Rock hunter hike
A hike with a mission: the most interesting rocks
Hike with a mission: fill a bag with the most interesting rocks you can find, then clean, sort and name them on a towel at home. Kids love being the rock expert.
You’ll need
- A cloth bag or bucket
- An old toothbrush and water for cleaning
- A towel
How to do it together
- 1
Pick a trail, a creek bank or a beach, and give everyone a bag.
- 2
Look for rocks that are shiny, striped, smooth, sparkly or a strange color.
- 3
Each person keeps their five favorites.
- 4
At home, scrub them with an old toothbrush and lay them out on a towel.
- 5
Sort them by color or texture, give each one a name, and let your child pick the champion rock.
Safety: Only collect where it's allowed: many state and national parks ask visitors to leave rocks where they are.
Make it easier
For younger kids, look for just three things: something smooth, something sparkly and something with stripes.
Make it harder
Look up the common rocks in your area and try to identify each find: granite, quartz, sandstone, slate.
Why it’s worth it
Kids notice things grown-ups walk past. Letting them be the expert, even about rocks, makes them feel big.
With Weekadoo
In your weekly plan, this idea comes with common rock and mineral types to hunt for with one identifying clue each (color, sparkle, layers, how it breaks), written for your child
Every Sunday, a plan with a 10-minute idea for each child on weeknights and a family one for the weekend, picked for their ages and what they love.
