My children have been collecting rocks since they were old enough to walk. Our yard and our porch have always had these little collections of rocks hidden here and there. I learned from my mom to never discourage children and their collections. My mom was generally bothered by the fact my brother and I consistently collected rocks. She yawned and stood aside in boredom as my dad took us through gem shops and rock formations while on vacation. Ironically, my brother went off to college and majored in geology. He has inspired my children to take an interest in rocks and volcanoes.
We recently purchased a National Geographic Hobby Rock Tumbler. I was pleasantly surprised with the results and although it does require parental supervision, it has become a wonderful hobby that we all are enjoying.
The kit was well made with simple instructions. The tumbler was easy to use. You are guaranteed nine gemstones from around the world. They include, Amethysts, Sodalite, Rose Quartz, Dalmatian Jasper, Red Jasper, Aventurine, Agates, Black Jasper and Tigers Eyes. Most all of the rocks came out beautifully polished. I felt that our Aventurine rocks spent too much time tumbling as they were pretty small during the final tumble. The amethyst we found too perfect to risk tumbling so we kept it aside.
The kit contained decent instructions, a book about the gemstones and two pieces of jewelry that you can place a rock in. It takes patience. Using the four different grits, you need to be prepared to wait a good month. The tumbling runs continuously and has the sound of running water. We put it on the floor of our garage and the sound never bothered us. After each cycle, we would rinse the rocks and admire the changes. My children loved this part and would take their magnifying glasses and observe each rock before we placed them back in the tumbler for another round.
The kit only contains enough grit for one full tumbling experience so I would recommend buying the National Geographic Grit Refill. We have tumbled four different batches of rocks and always with beautiful results. You can also buy rocks to tumble and a full refill kit such as the National Geographic Rock Tumbler Refill Kit. I personally have found it fun to collect rocks that we find at the river or out on our walks to tumble. You never know what type of treasure you may find. My daughter found a very interesting piece of petrified wood at the river while we were collecting rocks for our tumbler. Needless to say, she was pretty excited and rushed home to find her book on rocks.
Rock tumbling is a fun and educational hobby that your entire family can enjoy together. Combine this project with some books on rocks and gems from the library and you may have a future geologist on your hands.
