KIDS in grades 1-8! Get cool MINERALS, FOSSILS & ROCKS!
Our annual Minerals Junior Education Day is fun and rewarding for students in grades 1-8 and their parents. They will learn about minerals, crystals, gems, fossils, and earth science. At this event, kids get an empty egg carton when they check in, then go to a series of stations; these are tentatively planned for the 2026 event:
- Gold panning by GPAA,
- Caves & Karst by Lincoln Caverns,
- Invertebrate fossils (shells),
- Vertebrate fossils (bones & teeth),
- Lapidary - cutting gemstones,
- Native Americans used Rocks,
- Ultraviolet fluorescence (glow in the dark),
- Iron Ore and Iron Furnaces,
- Rainbows in Gemstones,
- Minerals make Rocks.
Students learn about the topic from a fun demonstration, activity or discussion, and receive a properly labeled specimen related to the topic, so they gather a whole collection in their egg carton. There is also a sales table with child-friendly prices (plus a few higher) - please bring cash! Everyone goes through at their own pace and goes to the stations in the order they choose. Allow at least an hour and a half in total. First entry is 9:00 a.m., last entry 1:00 p.m.

Registration is limited so that we may be sure of having enough specimens for all of the students. We have a $6 charge per child to cover our expenses. Parents come along for free, and help keep things under control, but don't get the specimens.