chart study…this one is going to show you just how to use that free printable from this month. Make sure to check out all the amazing colors of rocks!

Leslie from Mother Robin’s Notes from the Nest has written about their Rocks Up Close and Personal. What a wonderful entry showing the process they used in completing this rock related study. If you have trouble drawing rocks, you will appreciate this entry.

Nicole from Journey to Excellence seized the opportunity to complete their Rock Study – Perfect Indoor Sick Day Nature Study. She shares how they collected their rocks on one day and then observed them up close on another.

Sara from Garner Goings On submits her entry: Digging Into Rocks. They decided to focus on the rock cycle and to try to identify several rocks in their collection. She also recommends several rock themed books for you to check out.

Rock – Granite/Quartz
Leslie from Mother Robin’s Notes from the Nest wrote their entry It’s Gneiss to Meet You and she packed in a lot of interesting things about their local rocks…with a bit of humor. 🙂

Potpourri
Jennifer of Royal Little Lambs shares their Winter Nature Walk since all their rocks are under the snow. They found lots of great things to observe instead including some bright red rosehips! Make sure to see her new nature display box and nature notebook pages too.

Diane from Homeschool Review has written up their month’s study of mistletoe: Nature Walk 1-2013. I love seeing families follow their interest and learn about things they have in their own area. She also shares her son’s lovely images of snowflakes in Snow! Click over to see for yourself.

OHC Blog Carnival
Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in February are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 2/27/13 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com or submit them at the blog carnival site (link on the sidebar of my blog).

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Nature Study: Rock Observations for January 2013


To refresh your memory, I am going to try to collect all fifteen rocks discussed in the Rocks, Fossils and Arrowheads (Take-Along Guides).This month we spent lots of time out and about looking at rocks, collecting a few new ones, and enjoying our rock adventures. We did not actually complete any of the fifteen rocks from the book. I can see now that I need to be more purposeful if I am going to achieve this goal in the year 2013.

That is the beauty of goals…they keep you focused and on track.

We did however accomplish several rock-related activities.

We added a new rock to our front yard rock spot. We have yet to identify it but that is going on February’s list because I actually think it is some kind of shale or slate which would be one of our fifteen rocks from the book.

We collected a rock from the other side of the river canyon and comparing it to the rocks on our side of the canyon, realized it is different. This I think is going to be the value in labeling our rocks with where we collected them.

Rock Hike to the River @HBNatureStudy

My son, my husband, and I enjoyed a warm mid-winter afternoon sitting on a big rock at the river. I collected a few rocks for a friend as a surprise.

This was a month we spent more time outdoors looking at rocks and talking about rocks and not much was recorded in our nature journals. I already have my rock grid in my nature journal so I just need to sit down with a pen and record this month’s thoughts and discoveries.

I am going to do my best to have one of my official fifteen rocks studied by the end of February.

Next week I will update you on my “using less plastic” goal for 2013…which I did a much better job with this month!

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Rock Observation Chart


Outdoor Hour Challenge:
This week try to find at least one specific rock to collect and observe. If you need to, pick a rock from your collection and use that as your subject. Use your outdoor time to slow down and really look for rocks or if you have snow on the ground, try to remember where there are rocks in your neighborhood and plan for a future rock hunt when the weather is more agreeable.

You may wish to complete the granite or the quartz challenge that were previously posted here on the Handbook of Nature Study:
Granite Study
Quartz Study

You may pick any rock to study that you have on hand. There are several other rocks listed in the Table of Contents for the Handbook of Nature Study that you may wish to use in your study. 
 

Printable Activity:

Rock Observation Chart: Use this printable chart to examine several of your rocks carefully. This is a little more advanced activity using vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to you. The activity is meant to be a simplified exercise in learning how to use deductive reasoning to identify your rock sample. 

 

You may find these links helpful: Identifying Minerals and Mineral Field Tests.

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #7.  We are focusing on rocks this month so you can start your own rock field guide using the directions and notebook page in this challenge. You can record your observations from the printable activity above on your rock field guide card if you wish. 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge- Rock Study With Magnifying Lens


Outdoor Hour Challenge:
Now that we have all started our rock collections either by gathering rocks during our outdoor time or finding rocks we had already in the house, let’s take a closer look using a magnifying lens. This is where you are going to learn just how interesting rocks can be when you slow way down to take a careful look at them. Use the printable below to help you get started.

Rocks Up Close Printable Activity
Print the Rocks Up Close activity page and use it to guide a careful study of your rock. Sketch your rock carefully using colored pencils or markers.


Rocks Up Close Printable

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #8. This challenge is perfect to go along with the Up Close and Personal challenge using your magnifying lens and the notebook page from the ebook.Have fun and learn as much as you can by looking carefully at your rocks.
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Ultimate Ebook Library @handbookofnaturestudy

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Top 5 Ways to Display Rock Collections

Now that we are all in the midst of collecting rocks for our rock collections, I want to share my Top 5 Ways to Display Rock Collections. There are ways of attractively displaying your rocks and still leave them available for inspection and closer observation. Most of the methods do not require big investments of money since you can recycle containers and other materials needed. I like keeping our rocks out in the open because it does encourage our children to look at them and I have found visitors to our how stop to take a look and ask about them as well. This gives us a chance to share what we know about our rocks…love that kind of learning and sharing.

