Use these cool new tools to discover the name of your mineral!

As someone who loves rocks and minerals, finding a new sample is super exciting. Geologists use some very basic tools to help them determine the name of a rock or a mineral. Identifying a sample starts with discovering the names of the mineral or minerals, in the case of rocks. Mini Me Geology’s new Rock and Mineral Testing Kit has everything you need to get started with identifying your samples.

What You Need to Know About Minerals & Gemstones

Minerals are unique chemical substances which are homogeneous (the same) throughout the specimen. Minerals can be found as single crystals or clusters of many crystals. Rocks are a group of minerals that are found together.

Ask-A-Geologist Q&A #18: How Do I Teach Rock and Mineral Identification When I’m Not a Geologist?

This week, homeschooling mom Sandra asked how she can teach rock and mineral identification when she is not a geologist. Our new book “Help, I Have to Teach Rock and Mineral Identification and I’m Not a Geologist!” is here to help. In this book, we break down all of the details you need to teach rock and mineral identification to elementary, middle and high school students.

Five Tips for Teaching Mineral Identification to Middle & High School Students

Middle and high school students should have some knowledge about the identification of rocks and minerals from elementary school. Early in their school career they likely learned about the basic differences in mineral types using identification properties such as streak, color and hardness to tell the difference in samples. In middle and high school, students can elevate their learning to use more identification properties to tell the difference between minerals that have several properties in common.

Five Tips for Teaching Mineral Identification to Elementary Students

Identifying mineral samples can seem daunting to young students. The colors are often similar and they find it difficult to distinguish between the subtle differences in the samples. Teaching children a few basic properties with a small sample set can help them to begin to distinguish the small differences in the minerals and develop their confidence as they move into rock identification and into middle and high school where the mineral identifications become more complicated.

Rock & Mineral Identification Charts

You can have fun learning about rocks and minerals with this colorful set of rock and mineral identification flyers.