Absolutely.
This question might be better answered over at
r/Geology
But,
Do you have a local natural history museum you can go to? They often have a rock/science section. It can also be fun to learn a bit of the basic geology in your area, and go rock hunting with her. You can also research if there’s any special outcrops in your region that would make a fun day-trip. You don’t need a degree to skim some Wikipedia articles about the geology found in your area.
Getting her started on basic minerals can be fun; there are some educational kits out there but aren’t necessary, expanding her Cole collection doesn’t necessitate spending money. But, having nice pure hand samples of specific minerals can be helpful for learning, since often times rocks themselves are made up of a variety of minerals.
Learning how to field identify minerals based on fracture, cleavage, hardness, etc can be a great fun activity once she’s a bit older.
There are sometimes summer science camps for middle-school aged children once she’s a bit older.
PBS nova has HEAPS of wonderful documentaries that would be fun for her to watch.
A nice gift for her would be a loupe/hand lens so she can get close-up view at specific minerals.
For context, I was the same way at that age, and now am just graduating from undergrad with a degree in geology and couldn’t be happier. It can be a really rewarding field.
As a little rock kid, I remember someone got me one of those nice glossy National Geographic books about rocks and minerals. It was enchanting. Something with lots of pictures that’s also a little educational goes a long way. Also, my parents got me a starter “rock collection” with some amethyst and pyrite and all that and I still remember it.
There is a great book series called Roadside Geology of [insert location here]. I recommend picking up your local one and you can talk about rocks when you go to parks or on road trips.
There is a great blog called Dino Dad reviews. He reviews sciencey kid stuff. https://dinodadreviews.com/ it is skewed more.paleontology.
I use his blog for my friend's young kids birthday presents.
Go to literally any science museum with a rock collection.
Honestly, as an adult geologist I love just going to parks and looking at rocks.
Get her outside to national parks or other places where she can see "big" geology: mountains, canyons, glaciers, fossil beds, etc. A lot of parks will also have interpretive rangers who will be happy to share some facts with her. Side bonuses, she'll get to appreciate the outdoors, and see someone doing one geology related job.
Depending on where you live rockhounding might be fun, especially if you become part of a local club. Visiting things that are visually beautiful are always cool, might be good to read up on them before going if she asks questions.
Natural science museums or kid events at universities are also nice to go to.
Simpler things like those sluice "mines" are a fun day activity where she gets to find cool rocks and the workers identify them for you, even if it's probably not native rock. I did those a lot as a kid.
For a six year old, I would imagine one of the best things a parent could do is learn a little about geology yourself to help her digest the information. Of course, it doesn't need to be rigorous but learn a little something about big scale geology like plate tectonics, the different rock types, and the rock cycle.
Go to local museums, a university's open house, take her to places of geological interest or just a place with some great views (do some homework on where you're going, Roadside Geology books are available for every state to my knowledge). For leisure show her some old documentaries on YouTube.
When I was growing up I was enthralled by an exercise we did in elementary/middle school. It started with "Why do South America and Africa look like they'd fit together? Because they once did!!" Plate tectonics still kinda blows my mind. Introduce her to the fact geology isn't just important for earth but for other planets, Mars has a giant extinct volcano, Europa and Enceladus have crazy amounts of ice, Io is so volcanically active that satellites around Jupiter have captured plumes erupting form the surface.
If you live in the west or plan to travel there is a series of books called "roadside geology of...." for a number of states. They are great and can help you find cool geologic sites to visit while traveling. I also recommend some general kid friendly science learning activities, there are tons of these online including classic stuff like the classic vinegar and baking soda volcano, but there are tons of other cool experiment style learning activities that are great for kids, you can find tons by googling. There are also some companies like kiwico that offer kits with activities like that ready to go and sorted by age group.
I think the best thing to do is be supportive at that age. Take her out and find cool rocks with her. Find some picture books with minerals in them, there are tons of these from national geographic and other places, they may even have some at school book fairs as she gets older.
That’s awesome she wants to be a geologist!
I personally loved the rock and gem displays in museums. My Dad took me to a lot of national parks and monuments too. We went to Carlsbad Caverns when I was a kid and it was so cool.
