Rock Project

Rock Project

Over the last week I have been working on a rock project with my  2 1/2 year old and 5 year old.  The girls have been very interested in rocks and they absolutely loved these activities. 

 

 Sorting

 Little Peanut Sorting Rocks Big and Small
 



 

 

 
 
 

 Sorting by Color
I didn't get a picture of Little Peanut doing this activity, but here is what it looked like when she was finished.

 

 Counting and Measurement using a Scale
Little Peanut is measuring/counting how many cubes her rock weighs. 

 

 

Little Sweets is doing the same thing.  She also had to estimate how many cubes her rock weighed and record her findings on a worksheet.  I got the worksheet here.
 

 

 Writers Workshop- Describing Words
Together we came up with words we could use to describe different rocks.  Little Sweets helped me write the words on the board.  She picked a rock to write about and wrote about it in her journal.  (She usually includes a princess in all her drawings.  This princess had an amethyst jewel in her crown.)
 

 

 

 

 (Shiny, purple, rock)

Sensory Box/ Rock Identification
Little Sweets found rocks in her sensory box.  We used the rocks and cards from her game Rock On.

 

 

 

 We also found some Mica when we were hiking up in the mountains a few weeks ago.  Here she is using a book from the library to identify the rock. 

 

 

Language Arts

 We use guided reading as part of our Language Arts curriculum.  I got these books from Reading A to Z.  The first book was her guided reading book that she read to me.  The second book is also a guided reading book but is intended for third graders.  I used it as a read aloud.  It had tons of interesting facts about gems. 

Writing
 Little Sweets drew a picture of her favorite rock and answered questions about it.  I got the worksheet here.
 

Rock Salt Experiment
The girls are helping me make rock salt.  We are still waiting for the water to evaporate.

 

Geography
Little Sweets has really been into maps lately.  Here she is identifying where gems are found around the world and placing a picture of the gem on the world map.  (She had some help from mommy. )



Spooning Rocks into an Ice Cube Tray
Little Peanut is working on her fine motor skills as she spoons the rocks into the ice cube tray.
 

Counting Cards
Little Peanut is placing a rock on top of the counter on the card.

 

 

 Rocks as Math Manipulatives

  Little Sweets used her rocks to help solve addition problems.
 

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Homeschool Classroom/Playroom

 

 

 

Our Homeschool Classroom/Playroom

This is our classroom/playroom.  My husband built the shelving and the bench for the room. We  got the cabinets from Lowes. We made the bench cushions out of plywood, foam, and fabric. I love it because we store the toys inside the cabinets and it adds extra seating.  I got the idea for the seating here. 

 

 

 

This is where I display the girls work.  I got the idea here.

 

 

 

Little Peanuts Tot Trays

 

 

 

 

Little Sweets Workboxes 

 

We just started using these.  I love them because they keep me organized and are easy to store. I put the items Little Sweets needs to do for each subject in the boxes.  Here is a great tutorial if you want to learn more about workboxes.

 

(These are scrapbooking storage boxes. I bought 4 for about $15.00.  They were on sale and I used my homeschool teacher discount.  I got them from Michaels.) 

 

Storage Closet in the Classroom



 

 

Storage in the Garage.

 

I know it looks messy, but I know where everything belongs.  : )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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