Summer is almost over and now is the perfect time to make a rock collection to show off your latest summer finds!

Ulysses and I like to take a daily walk as long as the weather permits. It’s good to get out in the sunshine every once in a while, especially when you spend most of your day in an underground lab!

Anyway, while we are on our walks, we like to pick up and new-to-us rocks. Then, every few months, we add those rocks to our growing collection.

Today, the folks at Elemental Science asked us to come and share with you all our rock-collection-making process as part of our summer science fun series!

5 Simple Steps For Making A Rock Collection

To make your rock collection, you will need:

• An egg carton
• Paint
• Rocks
• White-out
• Permanent Marker

Here's how we get started...

Step 1 - Collect the rocks.

Before we can have a rock collection, we have to have the rocks. So we always start by collecting a few samples. These can be rocks we find on our walks or ones we score at the local general store. Either way, these are rocks we want to keep around to enjoy for a long time!

Step 2 - Paint the container.

We like to use a large egg carton - one with 18 slots. Then, we paint it all over in amazing designs, or with spray paint if we are in a hurry! Then, we will paint a bit of white-out in the section above each slot on the underside of the top cover so that we can write the names of the rocks we include.

Step 3 - Identify the rocks.

After preparing the vessel, we can start the nitty-gritty job of identifying the rocks. We have several field guides we use to do this. Basically, you need a book with a wonderful description and lots of pictures to match your rock with the one you think it is.

Step 4 - Label it all.

Once we know what the rocks are, we can label the rocks and the container. We use a bit of white-out on each rock and give it a number. Then, we place the rock in the correct slot and add the name of the rock to the key we painted on the underside of our egg carton lid in step 2.

Step 5 - Display your collection.

And finally, we set out our collection on display. Sometimes, we like to add a journal with a bit more about each rock and where we found it next to our collection. If you want to do the same, here is a free printable template:

• Rock collection journal sheet {FREE Printable}

Wrapping It Up

So there you have our five simple steps for making a rock collection!

If you are looking for more summer science fun, be sure to check out the other posts in this series:

• How to grow a butterfly {A Zoology Project}
• The Edible Cell Calzone {An Anatomy Project}
• How to grow herbs from cuttings {A Botany Project}
• 3 Stormy Weather Activities-in-a-jar {An Earth Science Project}