2 Science Projects that are Fun Projects!  

Fossil Finding and Interesting Rocks

I strongly suggest one pick up a good encyclopedia or fossil identification book. If you are looking for different types of rocks, then a rock identifying book will work even better.

Your next trip to the beach can turn out to be your next fossil finding experience. Shells and certain materials from the beach are the remains of some animals homes or a fossilized creature or plant. Bring a magnifying glass to help your child look more closely at what they find. One of the easiest homes to find are shells. One of the easiest creatures to find is a trilobite. Finding and identifying shells and the animals that use them as homes can be a learning experience even for an adult.

Often if you find a rocky side of a mountain, you can also look for fossils too. Trilobites are the easiest to find as well as rocks with imprints of plant leafs. Please do be careful if stopping by the side of the road, for two reasons. Cars and falling rocks. Take necessary precautions and never put your child at risk.

Sometimes the rock that covers your driveway might just be the best place to look. When I was little, we used to search our rocky driveway for fossils and pretty rocks. We would often find slate, crystals, fools gold, gypsum, and more. Once we found a trilobite and rocks with imprints of leaves.

Other places to consider looking for rocks are lakeshores, sides of rivers, on hikes, and your own backyard. Why you can even purchase a bag of rocks from your nearest landscaping store.

To stop the insanity of bringing inside every rock your child finds, get them a shoe box to hold their collection or create a cool rock garden outside. If you place a garbage bag down first, you will make it nearly impossible for the weeds to grow and by placing the rocks over the bag, you will visibly see where the rock garden is all summer.

For younger children, encourage different shapes, colors, and sizes. For older children, encourage types of rocks and identify them. This makes a great school project!

Two books that you can buy to identify what you and your child find are:

DK Pockets: Fossils
by Douglas Palmer

and

DK Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals
by Chris Pellant

 

 

Butterfly Gardens

Create a butterfly garden to create a place to study butterflies or visit a state park with a butterfly garden. Bring your magnifying glass and walk slowly up to the butterflies. If you are starting your own garden, please make sure you grow the varieties that Butterflies seek. You can find out more by purchasing a book or checking with your local garden center.

Keep in mind when starting a Butterfly garden, that there are certain plants and that growing any plant will take time. This project is not a short project, but a lengthy one if you choose to start a garden from scratch or purchase an existing plant. And it will take time for the butterflies to find you. A faster alternative is to contact a nursery, nature park, or a Science museum with a Butterfly exhibit.

Butterflies are interesting and unique to study and learn about. One book I recommend for studying butterflies is:  “The Butterfly Garden: Turning Your Garden, Window Box, or Backyard into a Beautiful Home for Butterflies”, by Mathew Tekulsky.

Creating your own garden for butterflies is a great way to learn about the ecosystems of the Butterfly. An important part of what the Butterflies do is to pollinate certain crops and wild plants. When using a book to educate, you will find that butterflies have many homes to include the forests, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and grasslands.  

Also with a book, you can discuss what your child is actually seeing, like the exoskeleton of the Butterfly. There are three main parts to the butterfly, Do you know their names? Head, Thorax, and Abdomen.

Watching what the Butterfly eats is almost as fun as watching a Butterfly fly! Having your own garden or visiting one will show your child a very important part of the Butterfly diet. Nectar and sugars are what the Butterfly looks for. Certain flowers that attract the Butterfly are Verbena, Butterfly Bush, Zinnia, Hollyhock, Willow, and Sassafras.

Learn about Butterflies and how they affect us and our habitats.