Rocking Out

One of the dads in our scout troop is a geologist. A generous geologist who loves to share his enthusiasm with kiddos. Last night he visited the Webelos room to help the boys earn their geology pin. He pulled out all the stops - or should I say rocks? - by bringing in a truckload of cool specimens for the kids to experience. Moms and Dads were fascinated too. What is it about a table full of rocks that makes you feel like a kid?

We all had to touch them, rub them, and pass around the sparkly ones. He had a great slide show presentation, and the boys were really enthusiastic.

The best part was building a sample collection. Each scout took in an egg crate, and Mr. Rocky handed out samples of twelve kinds of rocks for them to keep. Each boy also got a special treasure -- a real garnet! They also got to choose a special souvenir from the "grab bucket". It was great fun.

Today we had to clean out a cabinet in the boys' room so they could set up their rock and mineral collection and start a display area for new treasures they hope to find in coming weeks. I promised to dig out the field guides so they could begin to classify their goods. Looks like the start of a fun new hobby. Rock on.