Minerals Junior Education Day

KIDS in grades 1-8! Get cool MINERALS, FOSSILS & ROCKS!Our annual Minerals Junior Education Day is fun and rewarding for students in grades 1-8 and their parents. They will learn about minerals, crystals, gems, fossils, and earth science. At this event, kids get an empty egg carton when they check in, then go to a series of stations; these are tentatively planned for the 2026 event:- Gold panning by GPAA,- Caves & Karst by Lincoln Caverns,- Invertebrate fossils (shells),- Vertebrate fossils (bones & teeth),- Lapidary - cutting gemstones,- Native Americans used Rocks,- Ultraviolet fluorescence (glow in the dark),- Iron Ore and Iron Furnaces,- Rainbows in Gemstones,- Minerals make Rocks.Students learn about the topic from a fun demonstration, activity or discussion, and receive a properly labeled specimen related to the topic, so they gather a whole collection in their egg carton. There is also a sales table with child-friendly prices (plus a few higher) - please bring cash! Everyone goes through at their own pace and goes to the stations in the order they choose. Allow at least an hour and a half in total. First entry is 9:00 a.m., last entry 1:00 p.m.

Registration is limited so that we may be sure of having enough specimens for all of the students. We have a $6 charge per child to cover our expenses. Parents come along for free, and help keep things under control, but don't get the specimens.