Rock Collecting

If nature is calling you to tread down green, unknown paths or dry and hot deserts filled with mysterious findings, should you go?  Of course the answer is yes. Let the cool salt air beckon you gently and the immense mountains that stand giant over the earth win your heart, but before you can succumb if you're not an adventurous soul, you must first have a purpose.  

Let me introduce you to you to the art of collecting rocks. Rocks can be just the enticement to get your wanderlust heart on the move.  So lets look at this hobby from a scientific point of view to begin.

As we've already established, rock collecting is a fascinating hobby for kids and adults alike.  While rocks are common, cheap, and found everywhere, the variety is huge.  Collected rocks can be displayed in many ways, from rock gardens to neatly kept showcases, making rock collecting a versatile hobby.

When rock collecting, you will soon find out that rocks can be categorized as one of three types.  A sedimentary rock formed when sediments, such as sand or silt, were pressed together under their own weight or the weight of water, and eventually became solid.  An igneous rock is one that was formed by volcanic activity.  The third type of rock for rock collecting is the metamorphic rock, which is like a sedimentary rock which has been changed through intense heat and pressure.

Another type of rock collecting is collecting minerals, gems, and crystals.  Pure minerals are not technically the same thing as rocks, but they fit well in rock collections.  Minerals include things like pyrite, also known as fool's gold, and quartzite, which looks almost like a diamond.

For some people, rock collecting consists of saving a pretty rock from different places they visit and keeping it as a souvenir.  If these rocks are large, they can be used to outline the driveway or start a rock garden.  If they are small, they can line a windowsill.  Label them with a fine point marker if desired.  Include the date and location where the rock was found.

The souvenir type of rock collecting does not require much scientific investigation, but identifying rocks and minerals does.  The different types of rock can sometimes be differentiated easily.  For instance, sedimentary rocks often look like particles glued together.  Sandstone is a common example of this. They can also have visible flat layers sometimes.  Metamorphic rocks, on the other hand, sometimes have layers, but those layers have been bent so that they are no longer laying flat across the rock.

When rock collecting, the igneous rocks make some of the most exciting finds.  Obsidian is an igneous rock that looks like a broken piece of black glass.  It is shiny and hard, and was used to make arrowheads in the past by the native Americans.  Pumice is another interesting igneous rock which is porous, making it so light that it will float.  This stone is used for cleaning and rubbing calluses off people's feet.

Keep in mind when rock collecting that different regions of the world have different types of rocks.  In the American Midwest, for instance, there are many sedimentary stones, but metamorphic and igneous rocks are less common.  In the Appalachians, on the other hand, you can find metamorphic rocks such as gneiss and schist.  Wherever you live, though, you are sure to find rock collecting a hobby that's hard to resist!

What Are You Going To Do With Your Rocks?

If you decide to collect rocks, you may wish only to display them, but if you love crafts, you may use them to make beautiful and unique gifts and decorations.  

I like to use my limited rock collecting for decorating a flat dish with a candle at one side for a clean, natural look.  I also use them to fill a see-through vase.  There are so many things that can be done with rocks, but one of the best rock collecting stories I have is about a family of five we know who came under difficult financial times.  

They didn't have much money to entertain their three children, so they came up with the idea of collecting rocks on week ends because it was a cheap way to spend time with each other.  The more they searched for rocks, the more intrigued they became about each rock they found.  They began studying rocks during the week and as time went by they found that they had collected many rocks worth quite a bit of money.  The real success here is in the time their family has spent together and the happiness they enjoyed no matter what their circumstances.  

I also have relatives that collected rocks as a family because they lived in the desert and because my uncle's first passion was to discover gold.  They collected beautiful rocks in the process and used them to decorate their front yard, to make a path up the hill to their bunkhouse (this is where their children slept - it was really creepy at night) and my aunt used them to highlight the animals throughout the house that my cousins had killed and stuffed.  They were quite an adventurous family.  They made fun of my sisters and I, calling us "city-slickers," but we are all who we are.  

My uncle never did find gold, but he acquired much inexpensive land in the process with the  money he earned as a teacher that later became valuable.  As a result, he became very rich.    

It might also be fun to share your rocks with others.  If you really love rock collecting, you might be interested in starting a website to share your information with others, but not just any website. With a hobby you'll need a website that will help you succeed. Watch the video below if this is something that interests you.

 

Would you like to turn your hobby into a successful home business?  Watch this video and learn how SBI has helped others do the same.  It has also helped me and it will do the same for you!

See my important information below about work-at-home-moms or dads, or if you would like to work from home.  I can help you succeed all the way, and I will pay you too!

    

More Hobby & Homemade Crafts

Painting Clay Pots	Family Game Night	Craft Ideas For Kids
Kid Christmas Crafts	Free Dough Projects	Clay Pot Crafts
Kids Summer Crafts	Hobby Greenhouse	Rock Collecting
Homemade Aprons	Homemade Potholders	Home and Hobby

For More Craft and Hobby Ideas, Return To << Free Craft Projects Index

____________________________________________

Look Up More Rock Collecting Information On The Internet:

For more ideas use the Internet. To search the web, use the search box below.  It's easy, just enter the word or name you wish to find and the results will appear on your screen right on my website.  Use words that describe the kind of painting you desire.  If you want to do a lion face painting, enter:  Lion Face Painting.  It's that easy!  

Sign Up For Free Holiday Stress Tips and Gifts!

Name: Email: