There is nothing quite like the awe and wonder of holding a 300-million-year-old fossil in your hand. Or examining the crystals in a piece of granite under a microscope.
In the age of digital information, allowing students to touch, examine, and explore real objects like rocks, fossils, and minerals facilitates a depth of understanding. It’s the tangible connection that bridges the gap between textbook knowledge and real-world application.
If cared for well, a good classroom rocks and fossils collection can last for many years, so it can be worth the time and money investment.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how to build an amazing rocks and fossils collection for your classroom. Because when students have access to authentic specimens, they’re not just learning about the history of our incredible planet—they’re holding it in their hands!
Museum gift shops
Check out your local museum gift shop for bargain fossils and crystals. Gift shops are great, as you may be able to choose the best-looking specimens from their stock, as well as ask staff questions about them. I used to work in a small local authority museum that sold great-value fossils that were ideal for educational use, including ammonites and shark teeth!
Garden centres
For bags of slate or pieces of sandstone, local garden suppliers are a good resource for building a collection of rocks that children can use to test their properties.
Kitchen suppliers might also have samples of polished granite or marble.
eBay
eBay is full of hidden gems (pun intended). Search for good-sized collections by private sellers, or good value, professionally prepared specimens from business sellers.
Don’t forget eBay also allows you to make offers on some listings, which could give sellers a quick sale.
My advice when looking online is to check the fossil size in the description. Sometimes what looks great on-screen turns out to be tiny when it arrives!
Don’t forget to take note of any details that may be provided with the fossils, and keep these with the specimen itself. It’s so useful when teaching to have information such as the fossil name, where it was found, and approximately how old it is.
Amazon
Sometimes it really does feel like you can buy anything on Amazon 😂
National Geographic on Amazon* has a range of rocks, fossils, and gem kits to choose from, and the option for kids to excavate their own fossils!
*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ask Around
Sometimes people have old collections hidden away from their childhood that they’d love to re-home! Ask parents or try local Facebook groups to see if anyone would like to donate any geological finds to your school.
During the summer break, you could ask children to bring a small rock back from places they visit. For example, in the UK, you can find slate in Cornwall, limestone in the Lake District, granite in parts of Scotland, and flint on a beach visit.
But what if you still can’t get enough for your own collection?
Use high-quality images from trusted websites
I mentioned in a previous post that I love the Smithsonian Open Access site for images, especially as they show the scale of each fossil. The site also tells you where the fossil was collected, when, and what it is. Images can be downloaded in high resolution, and most are free of copyright restrictions!
Hire a museum loan box
Many museums or science centres run loan box services for schools. Try your local museum and see if they offer objects or resource kits for use in the classroom. The benefit of borrowing rather than buying is the lower cost in the short term, and the specimens often come with lesson plans or resources to use alongside them.
Take a class visit to a museum
Museums are a treasure trove! Plus, the opportunity to speak to knowledgeable staff and for children to ask those tricky questions is invaluable. If you don’t have a natural history or earth science museum near you, try some further afield to see if they offer any services virtually.
Caring for your rock and fossil collection
Storage
Although rocks and fossils are generally fairly robust, you do want to avoid them bashing against each other in storage, especially if they are soft or crumbly (like chalk). There are various storage solutions you can use but my favourite type is a tray or case with a foam insert.
Something like a shallow flight case has a handle for easy transport between classrooms, as well as providing a protective barrier between objects. The added bonus is that when you put the objects away after a lesson, you can see clearly if anything is missing. Choose something with a foam insert that can be removed in cubes (sometimes called pick and pluck). You don’t want to be cutting out the exact shapes with a knife as it takes ages!
Here are some ideas for suitable storage cases with foam:*
Take a photo of the layout of your stored objects, print, and label them. If you switch classes, the next teacher in your room will know what everything is called!
Handling with children
Should children be allowed to handle fossils that are millions of years old and could be broken if dropped? 100% yes! Set the scene before using your geology collection in a hands-on way by coming up with some handling rules together. These could include always using both hands to hold something, sitting down when handling, and keeping objects away from the edge of tables.
You can really create a sense of awe and wonder by discussing the age of any fossils to encourage careful handling.
Remind children how to handle each time you use your collection.
Craft foam or plastezote are really useful for placing objects carefully on a table surface to avoid damage.
Cleaning
Try to avoid using cleaning products on your collection. Asking children to wash their hands thoroughly before handling rocks and fossils can help keep them clean. You can also use a soft, dry microfibre cloth to carefully wipe them down.
With good care, a geology collection can last for decades, even with regular handling. I’ve worked in a museum where rocks and fossils have been handled by thousands of children and still look great!
*These are affiliate links.
0 comments