Price : $12.99
Smithsonian Smithsonian Micro Rock and Gem Dig Opinions -
Smithsonian Micro kits are a true everyday product for that quick science fix.
- Product Dimensions (inches): 1.5 (L) x 6 (W) x 7 (H)
- Age: 8 to 14 years
Cons Review
not worth the money . It was tedious for the kids to chip into the rocks, and when they finally managed to finish the project, the 'gems' (colored glass for the most part it seemed) were almost microscopic.
You're better off taking the kids to the beach and looking for real rocks and seashells. Don't waste your money.
You're better off taking the kids to the beach and looking for real rocks and seashells. Don't waste your money.
Fun for kids interested in learning . Great fun. Our son spent so much time and care chipping away at the sandblock to find the gem. It was very rewarding for him to find the gems. Next step is to scientifically identify the minerals. The gems were very small.
A fun little project for your budding archaeologist! . I bought this for my 4 year old because I thought it would be a good way to get her interested in gem stones, geology, and archaeology and that it would be a fun activity for a rainy day. I highly recommend it!It comes with a little wooden mallet and dowel and one of those crappy paintbrushes that comes with the cheap water color paints. The paintbrush was totally useless but she had fun with it anyway. The block of hard sand is about 4 x 6 inches. An adult can use their bare hands and work to break it apart, but a kid is not going to be able to do that. Its hard enough to stay together, but breakable enough for a kid to chisel away at it without have to pound too hard.It took us about an hour to get all of the gems out. They were mostly concentrated in the middle and my daughter spent a long time pulverizing every bit of the stuff. She absolutely loved every second of it. For the price I was not expecting big gemstones like on the box so I was not disappointed that they were tiny little stones. YOU WILL NOT GET BIG GEM STONES, they will be teeny tiny! There will be at least 6 of them though. We got a rock and 7 gem stones (2 bits of jasper, 2 bits of mahogany obsidian, 2 adventurine, and 1 rock crystal). It comes with a little paper with information about gem stones and rocks and pictures of the stones you may find so that you can identify them. We were unsure about some of them so we also searched through pictures online and it was a great activity for her to try to figure out the similarities and differences between our stones, and the pictures we were looking at (example: I wasn't sure if we had aventurine or amazonite so we talked about the difference in colors, patterns, texture, etc.). While she was doing the dig we talked about archaeology and how they dig up stones, bones, dinosaurs, old tools, etc. We also talked about how gem stones are mined to make the jewelry we wear.It was a good learning opportunity for my 4 year old, and for an older kid there is much much more that they can learn about while doing this little project. I think this is especially good for homeschoolers who are looking for hands-on learning. I plan to get another one of these for now since they are so cheap so she can add to her collection, and later on I may shell out more money to get a better quality gem dig that comes with some larger stones. :)
Fun Activity . My 7.5 year old son received this for Christmas. He had a great time chipping away to find the stones. Fun hands-on activity for boys and girls. The rocks are quite small.
Feature Smithsonian Smithsonian Micro Rock and Gem Dig
- Get your quick science fix with this micro version of the everyday product
- You'll be amazed at what you will find
- Test for hardness and streaks
- Dig for semi precious gemstones and minerals and identify your treasures
- A world of adventure, discovery and wonder
Product Details
EAN : 0042409521038UPC : 042409521038
MPN : 52103
Brand : Smithsonian
Weight : 1 pounds
Height : 2 inches
Length : 9 inches
Width : 8 inches
Binding : Toy
Manufacturer : NSI
Manufacturer Maximum Age : 18 years
Manufacturer Minimum Age : 8 years
Model : 52103
Publisher : NSI
Studio : NSI
Similar Products
Where To Buy
You can buy Smithsonian Smithsonian Micro Rock and Gem Dig on Amazon . Click here to Read More
