MinKIDS - Minerals! Kids Investigating and Doing Science
MinKIDS is an Oklahoma-based project, focused on the use of a borrow-able set of kits (up to 30), each of which includes 50 small mineral samples. MinKIDS is geared towards 1st through 8th grade students exploring the topic of minerals and their properties.
The activities have been carefully developed by our team, and are based on Oklahoma's Academic Science Standards.
The program is free. If you're interested in participating, please get in touch! We are currently looking for a few hardy teachers willing to test out our program and give us honest and constructive feedback!
Email Molly
MinKIDS Development Team
Dr. Molly Yunker is the Education & Outreach Coordinator at the Oklahoma Geological Survey. She has a background in Geology and Science Education.
Dr. Andy Elwood Madden is a Professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of Oklahoma. He is also the Director of the Samuel Roberts Noble Microscopy Laboratory.
Brock Dumont is a graduate student in Geosciences at the University of Oklahoma.
Brady Fox is an undergraduate student, majoring in Geology at the University of Oklahoma.
Brittany Stroud is a graduate student in Geosciences at the University of Oklahoma.
Explore MinKIDS Activities for Elementary School Students (1st-5th)
"Rocks are..." Lesson
Students will explore rocks (minerals) in this open-ended activity, make observations, make groups of rocks that are similar, ask questions, and explore the outdoor environment.
"Luster Cluster" Lesson
Students will explore how rocks look in visible light in this activity, make observations, and make groups of similar rocks.
"Guess Who" Lesson
Students will play a game similar to “Guess Who” in pairs, describing a secret rock one statement at a time, while the other partner tries to guess which sample is being described.
"Oklahoma Mineral Mysteries" Lesson
Students will explore "Mineral Dossiers" filled with puzzles and clues in order to answer the question “How is this mineral important to Oklahoma?” The answers will cover geography, culture, social aspects, science, technology, and other areas of importance.
"GeoKIDS" Lesson
Students will explore rocks, minerals, and fossils in the GeoKIDS kit. Students will make observations, group samples into rocks/minerals and fossils, ask questions, and collect data about the physical properties of their samples. Note: each student will get to keep their GeoKIDS collection!
Explore MinKIDS Activities for Middle and High School Students (6th-8th)
"Rocks are..." Lesson
Rocks are…ALL AROUND US and in this activity, students are introduced to the minerals that make them up, the physical properties they exhibit, and how to identify specific minerals based on these properties. Using an open-ended investigation with the mineral kits, students will have to collaborate in order to discover each way to describe minerals. Once they have worked through a majority of the properties on their own, you will guide them through a discussion on how to use these properties to organize minerals.
"Probing Properties" Lesson
In this activity, students will build off of knowledge established in the “Rocks Are...” activity. Using a new kit of testable minerals, students will investigate the physical properties they’ve learned about, as well as several new ones and the ways we test them. Students will be able to use combinations of properties to further work on identifying differences among similar minerals.
"Minerals Around Me" Lesson
Students will work together in groups to identify minerals in the MinKIDS collection which are used for beneficial purposes in their everyday lives. They will pick one mineral and research it as a geologic resource, including a) how it is extracted, b) what it is used for and what properties make it useful, c) relation of resource extraction to global and local community issues, d) impacts of resource extraction on environmental quality, and e) evaluate prospects/needs for recycling/sustainability. Each group will give a presentation for sharing and assessment.
"Oklahoma Mineral Mysteries" Lesson
Students will explore "Mineral Dossiers" filled with puzzles and clues in order to answer the question “How is this mineral important to a place in Oklahoma?” The answers will cover geography, culture, social aspects, science, technology, and other aspects of importance.
"GeoKIDS" Lesson
Students will explore rocks, minerals, and fossils in the GeoKIDS kit. Students will make observations, group samples into rocks/minerals and fossils, ask questions, and collect data about the physical properties of their samples. Note: each student will get to keep their GeoKIDS collection!
