I live in Tucson, Arizona.
Every year, we have the Gem and Mineral Show come to town.
It is wonderful tradition that has been happening for 60 years! I love to go with my husband and son, and sometimes I go with a friend. There is plenty of jewelry to shop for, but I like to keep my eye out for interesting (and inexpensive) things to bring to the classroom.
Can you imagine having something as remarkable as this in your science center?
After a visit to the gem show, I decided to put out a provocation for scientific exploration:
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| (I later added a better magnifying glass and a book about gems and minerals). |
Here are some close-ups:
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| This is what I believe to be a trilobite fossil. They are a marine-based arthropod that have been extinct for over 250 million years. |
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| Crystal quartz, geodes, pyrite (also known as fool's gold), and desert rose (see the petals?). |
These are wonderful additions to the science area! Sparkly geodes are pretty much always a hit, and the fossil sparked a lot of interesting conversations.
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| The children searched the book looking for pictures matching the minerals we had in the classroom. |
What is something interesting that you can bring into the classroom to spark interest in science? I look forward to your comments!
Happy playing!
Gina
