A DIFFERENT METHOD OF TEACHING: ROCKS AND MINERALS BELONGS IN KINDERGARTENAll ...

READING FOR ROCKS FROM KINDERGARTEN ON

All children are fascinated by rocks. They are always picking up interesting rocks they find on the  made jewelry for the kids and parents.  We studied all the countries these beautiful rocks came from and how they were formed. We learned about fossils, volcanoes, rocks that come from volcanoes, minerals and magnetic rocks Every child in the class started a rock collection of their own. 

 At that time there were books on finding rocks and fossils and mines in NJ, and Pa, that you could go dig for specimens.  I took my children and my sons’ friend to the St. Clair fossil collecting for fossil ferns. They loaded the car up with so many fern fossils the bottom of the car almost hit the road.  All my own children as well as their friends and my class became rock collectors. 

 It was then I realized how rocks and minerals could be utilized for learning and for reward.  I started to reward the children a tumbled stone or crystal for reading a book. We made treasure boxes out of egg cartons and every time a child read a book, they got a rock. I always had the children read to me individually. This created a mad house of reading.  Everyone wanted to read every day. 

 By the end of the year I had children reading from first to third grade books, and some newspaper articles.  Unfortunately or fortunately the “rockhound” fascination took over. I quit teaching and opened my own lapidary and my children and I collected and dug rocks all around the USA and Mexico.

Thirty-five years later I returned to teaching and rocks and minerals is still the favorite unit I do with the children.   I start teaching reading by experience stories so the children learn the written word consists of letters in a straight line and not all over the paper and how to write a sentence.  I also start teaching word families, not sight words. If you are teaching sight words how can the child learn to sound out a word, and there are too many words in our language to learn by sight. Most of our children come to school from day care where they already learned letter sounds so why waste a year teaching that again. 

In January after they have learned many word families I start them reading—reading for rocks again.  There is nothing more exciting than holding a quartz crystal and learning how it was formed in the ground.  It is so beautiful looking and you can look through the crystal and see a rainbow or hold it on the paper to magnify the words.  The colors of the beautiful tumbled stones are so pretty and shiny with the variety of colors and patterns.  It is so fascinating to learn how they came about through the heating and cooling of the earth’s crust. What child can resist learning earth science with volcanoes spouting out the hot lava and the huge explosions?  The children in my class learn about magnetic rocks and even metal rocks. They learn the uses of rocks to make medicine, chemicals, and building materials.  They love to learn about fossils and how they were formed.

  My favorite fossil story is putting fossil turtle poop on the rug and asking the kids what is that?  “Poop, and it stinks” they all scream.  I then hand it to them.  Some will take it and some will be afraid to touch it.  After they see others hold it they will also but almost all will smell it and rub their hands on their clothes to wipe off the poop.  I ask how can it smell when it is a fossil millions of years old, It does they say and it stinks.

  A child would do anything to get more of these rocks for their collection, even if it means reading or writing every day.  A shinny colorful rock is even better than candy or a toy.  I give out stickers when we read and 6 stickers and you get a prize from my toy bag. Would you believe my kids ask for a rock for their collection instead? 

 This love of rocks carries on even to adulthood.  All during the year past students come to visit my class because they know I will give them a tumbled stone or crystal for their collection.


  During the summer I work in camp and the kids asked if we could have a reading for rocks club.  The kids in our camp range from 6 to 12.  My cousin’s children, now in their 40’s said they studied earth sciences in college because of my giving them rocks when they were young.  I am now starting my own grandchildren reading for rocks.  My grandson started learning to read for rocks at 4 and is in a gifted reading and science program. My granddaughter walks around my house with a book in her hand, not an electronic device.  Reading for rocks really spurs them on.