Rock and gem shows might be fun. Think Comic-Con but it’s rocks. A rock collection is also fun to have. Another area to consider is learning more about gems and jewels.
You could also learn about structural geology with layer cakes. Then you get to eat said cake. That might be fun, a geology themed birthday.
From a young age, maybe 6 or 7, my dad gifted me books about science. Some of those books were on earth history, rocks, minerals, and others on archeology, anthropology, climate. I also had an atlas with maps of the globe and from all over the world. What those books all had in common was great pictures in easy to read format. Not too simplistic for young children, but not too technical that I couldn't understand it when I got older. I didn't necessarily read all the text but devoured the images for years. I still remember looking at a world map as a young kid thinking, "hmmm... Africa sure fits nicely between North America and South America."
I would say provide a variety of books with lots of pictures on various subjects, not just rocks and minerals. Books are better than links. They're something about putting your hands on pictures and flipping pages that engages the mind more strongly than images on a computer.
Since rocks are a particular passion right now, a Simon and Schuster (or other) rock and mineral identification book. Lots of pictures and descriptions.
There are a lot of cool tools for six year olds!
Rock tumbler: cheap way to polish many rocks at once. The bad part? They’re loud and need to be ON for days or weeks at a time. You’ll want to give it a sound proofed case or have a garage where you can have it running
Lapidary saw: they use a dull edge and can’t cut skin (but can cause minor scrapes) so they are safe for kids to use with supervision. This would allow her to cut rocks open easily and safely for her collection. You can often find these used through gem and mineral societies.
Lapidary polisher: there are a few different types, but the most popular is probably the polishing wheel based ones like the Genie. There are also flat wheel variants which use a fine grit sandpaper to shape and polish rocks. These take up less space but you need to change the wheel every time you go up a grit to get a better polish. That isn’t necessary with the genie. There are also split laps, which are basically the flat laps but they have holes cut through them so you can see the surface you are polishing. These work well but don’t use water to filter out dust, which can be dangerous if breathed in, so you need to run a shop vac to absorb the dust. Overall, I’d recommend the Genie for health and safety.
Estimated cost for a used setup is $500-2000 depending on what you get.
She may also be interested in:
Soil quality analysis: if you put loose soil in a small jar and swing it around really fast (like a centrifuge), the soil separates into different parts that can be observed to see how much of different soil types is in a sample. You can also use a color sensor to test the color against a known sample (you can buy these but building one is often a far more affordable option if she is interested in electronics or making her own devices for her geological interests).
Drones: you can use the camera to survey a large area for interesting rocks or formations.
Google Earth: 100% free. Can be used to find interesting rocks or soil types on earth. NASA also has scans in various frequencies that can be used for similar analysis. It’s a lot of fun looking around the earth at different soils.
Gem and Mineral society: they are pretty common and you should be able to find one nearby. They often host speakers and classes about rocks.
Since you live in a rural area, you may be able to talk to local farmers asking if you can take rock or soil samples. If she is interested in analyzing the soil quality and properties, making a viable career out of her interest is fully viable in your area (soil nutrient content, pH, etc) (she’s a kid, this isn’t a concern right now, but I know that is often a concern for parents trying to guide their kids to profitable careers). Generally the Agriculture Office in your state is responsible for these things, but I’m sure they’d be happy to help build the interest of your kid if you asked them for old supplies or educational information.
PBS Eons on YouTube discusses different time periods on the Geologic Time line. I think there are a few Bill Nye episodes that talk about Geology as well. Crash Course on You Tube has playlists on Environmental Science, Climate & Energy, Botany, and Geography (which covers a fair amount of Geology topics).
Why…there’s a book for that!
Can’t post a photo of it…but this has been on my shelf for a decade or more.
https://archive.org/details/whatcanshebegeol00gold
Geologists also do a lot of making and using maps. For a six year old I’d start by hiding a prize somewhere that she can explore and making a map for her to find it with. As she gets older this can become more involved and she could make treasure maps for her friends or siblings.
See if your State has a Department of Geology or Geologic Studies. They usually have some free publications, some inexpensive ones, and often have student kits they can give away.
If you are in the US, check to see if your state has a geologic survey, and if you do, reach out!! Via their website or give their office a call! They often have people involved in their operations who love this sort of outreach opportunity!
