Excavating Geodes | Simple Science For Kids

We have a slight love for rocks, minerals and pebbles in this house. I’m not sure exactly why we are drawn so much to them, but it seems we are always finding ourselves investigating rocks and minerals. Last summer, we got these awesome geodes and get so excited about excavating geodes in our own backyard, we just had to share!

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With the nice weather starting to shine through, finally, I was reminded of this super simple science exploration that kids will love! In fact, I need to order a new set of geodes just so we can do this again with everyone and the toddler.

Excavating Geodes | Simple Science Explorations

What You Need

“Break Your Own Geodes” Kit
Rubber Mallets
Screwdrivers
Safety Goggles for Kids

Optional:
Magnifying Glasses
Tweezers
Recording Journals

What are Geodes?

Geodes are round rocks which are filled with crystals. While most geodes contain clear quartz, while others have purple amethyst crystals.

Geodes start as a bubble inside a layer of rock, this could be from an animal burrow, tree roots or even an air inside explosive volcanic rock. The crystals are formed over time as the rain pelts over them, as tiny clusters or single crystals.

You can learn a lot more about geodes here. My kids loved reading through this!

How Do You Excavate Geodes?

Getting to the awesome crystals is almost like solving an ancient mystery. No geodes are actually the same and have so many wonderful surprises inside. To get started, cover the table with a rubber mat. Then place your geode on the table.

Next, look for a week spot in the geode or a crack and place your screwdriver in the middle of the geode. Using the rubber mallet, carefully bang the end of the screwdriver.

Sometimes you have to move the screwdriver around a few times and find a new spot.

However, once you actually get the geode to crack… prepare yourself for a huge surprise!

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STEM Activities for kids

Still wanting more STEM activity ideas? Luckily you can always head over to last week’s post and check out more great resources! Each week, we will share ideas in one or more of the areas of STEM to give you more ideas to get you ready to explore learning in an exciting way!