A teacher's homepage with some good info for kids and teachers about how rocks are formed, rock collection safety and tips, and more. It's a very tidy and friendly resource. The Mine Safety and Health Administration's site for kids offers this page that lets kids click on the map of the US and see all of the minerals and rocks that each state produces. This site offers exercises for students that lead them in using the field tests used for mineral identification by geologists.
Students can find out about testing hardness, color, streak, fracture, and more.
The activities can be rather intricate, and most would require teacher involvement, although students could explore in some of the Virtual Testing Labs themselves. The Franklin Institute gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the National Science Foundation and Unisys Corporation. The Franklin Institute is the Demonstration Site for the Eisenhower Mid-Atlantic Consortium, providing science and math resources for teachers. All rights reserved.