Hands on Science:
Earth Materials (Rocks & Minerals) Web Sites
• Building Stones of Our Nation's Capital
This online booklet describes the source and appearance of many of the stones used in building Washington, D.C. The buildings have been constructed with rocks from quarries throughout the United States and many distant lands. Each building shows important features of various stones and the geologic environment in which they were formed.
• The Junior Rockhound
http://www.canadianrockhound.com/junior.html
Introduces children to the world of rocks, minerals, fossils and geology in general. Articles presented here help children learn about the three basic rock types found on the earth, how to identify and classify rocks and minerals, and how to start a collection. Included are guidelines on collecting and field trip safety information. Sponsored by the magazine Canadian Rockhound.
• The Mineral Gallery
http://mineral.galleries.com/
Listing of minerals with descriptions, photos, uses, where they are found, scientific measurements including hardness, and historical background. The mineral lists are organized by name in alphabetical order, by scientific class, and by birthstones. This is a commercial site but that does not detract from the accurate scientific content provided by a geologist, cartographer, and self-professed rockhound.
• Mineral Information Institute
http://www.mii.org/
A source for free packets of information and posters, both online and available by mail using school district letterhead. The focus is on the importance of our mineral natural resources and how we use them every day and usually never bother to think about where they came from. MII is an industry-wide educational outreach for the mining industry.
• Rockdoctor's Basic Mineral Identification
http://www.cobweb.net/~bug2/rock4.htm
Explanations and color photographs of all 12 physical tests that can be used to identify minerals including the color, streak, hardness, and fizz tests featured in the Earth Materials science kit.
• Rocks and Minerals
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/rocks.html
Start your internet research about rocks and minerals here! This site is sponsored by the Educational Technology Center at an university in Georgia and the 73 links are organized under these headings: Research / Information sites, Online lesson plans, Online activities, Offline lesson plans, and Offline activities. Many of the sites listed separately below can be accessed from this site.
• Rocky the Rockhound
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/index.html
Sponsored by Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, this site has a slide show on rock hounding safety, animations that show how the three basic kinds of rocks are formed, rock quizes, crossword puzzles, word searches, and jigsaw puzzles.
• This Planet Really Rocks!
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002289/index.html
Perfect for the junior rockhound, this site includes tips for tips for rockhounding, fun activities, rock jokes and sayings, as well as illustrated articles are these topics: the difference between a rock and a mineral, rock cycle, the three types of rocks, mineral identification tests, and uses of minerals. All material is written and illustrated for an audience of elementary students.
