This STEM guide has pages to accompany each spread of the book Can a Rock Grow? The original book, also written and illustrated by Audrey Sauble, is an introduction to geology and petrology for young readers. It covers the rock cycle, the various types of rocks (sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous), as well as fossils and other related topics.
In the activity book there are coloring pages based on the original illustrations, such as a cave full of stalactites or a child climbing across blocks of basalt like the Giant’s Causeway. Readers can also complete a word search full of minerals, crystals, and precious stones or a crossword puzzle with fourteen key terms. Other pages have activities where minerals with specific shapes are matched to their name such as dendritic, lenticular, plumose, etc. or terms are matched to their definitions. Fill-in-the-blank questions help readers identify whether specific types of rocks are sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic. There are also two different bingo games to play. Writing activities range from journaling about a favorite rock to listing uses for rocks that the reader observes in everyday life.
There are also directions for hands-on exploration such as investigating the hardness of rock samples with a scratch test (see image), making rock candy, and using playdough to model folding and erosion. Other activities include growing a stalactite, observing the action in a sediment jar, or making kindness rocks to leave around the neighborhood.
The best part about these activities is that they can be done by an individual child who is fascinated with rocks and nature, but they can also be incorporated into a science class or STEM club setting and used with a group.
Interior page samples:
Try out both books today and encourage any little rock hounds that you know! If you haven't yet encountered Can a Rock Grow? it has been out for several years and was recently updated. You can find it at https://www.aesauble.com/ or other online retailers like Amazon. It is part of the Early Science Questions series, which also includes Can a Spider Be Fluffy? and A Bee or Not a Bee?
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