Jar – We love this simple way of collecting rocks when we are traveling. I simply bring along a container or two with lids (look for them at your local dollar store). I prefer plastic to glass for obvious reasons. If you wanted to you would collect the rocks in the plastic jars and then when you got home you could transfer them to pretty glass containers. I use a Sharpie marker to label the top for future reference.

Tray – Placing rocks on a tray on our nature table makes it super easy to view them, study them, and keep them organized. I have found that using a tray is much easier if you place a cloth or placemat on top before adding your rocks. This keeps the rocks from rattling around and sliding onto the floor. You can rotate the rocks on the tray to spark interest. I also add a magnifying lens or loupe to the tray so we can take a closer look at our rocks.

Window Sill – This was our method of displaying rocks when we wanted them handy for study. My sons would gather the rocks from our collections and then place them all in a line on the windowsill. The secret advantage to this method of displaying rocks is that you are limited to the space on the window sill. If you want to add a rock and the sill is full, you must remove a rock.

Vase – Many of the rocks we collect are found at the river’s edge or at the seashore. They look so very pretty when they are wet, showing the variations in color and composition. By the time we get them home, they are dry and dull and sometimes I even wonder what attracted us to a certain rock. But, I have found that if you get them wet again your see the beauty shine through. Using the rocks in the bottom of a clear glass vase, filling it with water, and then adding a splash of flowers is one of my favorite ways to bring those rocks alive again.

Shelf – In the past we have dedicated a shelf to our rock collections. The collections were either contained in nice specimen boxes or in other recycled boxes with labels. I found this the least attractive of the methods of displaying rocks because it does not really let you see the rocks easily. But, if you have younger ones who collect lots of rocks, you may for a time, need to display your rock collections in this way. I also have a shelf that has a collection of very unattractive shoe boxes with rocks stacked inside….not shown in the images above…not a preferred method.

This month’s nature study theme continues to be rocks and minerals. You can subscribe to this blog and receive your Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter with suggested rock activities, printables, and articles in your email inbox or in your Google Reader. The link to download the newsletter is in every entry for the whole month. You also may wish to read this week’s challenge: Start a Rock Collection with a free printable to make your own rock treasure box. 
 

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Start a Rock Collection


Outdoor Hour Challenge:
Rock collecting comes naturally to most children. Rocks seem to fill their pockets and many times end up in yours as well. One way to build appreciation for rocks is to start a formal collection. Honestly, your personal collection can be just a few rocks that have special meaning or interest to you. Start small. This week you are encouraged to find one or two rocks that you can add to your collection. Use a rock field guide to help identify your rocks. (See the Amazon widget at the bottom of this entry on the blog for my suggestions.)

You may wish to use some of the ideas from last week’s challenge: Rock Grid Study.

Thank you to Middle Girl at Hodgepodge for making a treasure box for us to see.

Rock Collection Box Printable
To go along with this challenge, I have put together a printable that you can use to create your very own rock treasure box using an empty egg carton. Print out it out and then decorate it with paints, markers, glitter, or any other art materials you have on hand. Use the labels to record the names of your rocks.

My Rock Treasure Box Printable

Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #6. 
In this challenge you will find suggestions for starting and making collections of all kinds. Rocks you collect yourself during your outdoor time or while traveling are a perfect way to build up a lifetime appreciation for rocks.
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Our Rock Grid Study – Rocks for Our Collection

Rocks are everywhere! It is hard to know where to start with a study of our local rocks since everywhere we look we have rocks to observe. But, like all nature study, our rock hunt led us to more questions than answers. Using the Rock Grid from the January edition of the Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter, we narrowed our focus to a few of the squares.

  • Find a rock you would like to know more about using a book from the library. 
  • Find three rocks to bring home in your pocket. 

So these were the rocks that came home…a little too big for the pocket but we have long admired them along the hiking trail. It is high time that we slow down and learn a little more about them. My husband thinks the flat ones are some kind of slate. I’m not sure…the black ones maybe but the reddish ones will be fun to research. They are definitely sedimentary rocks and break easily. The top right rock is mostly quartz and very pretty in real life. These are going on the nature table until we find a book to help learn more about them.

Rock Nature Study @handbookofnaturestudy

This is Mr. A’s rock that he wants to know more about. You cannot tell from a photo but I am guessing it is twice as heavy as the same size piece of granite we have on our shelf. It is solid! This rock is found alongside another walking trail we take every week. If you look closely, you will see it is shiny/sparkly around the edges which makes it an interesting rock. Can’t wait to learn more about it…just need to get over to the library and find a good reference book.

Rock List Nature Journal @HBNatureStudy

Here is the start of my rock journal for the year. I listed down the side all the rocks from the Rocks, Fossils and Arrowheads (Take-Along Guides) that I have decided to focus on for the year of 2013. Our family is going to be trying to locate, collect, and then study each of the fifteen rocks from the book. I made a chart to record the date we find the rock and the location.

On the other page, I watercolored a background and then I will adhere the Rock Grid Study for easy reference and as a reminder of a few things we can do while outside for our hikes and walks.

If you haven’t downloaded the January Handbook of Nature Study Newsletter with the Rock Study Grid yet, you still have time to do so. The link will be in every entry for the month of January if you are a subscriber to the blog. I already have quite a few rock-related entries for the next Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival and I invite you to join us with your entry (link on the sidebar).

Have you collected any rocks yet?