Rock Extravaganza with Farm Life 4th Graders

Monday was my long-awaited Rock

Extravaganza with over 100 fourth

graders in the Sandhills Farm Life

media center.  These guys were an

awesome an attentive bunch of rock

hounds.  First we went through some

basic facts about rocks and minerals.

I shared two of my favorite analogies:

Earth Pie and Mineral Soup.

Five classes of eager learners filed in.

When they were all in place, there wasn't even
room to squirm.  At least I didn't see anyone squirm.

I've never seen a clearer representation

of the various mechanisms by which

rocks undergo change than this flow

chart.  I stressed that every rock has

a story, and because rocks are non-living,

their story is as old as that of the earth.

And on top of that, rocks in nature never

stop changing.  Only when a collector

like myself removes them from their

natural environment do they cease to

be subjected to the changing forces of

the world.  But that doesn't mean they 

won't someday be "freed" (like when

I die) and undergo future transformations.

I had fun reading my story "My Life
as a Rock," in which the crystals of a
geode are personified.  In my story, an
ordinary, drab rock is swept by winds
and waves, baked and frozen, until finally
a collector named Ken Loyd cracks him
open.  Angry at this unprovoked assault,
the geode is forgiving when he sees how
lovely his "guts" are.  In fact, he advises
his readers that they should have someone
crack them open.  It can change their life!

I reserved the last several minutes for students to
handle my rock specimens.  Their task was to take
the rock their teacher hands them and show to it
to all their friends, pointing out its unique properties
as they compare it to other folks' rocks.  They
carried out this task like a diligent and enthusiastic
bunch of young scientists.

Indian Paint Rock, found in areas of
Moore County, is a favorite.

This Indian Paint Rock, shaped like a turkey, was
collected in the Eagle Springs area and given to
me at a yard sale by a retired teacher who liked
the idea of me sharing it with students like these.

Emy's Indian Paint Rock seems to have
a smile that matches hers.

Each student was successful at finding out what
was special and intriguing about his or her rock.

Bright eyes and broad smiles are a sure sign of learning.

All around the room there were clusters of students
pointing out the similarities, differences, and odd
qualities of their particular specimen.

This student was proud and fascinated by
his glacial rock from the shores of Lake
Ontario.

This rock has doubtless been through numerous
changes over the ages.

Here it is along with other rocks from Lake
Ontario's shores.  Can you imagine the stories
of these rocks?

These boys are wondering how their shiny samples of
 mica can be so similar, yet one is silver, the other black.

Biotite mica is on the left,
Muscovite mica is on the right.
Only their color distinguishes the two.

Here's a sample of mica I collected near Camp
Cherokee over 40 years ago.  This mineral is
abundant in north Georgia.  There was even a
small mica mine tunneled underneath one of
the gravel roads a few miles from camp.

Mica was once used for the see-through peepholes
 in fuel tanks lids.  Polished mica was known
as isinglass when used as windows in Model T Fords.
Click here to read Wikipedia's article about the
many uses of mica in modern manufacturing.

Beautiful rocks can be crafted into interesting
and useful items such as ash trays, paperweights,
and bookends.

Here's a small sampling of common uses of
rocks and minerals that we may take for granted.

After observing the angular slant of this rock
regardless of what position you viewed it from,
the students christened it "The Leaning Rock."
That peculiar trait is an example of the properties
that aid in rock identification.

With a little imagination, this river rock takes on
the likeness of a strange mask.  You can see layered
markings that gently lapping water created as they
eroded away the rock over many ages.  We called
this one "The Shark Rock."

This little known rock is abundant in Moore County.
Even the companies that mined it misnamed it as
talc for many years.  It was actually a mineral called
pyrophyllite, chemically different from talc.  These
are pieces of core samples that were drilled near
Glendon, north of Highfalls.

Rocks containing fossils of tiny sea organisms
are always popular.

While these rocks are diverse in appearance,
each is a sample of quartz, the most abundant
mineral on earth.  A few students got to watch
me strike strikes with two pieces of quartz.
The smell of smoke was evidence that their
eyes were not fooling them.

There's quite a contrast in these two river
rocks.  I call the large one "Chiquita Banana."
Yes, it was painted yellow by me and a
cabin of campers when I found it near a
waterfall at a place called Stamey Shoals.
This was not far from the mica mine I mentioned.
I guess the smaller rock could be Smoky Link.

These Moore County rocks were collected by me
at the quarry at Glendon.  This is Carolina Blue
Slate, which is found in a deeply-buried band
up the Atlantic seaboard.  I have sprayed samples
of this rock with clear lacquer to highlight its
colorful layers of blue and purple.

Our time ran out all too soon.  But I was
glad to see that even when all the rocks
had been safely returned, some students
were reluctant to say goodbye.  These
may be future rock hounds, whether
for fun (hobby) or profit (career).

I heard second hand about at least one
student who began his rock collection
as soon as he got home.
Mission Accomplished!