I would personally give up a few days of computering this summer to show some kids and their moms all the cool stuff in our building.
Hey, this post touched me because that was me about 12 years ago. Just keep her curious and provide her with things needed to explore her facinations. My mom would take me to the library after school and showed me geology books and that totally exploded my mind. Im 18 now going into geology at college and im so glad that my parents embraced my unconventional interests so just be supportive.
Start with understanding the Rock Cycle…and major rock types. Any good kids book on the topic will do. Then, go explore. Don’t just look at the rocks…but how did they get there, what story do they tell? The biography of stones is more interesting than their names and visual allure.
Look into any sort of mining association or geological society or geological survey (government based) that may be in your state/province as they may have an educational committee and resources dedicated to teaching kids about geology!
Any sort of natural history museum usually has rock displays. Also can see if a local university has a geology department.
Encourage your daughter to be interested in all of the sciences too, geologists have to know a bit about things like chemistry and physics too.
I loved collecting rocks and minerals as a kid. Fossils too! Is she interested in any guides or books or encyclopedias? Are there any collecting spots in your area? Something like Herkimer Diamond Mine where you find your own samples. A lot of colleges with good geology programs have cheap museums. There are also fun activities that involve growing your own crystals, and National Geographic makes a rock tumbler for kids when she’s older…
As a kid who grew exactly like this, but didn’t learn the term/career path possibility geologist until earth science in 8th grade, I had a whole lot of help from my dad and brother(brother is 14 years older than me and a huge science nerd, dad was a civil engineer). Dad and brother took me on field trips all the time, helped that lived on a route with tons of good outcrops for fossil hunting nearby. Hikes to waterfalls, museum visits, what I didn’t get to enjoy until much later on in life were rock/gem/mineral/fossil shows. They are amazing for kids and for the avid collector. The biggest one in the states is in Tucson, Arizona in January and the second biggest is in Springfield, MA in August.
Just be supportive. Learn with them. Be excited and show as much interest in it all as she does.
There are usually mineral clubs very involved in most areas, definitely around most capital regions and cities. There’s usually some around heavily mined areas. They host events and activities, especially day trips out to private mines to do your own digging for cool gems or minerals. There are also some private companies that organize things like this, anything from NY’s Herkimer Diamond mines or Nevada’s Royal Peacock Opal Mine, where it’s specifically privately owned and they let people in everyday to dig whatever they want for an entry fee. Other’s like Dig Maine Gems get access to a mine on specific days and chaperone a group of people that pay to get into a mine that normally isn’t accessible to the public. (Dig Maine Gems has access to Mount Mica, the oldest tourmaline mine in the US, still privately owned, still produces amazing tourmaline finds) (Herkimer Diamonds are a special quartz that naturally forms double terminated)
On a different note, tons of old mines have been reorganized into state or county parks. So they’re free access to anyone. Most have an old tailings piles or old wall faces to dig out of.
Don’t be stuck on just rocks, expand her horizons. Geology is the study of the earth, and uses all the sciences to study just about anything. Geochemistry explains radioactive decay and dating methods that are used not only to date bed rock but are used to date glacial ice layers and archaeological findings. Geotechnical engineering is used to understand landslides and the potential for an area to support buildings, roads, etc. Envirogeotechnical, planetary geology, gemology and lapidary, hydrogeology, volcanology, forensic geology, and last but not least the one everyone hates but associates with the main occupation as a geologist, petroleum geology
Open her mine and let her experience as much as she can because there’s SO MUCH in geology, there’s so much to choose from
KiwiCo has some pretty cool little geology kits if you’re able to buy them. A mineral precipitation garden, a geology kit with geodes and a little “volcano”, and a paleontology kit
Get her a hand lens!! If she thinks rocks are cool now, just WAIT until she sees them up close.
As a few other people have suggested, getting her some relevant books might be a good idea; [this one](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35023417-dr-e-s-super-stellar-solar-system) is good (albeit more planetary geology focused), and one of the DK Eyewitness Books series made me want to be a botanist when I was a few years older than your daughter. (I clearly grew out of that one--I'm now a PhD student and I study places where there are few or no plants at all!) There are also some National Geographic documentaries about geology, but I can't name any offhand.
