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Post by fernwood on Jun 18, 2022 7:23:53 GMT -5
I will be leading a Rock Hounding for Children and Families workshop at the MREA Energy Fair, Custer, WI on Sunday, June 26, 11:00 AM. At the Rainbow’s End Children’s Tent.
This is perfect for Pebble Pups, ages 4 and up.
The workshop consists of places to find rocks/fossils, safety/legal concerns, examples of rocks/fossils and what some are used for. The difference between a piece of wood and a piece of petrified wood is one of the fossil examples I will be showing.
Will also show a few pieces of rough rock and what they look like tumbled.
There will be a rock hunt in the workshop tent consisting of sand filled bins I have put some rocks/fossils in. Some will be local. Others from a variety of USA areas.
I will also be giving another rock or fossil to all children in attendance.
Prior to the workshop I will be putting some rocks/fossils in landscape rock around a nearby building. We will be going there for a rock hunt.
Some specific rocks/fossils that children can find/receive include Arizona Apache Tears, fossil coral from a variety of states, Wyoming fossil shells, Wisconsin Moonstone, Wisconsin Granite, Michigan Copper Ore, Florida Coral Fossils, Wisconsin Lava, Rutile Quartz, Lake Superior Agate, Utah Coprolite and Arizona pet wood. There will be others, too.
I ran this workshop at the Energy Fair in 2019. The children and parents attending loved it.
If you plan on attending the Energy Fair, stop by the workshop even if you do not have children.
I love to meet others who are interested in rocks/fossils.
A huge thank you to several RTH members who gave me some of the above items.
I usually do not have time to take photos during the workshop, but maybe a good friend who is assisting me can get some.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 18, 2022 18:41:19 GMT -5
Cool Beth! I hope it's a fun time for you and the kids!  |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 19, 2022 15:24:02 GMT -5
That sounds like something I would enjoy. I like kids. Let us know how it goes. |
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Post by fernwood on Jun 21, 2022 7:22:48 GMT -5
I am working on gathering everything needed.
All children will be finding/receiving 3 rocks/fossils from the following list:
Granite, Apache Tears, Rutile Quartz, Turitella, Copper Ore, LSA’s, Pet Wood, Coprolite, Fossil Coral, WI Moonstone, WI lava, Quartz.
I will be showing some Fulgerite to help explain the power of lightning.
If I can connect with my local friend who has rocks for sale sometimes, I might be purchasing some more carved critters.
This is going to be fun.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 21, 2022 7:29:44 GMT -5
I am working on gathering everything needed. All children will be finding/receiving 3 rocks/fossils from the following list: Granite, Apache Tears, Rutile Quartz, Turitella, Copper Ore, LSA’s, Pet Wood, Coprolite, Fossil Coral, WI Moonstone, WI lava, Quartz. I will be showing some Fulgerite to help explain the power of lightning. If I can connect with my local friend who has rocks for sale sometimes, I might be purchasing some more carved critters. This is going to be fun. I'm excited for you. |
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Post by fernwood on Jun 21, 2022 7:46:38 GMT -5
I did this workshop in 2019. Was set to do it in 2020, but the Energy Fair was cancelled then and in 2021.
It is back again, but with some precautions.
The organizers are excited for me to come back, as the workshop received 5 stars from all who attended.
I am extra happy that my best friend from a couple hours away will be helping me. We have not seen each other since 2017, but spend hours on the phone weekly.
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Post by fernwood on Jun 24, 2022 5:31:02 GMT -5
Finished filling bins with sand and rocks yesterday. Took some photos before covering up. Apache Tears, Rutile Quartz, Turitella, Copper Ore, Granite, fossil coral, Baculite, lava, Coprolite, WI Moonstone, LSA's and some carved critters. More of the same will be hidden in landscape rock near the workshop tent.      |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 24, 2022 7:17:49 GMT -5
Finished filling bins with sand and rocks yesterday. Took some photos before covering up. Apache Tears, Rutile Quartz, Turitella, Copper Ore, Granite, fossil coral, Baculite, lava, Coprolite, WI Moonstone, LSA's and some carved critters. More of the same will be hidden in landscape rock near the workshop tent. Imagine the looks on their faces if you handed them a paintbrush and a pair of tweezers and said, "This is all you get to use to uncover the treasures!"! LOL *I know...that's not right! LOL |
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Post by fernwood on Jun 24, 2022 7:20:13 GMT -5
Finished filling bins with sand and rocks yesterday. Took some photos before covering up. Apache Tears, Rutile Quartz, Turitella, Copper Ore, Granite, fossil coral, Baculite, lava, Coprolite, WI Moonstone, LSA's and some carved critters. More of the same will be hidden in landscape rock near the workshop tent. Imagine the looks on their faces if you handed them a paintbrush and a pair of tweezers and said, "This is all you get to use to uncover the treasures!"! LOL *I know...that's not right! LOL  |
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Post by parfive on Jun 24, 2022 8:08:04 GMT -5
Here kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty. : )
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Post by fernwood on Jun 26, 2022 6:34:11 GMT -5
Houston, we have a problem.
When at the Energy Fair Friday, I went to the main info tent to ask about parking on Sunday.
In the past I was able to park fairly close to the tent where my workshop was held. By fairly close, I mean about 200 yards. This was an area with no steep hills, like are in most of the parking lot.
I was told yesterday that I should park where directed to. Then exit the parking area and come back in about 30 minutes prior to my workshop. Tell the first parking attendant I need to unload for a session. That they would radio the other parking attendants to let me pass. I was to go to an entrance gate near where my workshop was.
