February honor · Helping Hand award

Geologist

Rocks are not just rocks. This month the kids learn the three kinds, test them with a nail and a penny, crack a geode, and go on a rock hunt to start a collection that fits in an egg carton.

Every rock has a story. Learn to read it.

Why kids love it

  • Cracking a geode. A plain grey ball opens to crystals. Loudest cheer of the year.
  • Tests you can do. Scratch it, drop water on it, see if it floats: real geologist tests with kitchen tools.
  • A collection to keep. An egg-carton rock box with labels.
  • Oregon rocks. Volcanoes, lava, obsidian and agates: our own backyard is a geology field trip.

What we will do

  1. Three kinds of rock. Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic: how each one is made, with samples to hold.
  2. Test it. Hardness (fingernail, penny, nail), colour streak, and does it fizz with vinegar.
  3. Rock hunt. Find six different rocks on the church grounds and sort them.
  4. Crystals. Crack a geode and grow a sugar crystal to take home.
  5. Your collection. Show a labelled box of at least eight rocks and name the three kinds to earn the award.

Bring any interesting rock from home; the leaders will help identify it.

Stars, chips and awards are the Adventurer badges: Little Lambs earn stars, Eager Beavers earn chips, Busy Bees and up earn awards. Official requirements are in the leader's guide; younger levels join every activity and count it toward their own level.

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