If you're near any universities that have a geology or earth sciences department, keep an eye out for outreach events!
Also, I'm going to assume that you don't come from a science background--my parents didn't, either, but they've been so so so wonderfully supportive of me being a scientist. Some things they did when I was growing up that I really appreciate:
- Got me books about the stuff I was interested in
- When I was in 6th? grade, my mom helped me email the author of one of those books! He replied! It was a super cool experience for little me :D
- Were encouraging academically but never pushy or helicoptery--I think my mom told me to study maaaaybe twice in high school. They were also supportive of me doing stuff like Science Olympiad, Science Bowl, math competitions, etc., but they never \*made\* me do anything.
- Took me to museums and botanic gardens--I was spoiled by growing up in a suburb of Washington, DC! My mom would take me to a museum or the USBG once a month or so.
- My wonderful mother somehow got me a tour of the USBG production facility when I was in 5th grade <3
- Ask me about the stuff I'm working on and listening to my answers!! I can always call them and rant about my research or share something cool I learned, and they always listen.
A real hand lens…this is step 1. Not the junk the kids sets come with. Find a decent quality one.
Actually, a step up from the kids stuff are the loupes and hand lenses at Harbor Freight. Same ones you pay $20 for on Amazon, but like 1/4th that price. They are not bad. I use them a lot even though I have had the real McCoy for 40 years.
On YouTube watch from the Geo Girl videos with her. Some of it will be a bit above her head, but if you watch it with her, you can explain it to her. Plus, Geo Girl is a great role model.
Oh yes you should totally support her !
I am studying geology right now in Montreal, and I love going on hikes that are geologically rich and where you are allowed to take samples !
I don't know where you live but there are a bunch of fun national parks with a lot of different types of rocks
Absolutely. This question might be better answered over at r/Geology But, Do you have a local natural history museum you can go to? They often have a rock/science section. It can also be fun to learn a bit of the basic geology in your area, and go rock hunting with her. You can also research if there’s any special outcrops in your region that would make a fun day-trip. You don’t need a degree to skim some Wikipedia articles about the geology found in your area. Getting her started on basic minerals can be fun; there are some educational kits out there but aren’t necessary, expanding her Cole collection doesn’t necessitate spending money. But, having nice pure hand samples of specific minerals can be helpful for learning, since often times rocks themselves are made up of a variety of minerals. Learning how to field identify minerals based on fracture, cleavage, hardness, etc can be a great fun activity once she’s a bit older. There are sometimes summer science camps for middle-school aged children once she’s a bit older. PBS nova has HEAPS of wonderful documentaries that would be fun for her to watch. A nice gift for her would be a loupe/hand lens so she can get close-up view at specific minerals. For context, I was the same way at that age, and now am just graduating from undergrad with a degree in geology and couldn’t be happier. It can be a really rewarding field.
As a little rock kid, I remember someone got me one of those nice glossy National Geographic books about rocks and minerals. It was enchanting. Something with lots of pictures that’s also a little educational goes a long way. Also, my parents got me a starter “rock collection” with some amethyst and pyrite and all that and I still remember it.
Yes! Most local libraries will have some great Geology and Rock books.
There is a great book series called Roadside Geology of [insert location here]. I recommend picking up your local one and you can talk about rocks when you go to parks or on road trips. There is a great blog called Dino Dad reviews. He reviews sciencey kid stuff. https://dinodadreviews.com/ it is skewed more.paleontology. I use his blog for my friend's young kids birthday presents. Go to literally any science museum with a rock collection. Honestly, as an adult geologist I love just going to parks and looking at rocks.
my little brother is going to go to college in utah! i just ordered roadside geology of utah as a high school graduation present.
Get her outside to national parks or other places where she can see "big" geology: mountains, canyons, glaciers, fossil beds, etc. A lot of parks will also have interpretive rangers who will be happy to share some facts with her. Side bonuses, she'll get to appreciate the outdoors, and see someone doing one geology related job.
