> >>Rocks and Minerals
Rocks and Minerals. Photo Credit : National Park Service View larger

Rocks and Minerals

New activity

Participants explore four stations to investigate sandstone and biological soil crust, and experiment with erosion to demonstrate how local landforms were created.

Open Activity   

Suggest a Book

Suggest a book or books below:

Cancel or 

Report Miscategorization

Please let us know how this activity could be categorized better:

Cancel or 



Related Programming Resources

Hints for uses in your library Emphasize the erosive effect water has on rocks over time, and the adaptive nature of biological soil crusts to hold onto water in such a dry climate. The extension for Station #3 (Secrets in the Soil) is a great way to build literacy and writing skills into the activity.
Related Links National Park Service Educator Resources
Cryptobiotica Soil Crusts
The Rock Cycle
Arches National Park
Geologic Formations
H2O, The Molecule That Made Us
Originating Source National Park Service (nps.gov)
Related Books
[Suggest a book] 		Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall
Rocks and Fossils by Martyn Bramwell and Ian Jackson
Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children by Michael J Caduto
Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children by Michael J Caduto and Joseph Bruchac
The Magic Schoolbus: Inside the Earth
A Naturalist's Guide to Canyon Country by David B Williams and Gloria Brown
Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children by Michael J Caduto and Joseph Bruchac
A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry
Corn is Maize: The Gift of the Indians by Aliki
Native American Rock Art: Messages from the Past by Yvette LaPierre and Lois Sloan
Many Smokes, Many Moons: A Chronology of American Indian History through Indian Art by Jamake Highwater
Imaginary Borders by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez and Russell Mendell
Wind and Water Shape the Land (2018) by Nadia Higgins , Jia Liu and Erik Koskinen
Southwest Sunrise (2020) by Nikki Grimes and Wendell Minor
Bedtime in the Southwest (2017) by Mona Hodgson
Way Out West Lives a Coyote Named Frank (1993) by Jillian Lund
Efraín of the Sonoran Desert: A Lizard's Life Among the Seri Indians Hardcover (2001) by Amalia Astorga , Gary Paul Nabhan , Janet K. Miller

Reviews

Write a review

Rocks and Minerals

Rocks and Minerals

Participants explore four stations to investigate sandstone and biological soil crust, and experiment with erosion to demonstrate how local landforms were created.