Montessori-Inspired Rocks and Minerals Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now 

This unit is for my three grandchildren ... and all other lovers of rocks and minerals! You'll find a list of free rocks and minerals printables along with a free rocks and minerals pack (newsletter subscriber freebie) at LivingMontessoriNow.com!

You'll find many activities for preschoolers through first graders throughout the year along with presentation ideas in my previous posts at PreK + K Sharing. You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities. 

At Living Montessori Now, I have a post with resource links of Free Printables for Montessori Homeschools and Preschools. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Montessori Shelves with Rocks and Minerals-Themed Activities

You’ll find Montessori-inspired rock and mineral numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) 

I always have related books available throughout a unit. On the top shelf, I have the National Geographic Kids Rocks and Minerals (National Geographic Kids' books are always some of my favorites.) I also have the gorgeous Rocks Minerals & Gems book. 

On the right side of the shelf ( book on a wooden cookbook holder), I have DK Smithsonian Picturepedia (beautiful photos and a fabulous reference book for many units!). 

You could mix your rock and mineral themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special rock and mineral themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves this month have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.

National Geographic Kids Rocks and Minerals Book with Rocks and Minerals 3-Part Cards

 

National Geographic Kids Rocks and Minerals Book with Rocks and Minerals 3-Part Cards[/caption] Free Printable: Rocks and Minerals Classified Cards from Little House in the Suburbs' I was able to store the cards and labels in this Montessori cards display box without taking up much space on my shelf!

Birthstone Syllable Counting

Free Printable: Birthstone Syllable Counting from Rocks and Minerals Unit Language Printable from Every Star Is Different You'll see this work on my top shelf. I'm planning to get inexpensive birthstone crystals, since it'll be used a lot! If you won't be using the activity as much, clothespins or another type of markers, such as the ones pictured, can be used.

S is for Sedimentary and Sandstone Sand Writing Tray

 
Free Printables: Sandstone image from the above classified cards for writing tray

For the sand tray (see middle shelf above), I used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though. I included the image and a real sandstone to the tray for interest.

If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.

Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic Rock Sort

Free Printables: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic letter font cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) 

This activity was super simple to prepare using the printables and a rock kit! I placed the font cards and Toysmith Rock Science Kit on a Multicraft tray. (I also have the Toysmith Mineral Science Kit that I'll use later in the unit.) I like that these kits are inexpensive yet have a nice variety of rocks and minerals.



I used the font cards as heading cards for the igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks from the rock science kit. The chart that comes with the kit makes it very easy to sort the rocks.

Rock and Mineral Spelling with Montessori Movable Alphabet and Printable Rock-Themed Movable Alphabet

 
Free Printable: Shale Rock Movable Alphabet (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) 

Free Printable: Rocks and Minerals Spelling List from the Rocks and Minerals Unit Language Printable from Every Star Is Different. 

You could cut apart the pictures for the initial spelling work, although they'll be small. Older children can work on analyzing the words and using the word lists as spelling lists. 

For the movable alphabet work, I used a traditional small wooden movable alphabet. You can just use the shale rock movable alphabet for word building, or you can match letters from the two sets. On the shelf, you can’t see the letters in the Montessori Services basket very well from this angle, but those are the shale rock movable alphabet letters from my subscriber pack.

Amethyst Division Activity

Free Printables: Amethyst Numbers and Symbols for a Division Equation (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) 

Free Printable: Amethyst Card from Pikes Peak Rock Shop 

I used 20 tumbled amethyst stones to makes a hands-on activity dividing numbers by 2. There are enough amethyst stones in the set I bought to make DIY Montessori cards and counters using the number cards and amethyst stones for a younger child. 



I love to teach division as a sharing exercise. Zoey and her 19-month-old sister, Sophia, enjoyed some hands-on sister sharing. Zoey would choose a number (12 in the photo) and share the amethyst crystals equally ("One for you, one for me, one for you, one for me....").




After sharing all the crystals, Zoey counted how many each had and placed the answer card on the equation. Both girls found it interesting, and Sophia especially enjoyed being included. 

Note: I don't leave small objects like these out for my toddler grandchildren, and I don't recommend that small objects be available to toddlers without direct and constant supervision. I only used these because I was so closely supervising the activity. Sophia's at that sensitive period where she's especially drawn to small objects, and it's nice when she can be included. She just felt each amethyst and didn't put any in her mouth, although that most likely wouldn't have been the case if they had been left out.

Famous Rocks Around the World 3-Part Cards with Cut-and-Paste Activities

Free Printable: Famous Rock Formations from the Pinay Homeschooler 

Free Printable: Printables from Free Rocks and Minerals Unit from Homeschool Den 

I placed both the famous rock formations 3-part cards and printed pages from the rocks and minerals unit on a tray. I added scissors and glue for a cut-and-paste activity using the pages. 

First, I'd have the child use the 3-part cards to learn about famous rock formations. I used colored pencils to place a colored dot corresponding to the rock formation's continent on the back of each control card.  So, in addition to matching the images and words, the child can sort the 3-part cards by continent. I also added the Montessori continents globe. 

An elementary-age child could use a regular globe to find each actual place using the word labels.

Free Rocks and Minerals Printables for Preschoolers through First Graders

Montessori-Inspired Rocks and Minerals Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber). 

For more free printables for this unit, go to my post at Living Montessori Now with Free Rocks and Minerals Printables and Montessori-Inspired Rocks and Minerals Activities.

More Rocks and Minerals Resources

•  Simple Excavation Sensory Tubs
• Rocks and Minerals Unit Study
• Story Stones – Farm Animal Families Treasure Basket
• Rocks and Minerals/Geology Unit Study Pinterest Board 

If you'd like to focus on manners with children, please check out my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy! It's written for anyone who'd like to feel comfortable teaching manners to children ages 2-12.

Happy rock collecting!

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 43 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.