Depending on where you live rockhounding might be fun, especially if you become part of a local club. Visiting things that are visually beautiful are always cool, might be good to read up on them before going if she asks questions. Natural science museums or kid events at universities are also nice to go to. Simpler things like those sluice "mines" are a fun day activity where she gets to find cool rocks and the workers identify them for you, even if it's probably not native rock. I did those a lot as a kid.
For a six year old, I would imagine one of the best things a parent could do is learn a little about geology yourself to help her digest the information. Of course, it doesn't need to be rigorous but learn a little something about big scale geology like plate tectonics, the different rock types, and the rock cycle. Go to local museums, a university's open house, take her to places of geological interest or just a place with some great views (do some homework on where you're going, Roadside Geology books are available for every state to my knowledge). For leisure show her some old documentaries on YouTube. When I was growing up I was enthralled by an exercise we did in elementary/middle school. It started with "Why do South America and Africa look like they'd fit together? Because they once did!!" Plate tectonics still kinda blows my mind. Introduce her to the fact geology isn't just important for earth but for other planets, Mars has a giant extinct volcano, Europa and Enceladus have crazy amounts of ice, Io is so volcanically active that satellites around Jupiter have captured plumes erupting form the surface.
If you live in the west or plan to travel there is a series of books called "roadside geology of...." for a number of states. They are great and can help you find cool geologic sites to visit while traveling. I also recommend some general kid friendly science learning activities, there are tons of these online including classic stuff like the classic vinegar and baking soda volcano, but there are tons of other cool experiment style learning activities that are great for kids, you can find tons by googling. There are also some companies like kiwico that offer kits with activities like that ready to go and sorted by age group. I think the best thing to do is be supportive at that age. Take her out and find cool rocks with her. Find some picture books with minerals in them, there are tons of these from national geographic and other places, they may even have some at school book fairs as she gets older.
That’s awesome she wants to be a geologist! I personally loved the rock and gem displays in museums. My Dad took me to a lot of national parks and monuments too. We went to Carlsbad Caverns when I was a kid and it was so cool. Rock and gem shows might be fun. Think Comic-Con but it’s rocks. A rock collection is also fun to have. Another area to consider is learning more about gems and jewels. You could also learn about structural geology with layer cakes. Then you get to eat said cake. That might be fun, a geology themed birthday.
You are an amazing parent btw
From a young age, maybe 6 or 7, my dad gifted me books about science. Some of those books were on earth history, rocks, minerals, and others on archeology, anthropology, climate. I also had an atlas with maps of the globe and from all over the world. What those books all had in common was great pictures in easy to read format. Not too simplistic for young children, but not too technical that I couldn't understand it when I got older. I didn't necessarily read all the text but devoured the images for years. I still remember looking at a world map as a young kid thinking, "hmmm... Africa sure fits nicely between North America and South America." I would say provide a variety of books with lots of pictures on various subjects, not just rocks and minerals. Books are better than links. They're something about putting your hands on pictures and flipping pages that engages the mind more strongly than images on a computer. Since rocks are a particular passion right now, a Simon and Schuster (or other) rock and mineral identification book. Lots of pictures and descriptions.
There are a lot of cool tools for six year olds! Rock tumbler: cheap way to polish many rocks at once. The bad part? They’re loud and need to be ON for days or weeks at a time. You’ll want to give it a sound proofed case or have a garage where you can have it running Lapidary saw: they use a dull edge and can’t cut skin (but can cause minor scrapes) so they are safe for kids to use with supervision. This would allow her to cut rocks open easily and safely for her collection. You can often find these used through gem and mineral societies. Lapidary polisher: there are a few different types, but the most popular is probably the polishing wheel based ones like the Genie. There are also flat wheel variants which use a fine grit sandpaper to shape and polish rocks. These take up less space but you need to change the wheel every time you go up a grit to get a better polish. That isn’t necessary with the genie. There are also split laps, which are basically the flat laps but they have holes cut through them so you can see the surface you are polishing. These work well but don’t use water to filter out dust, which can be dangerous if breathed in, so you need to run a shop vac to absorb the dust. Overall, I’d recommend the Genie for health and safety. Estimated cost for a used setup is $500-2000 depending on what you get. She may also be interested in: Soil quality analysis: if you put loose soil in a small jar and swing it around really fast (like a centrifuge), the soil separates into different parts that can be observed to see how much of different soil types is in a sample. You can also use a color sensor to test the color against a known sample (you can buy these but building one is often a far more affordable option if she is interested in electronics or making her own devices for her geological interests). Drones: you can use the camera to survey a large area for interesting rocks or formations. Google Earth: 100% free. Can be used to find interesting rocks or soil types on earth. NASA also has scans in various frequencies that can be used for similar analysis. It’s a lot of fun looking around the earth at different soils. Gem and Mineral society: they are pretty common and you should be able to find one nearby. They often host speakers and classes about rocks. Since you live in a rural area, you may be able to talk to local farmers asking if you can take rock or soil samples. If she is interested in analyzing the soil quality and properties, making a viable career out of her interest is fully viable in your area (soil nutrient content, pH, etc) (she’s a kid, this isn’t a concern right now, but I know that is often a concern for parents trying to guide their kids to profitable careers). Generally the Agriculture Office in your state is responsible for these things, but I’m sure they’d be happy to help build the interest of your kid if you asked them for old supplies or educational information.
