A backpack full of rocks…

As a child, I loved gemstones and polished rocks. They were often a top pick when I was getting a souvenir. Geology was a piece of cake in school, although I never thought of it as more than a passing interest or fun collection.

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Our younger daughter, Bean, has taken up my love of rocks. It started on a trip out west in Ouray, Colorado. She had a lot of fun browsing through a rock and fossil store. She knew the names of some stones from the ones around our house, and had a good time picking out a birthstone necklace. The interest was furthered by the stops we made to the Grand Canyon and Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Now, she also considers rocks a great souvenir. On our last trip to Ireland, her bag was flagged at security. They asked us what might be inside, and I had to honestly say I wasn’t sure why it was flagged. The security agent said, “It seems like there are a lot of rocks in here.” My response, “Oh, probably. She likes rocks.” I hadn’t realized that she had gathered so many throughout the trip, and that it would be enough to cause suspicion! Fortunately her bag and all of the rocks were cleared to fly.

Visiting places around the world, I love to point out different rock formations and take pictures to use in my science lessons. It’s so much better to show a sedimentary rock from a trip rather than look at one in a book or stock image online. A trip to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula of Iceland introduced us to a sailor’s test of strength. What better way to introduce the idea of weights and measures? I don’t know what kind of sailor I would be, but my girls would do just fine!

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Also from our last trip to Ireland, we visited a beach on the Dingle Peninsula. It was small cove with lots of round stones. The sound the stones made as the waves receded was one of the most relaxing noises I’ve ever heard.

Rocks might sound like a boring souvenir, but we think they rock.

Photo challenge: Rock