Inside the Earth

What I love so much about the homeschooling families we surround ourselves with is their desire to come together as a group and share and enjoy different experiences their children are interested in.  One momma wanted to increase her children's exposure to and love for science.  What better way than to utilize the Magic School Bus series?  We got together the other day with some other families and read Inside the Earth.  It was pouring rain, so instead of collecting rocks outside, Science Momma put together some wonderful impromptu activities based on the book.  We, um, I mean, the kids created composite rocks with clay.  Some got together and completed a glow-in-the-dark puzzle of the earth's rock layers.  Another group drew their favorite rocks - fluorite, granite, mica, etc. 

When we arrived back at home, the boys scoured the driveway for rocks.  They found quartz, composites, granite and a bunch we couldn't identify.  We have Rocks and Minerals, one of Peterson First Guides, but the pictures are of shiny rocks on display, not dirty, unpolished ones in the backyard.  We also have Simon & Schuster's Guide to Rocks & Minerals.  That book is beautiful, but it boasts 1,000 spectacular illustrations.  We might have to "upgrade" to more child-friendly identification books.  Who am I kidding?  Not more child-friendly...more adult friendly!  There must be a rock-collecting book for dummies...