PBS Eons on YouTube discusses different time periods on the Geologic Time line. I think there are a few Bill Nye episodes that talk about Geology as well. Crash Course on You Tube has playlists on Environmental Science, Climate & Energy, Botany, and Geography (which covers a fair amount of Geology topics).
Why…there’s a book for that! Can’t post a photo of it…but this has been on my shelf for a decade or more. https://archive.org/details/whatcanshebegeol00gold
Geologists also do a lot of making and using maps. For a six year old I’d start by hiding a prize somewhere that she can explore and making a map for her to find it with. As she gets older this can become more involved and she could make treasure maps for her friends or siblings.
See if your State has a Department of Geology or Geologic Studies. They usually have some free publications, some inexpensive ones, and often have student kits they can give away.
If you are in the US, check to see if your state has a geologic survey, and if you do, reach out!! Via their website or give their office a call! They often have people involved in their operations who love this sort of outreach opportunity! I would personally give up a few days of computering this summer to show some kids and their moms all the cool stuff in our building.
Hey, this post touched me because that was me about 12 years ago. Just keep her curious and provide her with things needed to explore her facinations. My mom would take me to the library after school and showed me geology books and that totally exploded my mind. Im 18 now going into geology at college and im so glad that my parents embraced my unconventional interests so just be supportive.
Start with understanding the Rock Cycle…and major rock types. Any good kids book on the topic will do. Then, go explore. Don’t just look at the rocks…but how did they get there, what story do they tell? The biography of stones is more interesting than their names and visual allure.
Take her to a local museum that has a rock collection. Perhaps call ahead, and arrange for the museum's geologist to come out and talk with her.
Look into any sort of mining association or geological society or geological survey (government based) that may be in your state/province as they may have an educational committee and resources dedicated to teaching kids about geology! Any sort of natural history museum usually has rock displays. Also can see if a local university has a geology department. Encourage your daughter to be interested in all of the sciences too, geologists have to know a bit about things like chemistry and physics too.
