Gem Mining Adventure Unearths Hidden Treasures
They weren't digging for diamonds, but our third grade students were just as excited about the gemstones they discovered last week as "Diamond Del" brought a unique, mobile gem mining experience to PCA! The students participated in a hands-on learning activity about rock and mineral identification and classification.
Inside the special gem mining trailer, students were able to sort through a rushing stream of water and rocks to find gemstones. Once the third graders located the gems and rocks, they were able to select pieces to add to their take-home collections. Some of the rocks and minerals that were found included blue and rose quartz, calcite, hematite, garnets, amethysts and mystery stones.
Benjamin Harden exclaimed, “My favorite part was shaking the box and seeing the minerals just appear out of nowhere!” Isabella Grace Morrow said that she “enjoyed mining because it got to show us what a lot of rocks and minerals look like.”
"Quite often Earth Science is considered boring, but when you have a hands-on exploration activity with "Diamond Del '', Earth Science becomes exciting science! I have never seen students exploding with so much excitement as I did today when they went gem mining,” stated Third Grade Teacher, Christina Brazzell. “Not only were students excited about mining for gemstones and to learn about the different types of minerals and rocks, but they were excited to share their discoveries and wanted to talk about it with others. Active learning, in which students share their learning with others, is the greatest result of hands-on science activities such as "Diamond Del."
This engaging field trip was one that students thoroughly enjoyed! “I liked mining the rocks and identifying them”, said third grader, Amelia Neubauer. William Clark enjoyed “mining and getting to see rocks we don’t normally see.”
What a wonderful opportunity for our PCA third graders!