Collecting
Pencil Selenite Gypsum, collected from Alabastine Gypsum Mine, Wyoming Michigan, Image Credit: Joan Stoker
(See more about this image below)
Kids of all ages love to collect, and most rockhounds are pack rats at heart. We like nothing better than to assemble an assortment of rocks we find ourselves, or get from other collectors, or purchase at gem shows and rock shops A proper collection, however, is more than a bunch of rocks and/or fossils simply tossed into a drawer or a box. The value of a collection lies in its “curation,” or in the information included with each of your specimens.
Badge 5 - Collecting.pdfWhat is it? Where did it come from? When did I get it? This is an essential early badge for our kids and teens... and one of their favorites!
This badge can usually get a great start in just one session, and then continue as your Juniors grow their collections in and out of your meetings.
<--Click on upper right to open the manual page and see the Requirement options (Activities) offered.
Once opened, you will see the option to print or download this section on your screen.
SUPPLEMENTAL / OPTIONAL MATERIALS
The materials below illustrate how some leaders taught this badge, using 3-4 requirements they chose for their groups. See the Badge manual for other requirement activities you may like better.
Click on a red PDF icon if you want to check it out.
Optional Worksheet Packets for Juniors with Leader Answer Key
Suggested Worksheet Packets for Juniors Gr. K-2
Suggested Worksheet Packets Juniors Gr. 3-6, 6-12
About the image on this page
Pencil Selenite Gypsum may not be considered monetarily valuable, but collectors enjoy its rich salmon color and vertical crystal formation.
This specimen was one of the last collected from a mine now closed due to safety issues. Such specimens are fragile, with hardness of only 2 on Moh's Scale. Thus, numbering and recording locale and date, and displaying or storing carefully are important parts of collecting.
Image Credit: Joan Stoker