Take the Class for a Swim in the Creek
Published in the Spring 2007 issue of the ACEI Exchange, pp 162 L

Designed for K-2, but easily adapted for higher grade levels. Students will become rock hounds-exploring creek beds and locating rocks of their choice for further investigation back in class. This lesson integrates math, science, social studies, language arts, and the arts.

Let's Get Started: I usually introduce this activity right at the beginning of the school year when it is hot. Inform the families about the adventure you're going to have at a nearby creek. Ask the parents to send old shoes and a change of clothes with their children for the activity, as well as old toothbrushes for washing the rocks, a bucket or two, and one bottle of dish soap. (The kids will get soaked regardless of the depth of the water.) I also ask for wagons and small wheel barrows. The students will need the wagons and wheel barrows to carry their rocks. Find an area that has a water hose and designate this as the washing station. The kids will enjoy further examining their treasures. Make sure you have a camera to take photos of the kids in the water and the kids on the trail back to the washing center. After as many trips as you deem necessary, start the sorting process in class with each group of rocks. You may ask the students to sort by color, size, and shape, discussing these options aloud. Further sorting may take place by using the official sorting categories for rocks: metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous. One book I have found very helpful (it has excellent representations that can help students sort) is Rocks & Minerals (Smithsonian Handbook) by Chris Pellant. Later, get out the paints and let the students make a mess. After your exquisite rock art collection has been developed, invite families to a private art show with intentions of purchasing art. Discuss with students that prices may range from 25 cents to a dollar.

Family Involvement: Invite families and extended families to the rock art show with intentions to purchase all of the art, so no one's feelings are hurt. Discuss with the families that all proceeds go directly to your class, starting with a "rock party," complete with cupcakes and ice cream. The rest of the money can be spent on what the kids vote on. Prior purchases I've made include the generic Brio table, paints, commercial games, footballs, and jump ropes. Different amounts are raised each year. Remind the kids about how they created treasures.

Community of Learners: Send student-generated letters and invitations out to the community/families for a specific day to come and clean the creek of litter and clear the brush. Locate the nearest rock quarry and arrange a visit (no cost). The students can witness, firsthand, the crushing of rocks and see the unbelievable machinery used. The wheels on the dump trucks are bigger than those on a school bus. Discuss different types of soil before going (clay, sand, and peat). Each layer of soil is visible and clear in the gigantic craters dug out at the quarry. Students will never forget this trip.