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Rock Observation

Activity

Rock Testing

Explore the area near you and gather 2 or 3 rocks to test. Observe their color, size, durability, and other characteristics, and follow the instructions below to learn more about your rock!

Science Seed

Rocks are made of minerals. The term “rock” is often loosely used to describe either rock or mineral. Minerals hardness is scaled from 1 (softest) -10 (hardest). To determine hardness scratch your rock with these items: fingernails have a hardness of 2.5, penny 3.0, nail 5.5, quartz 7. See if your rock will scratch or be scratched by any of the above materials. You can also do a streak test and see if your rock leaves a mark on paper. Streak tests show the color of the powdered rock, which can help when identifying two rocks that look similar but have different streak colors. Not all rocks leave a streak! You can also test its magnetism by holding it up to a magnet!

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earn Badges

Badges can be earned through hands-on experiences within each of the 16 branches of science, or “Science Slices.” You can earn a badge in each branch of science by doing four activities in these categories. We also encourage participants to keep a Nature Journal to record their memories, and to express themselves creatively through writing or drawing after each activity. We recommend that each child (and parent if they’d like) write or draw in a journal after each activity, with expectations of your children that match their age (the goal is self-expression, not perfection).

Explore the Travis Elementary

join Families in Nature

It is our vision to inspire all families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists. Becoming a member of Families in Nature will give your family the opportunity to have adventures in nature, experience field science, develop as youth conservation leaders, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Memberships are free for everyone.

Who are we?

Families in Nature works to create opportunities for nature connection with the purpose of sparking a deep love and desire to protect, conserve and restore the environment. Our mission is to connect children and their families to nature and to each other through time spent learning, playing, and volunteering outdoors. It is our vision to inspire ALL families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists.

SPARK’s mission is to work with public schools to develop their playgrounds into community parks. SPARK has built 200+ community parks in 17 different school districts throughout the Houston area. Each park is designed based on ideas and needs of the school and surrounding neighborhoods. While all of the parks are different, a typical park consists of modular playground equipment, a walking trail, benches, picnic tables, trees, an outdoor classroom, and a public art component.