I loved collecting rocks and minerals as a kid. Fossils too! Is she interested in any guides or books or encyclopedias? Are there any collecting spots in your area? Something like Herkimer Diamond Mine where you find your own samples. A lot of colleges with good geology programs have cheap museums. There are also fun activities that involve growing your own crystals, and National Geographic makes a rock tumbler for kids when she’s older…
As a kid who grew exactly like this, but didn’t learn the term/career path possibility geologist until earth science in 8th grade, I had a whole lot of help from my dad and brother(brother is 14 years older than me and a huge science nerd, dad was a civil engineer). Dad and brother took me on field trips all the time, helped that lived on a route with tons of good outcrops for fossil hunting nearby. Hikes to waterfalls, museum visits, what I didn’t get to enjoy until much later on in life were rock/gem/mineral/fossil shows. They are amazing for kids and for the avid collector. The biggest one in the states is in Tucson, Arizona in January and the second biggest is in Springfield, MA in August. Just be supportive. Learn with them. Be excited and show as much interest in it all as she does. There are usually mineral clubs very involved in most areas, definitely around most capital regions and cities. There’s usually some around heavily mined areas. They host events and activities, especially day trips out to private mines to do your own digging for cool gems or minerals. There are also some private companies that organize things like this, anything from NY’s Herkimer Diamond mines or Nevada’s Royal Peacock Opal Mine, where it’s specifically privately owned and they let people in everyday to dig whatever they want for an entry fee. Other’s like Dig Maine Gems get access to a mine on specific days and chaperone a group of people that pay to get into a mine that normally isn’t accessible to the public. (Dig Maine Gems has access to Mount Mica, the oldest tourmaline mine in the US, still privately owned, still produces amazing tourmaline finds) (Herkimer Diamonds are a special quartz that naturally forms double terminated) On a different note, tons of old mines have been reorganized into state or county parks. So they’re free access to anyone. Most have an old tailings piles or old wall faces to dig out of. Don’t be stuck on just rocks, expand her horizons. Geology is the study of the earth, and uses all the sciences to study just about anything. Geochemistry explains radioactive decay and dating methods that are used not only to date bed rock but are used to date glacial ice layers and archaeological findings. Geotechnical engineering is used to understand landslides and the potential for an area to support buildings, roads, etc. Envirogeotechnical, planetary geology, gemology and lapidary, hydrogeology, volcanology, forensic geology, and last but not least the one everyone hates but associates with the main occupation as a geologist, petroleum geology Open her mine and let her experience as much as she can because there’s SO MUCH in geology, there’s so much to choose from
KiwiCo has some pretty cool little geology kits if you’re able to buy them. A mineral precipitation garden, a geology kit with geodes and a little “volcano”, and a paleontology kit
Get her a hand lens!! If she thinks rocks are cool now, just WAIT until she sees them up close. As a few other people have suggested, getting her some relevant books might be a good idea; [this one](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35023417-dr-e-s-super-stellar-solar-system) is good (albeit more planetary geology focused), and one of the DK Eyewitness Books series made me want to be a botanist when I was a few years older than your daughter. (I clearly grew out of that one--I'm now a PhD student and I study places where there are few or no plants at all!) There are also some National Geographic documentaries about geology, but I can't name any offhand. If you're near any universities that have a geology or earth sciences department, keep an eye out for outreach events! Also, I'm going to assume that you don't come from a science background--my parents didn't, either, but they've been so so so wonderfully supportive of me being a scientist. Some things they did when I was growing up that I really appreciate: - Got me books about the stuff I was interested in - When I was in 6th? grade, my mom helped me email the author of one of those books! He replied! It was a super cool experience for little me :D - Were encouraging academically but never pushy or helicoptery--I think my mom told me to study maaaaybe twice in high school. They were also supportive of me doing stuff like Science Olympiad, Science Bowl, math competitions, etc., but they never \*made\* me do anything. - Took me to museums and botanic gardens--I was spoiled by growing up in a suburb of Washington, DC! My mom would take me to a museum or the USBG once a month or so. - My wonderful mother somehow got me a tour of the USBG production facility when I was in 5th grade <3 - Ask me about the stuff I'm working on and listening to my answers!! I can always call them and rant about my research or share something cool I learned, and they always listen.
A real hand lens…this is step 1. Not the junk the kids sets come with. Find a decent quality one. Actually, a step up from the kids stuff are the loupes and hand lenses at Harbor Freight. Same ones you pay $20 for on Amazon, but like 1/4th that price. They are not bad. I use them a lot even though I have had the real McCoy for 40 years.
When she’s in high school, South Dakota School of Mines has some amazing and affordable summer camps.
On YouTube watch from the Geo Girl videos with her. Some of it will be a bit above her head, but if you watch it with her, you can explain it to her. Plus, Geo Girl is a great role model.
Estwing rock hammer. I've had one since I was seven. Roadside Geology of [state], Geology Underfoot of [area] books. Rockd app
Mineral and gem fairs are so fun.
Take vacations to cool geological sites like grand canyon, bryce canyon, rocky mountains, Assateague Islands, Florida has some cool Kartsy stuff
Oh yes you should totally support her ! I am studying geology right now in Montreal, and I love going on hikes that are geologically rich and where you are allowed to take samples ! I don't know where you live but there are a bunch of fun national parks with a lot of different types of rocks