Tell the volunteers there I had been given the OK to drive on an access road to near the children’s tent to unload.
If anyone questioned me to have them radio a specific person.
After unloading, I would need to move my car. Just to leave the grounds and come back in the regular way. Park where told to. Then walk to where my workshop is and set up.
I am guessing this will take well over an hour. I will need to leave my wagon with 150 lbs of rocks near the tent, unsupervised.
A lot depends on how close I can park after unloading. If the past is any indication, I will be at least ¼ mile away.
After the workshop is done, I will need to put everything back in my wagon. Move it next to the tent. Then leave, get my car and re-enter the grounds. Go through the same process as before.
There are no set up/take down times for any sessions. Although workshops are scheduled for an hour, everyone is expected to finish their workshop early enough to allow for take down time so the next presenter can set up and be ready to go when scheduled. Last time the leader before ran his workshop overtime. Then had many things to remove from the tent. I ended up starting 15 minutes late.
Just the unloading and loading process will be at least 2.5 hours. At least the weather should be good.
I am having an arthritis flare up in my lower back, hips and shoulder. This will make unloading/pulling a wagon tough, but I am determined to do it.
My friend is still coming. She should arrive around 9:00 AM. Has some things she wants to do before/after the workshop, so I do not want to ask her for help unloading/loading.
Everything will be worth it. I love seeing the joy on the children’s faces and the feedback from their parents.
I will give an update, hopefully with photos either later today or tomorrow.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 26, 2022 7:24:31 GMT -5
Oh Beth...that isn't great news! I hope it goes smoother than you're expecting!  |
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,622
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Post by dillonf on Jun 26, 2022 7:58:06 GMT -5
This sounds very awesome! I know my daughter would love it. If we weren't all the way down in Texas we would stop by and say hello! It is awesome you provide this education for families!! Not enough families get outside for adventures - programs like yours encourage them to do so.
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Post by fernwood on Jun 27, 2022 6:38:06 GMT -5
No photos.
I ended up arriving by 8:15 AM. Convinced a parking lot attendant to let me park about 100 yards from the workshop.
There was only one hill to pull my wagon up. A kind person who was parked nearby saw me struggling and offered to help. I took over once the ground was flat. I really need to get a wagon like this. It is lightweight with a frame. Can be folded up. Has all terrain wheels.
I stashed the wagon in the tent.
At about 9:15 received a call from my friend who was going to help me with the workshop. She woke up to a funny smell. Went to basement and found a “septic explosion”. There was about 2’ of it in her basement.
She had been calling people to do something about it, with no luck. She decided to come any way, but would arrive after the workshop.
The presenter before me decided to do his reptile workshop in a sunny place near the tent, so I was able to set up During his workshop.
I ended up not doing the rock hunt outside of the tent. There were just no safe places to hide rocks in landscape gravel.
Many of the children were pretty young, so I limited talking.
Some of the highlights:
Fulgerite: Even most of the adults had no idea that a cloud to ground lightning strike could melt sand.
Coprolite: I didn’t say what it was until after everyone had looked at it and held it. The reaction of some was pretty funny.
Pet Wood: There were several questions from parents about color changes during the petrification process.
Turritella: Many children thought it was cool that a shell became a rock.
Rutile Quartz: Lots of questions about how gold hairs got in the rocks.
The rock hunt in the sand bins went well. I had a hard time watching 6-8 children all digging in the bins at the same time. Several wanted to take handfuls of rocks/fossils. They finally agreed to take only one.
Since there were only about 25 children at the workshop, towards the end I let parents dig for a rock in the sand.
Several were digging with their children. Some had rock tumblers, so questions about what could be tumbled.
A great time was had by all. The workshop ended early. I was able to pack up and pull the wagon mostly downhill and unload.
Then got some ice cream and listened to the performer, Tom Pease, who was un the tent after me.
My friend arrived about 1:00 PM. We wandered around. She purchased some books and got info about solar heating.
She couldn’t eat any of the food there, so we went to a nearby restaurant that was on her way home. She loved what she ordered. The restaurant was across the road from where I work, so we went there to shoot some pool after dinner.
We also exchanged some things. She had some craft books/magazines for me. Some cedar, sage, sand from a sand painting that was used in a ceremony, a bottle of honey mead and a couple of unidentified rocks.
I will be posting the rocks in the ID forum.
I had a couple bags of good dog food, dog treats, a bracelet, jet, amethyst sphere and labradorite sphere for her.
We had a great time. Decided we needed to meet up more often.
She then left to pick up her 6 Dogs from the sitter and go home.
It was a wonderful Sunday in every way.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 27, 2022 7:43:07 GMT -5
Beth, that was a great write-up and I'm so glad things worked out better with the setup and tear down than they could have been!
Sorry to hear about your friend's crappy problem!
Loved hearing about the reactions to the types of rocks...especially about the Coprolite! (Of course! LOL)
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 27, 2022 11:34:21 GMT -5
I'm glad everything went well (for the most part). I would have loved to have seen pix of the kids digging and the happiness on their faces, but that's cool. It was a good write-up. |
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Post by liveoak on Jun 27, 2022 16:50:59 GMT -5
Glad it well Beth.
It's nice that you do that program for the kids & the parents.
Getting the parents involved might mean they take it a little further.
I guess you're training future rock club or RTH members :-)
Patty
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Post by fernwood on Jun 28, 2022 4:19:15 GMT -5
Some of the parents were asking if there were any local rock hunting locations. I told them a couple places near rivers where there were rocks and what I found there.
It was a somewhat different crowd than last time. I like that the parents were involved and interested.
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