This kit is fantastic for girls and boys wanting to start a rock collection or expand on an existing collection. National Geographic Toys makes the highest quality hands-on science toys, and all products are backed by exceptional service. About the National Geographic Society: With a mission to inspire people to care about the planet, the National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations.
National Geographic Rocks & Fossils Kit
- ULTIMATE ROCK COLLECTION FOR KIDS – A perfect standalone collection or addition to any kid’s rock collection. Includes rough and polished samples of Aventurine, Rose Quartz, stunning Snowflake Obsidian, Desert Rose, Red Jasper, Blue Quartz, Pumice, and geode specimens as well. Makes an excellent STEM gift for girls and boys!
- GENUINE FOSSILS – real fossils include prehistoric shark teeth, coprolite (fossilized dino poop), gastropods, ammonites, brachiopods, & more. Included accessories let you sort and identify every rock, gemstone, mineral, and fossil in the collection.
- REAL GEODES – Discover crystals treasures! Each kit contains one broken geode specimen and two unbroken whole geodes for you to crack open yourself. Geology doesn’t get more exciting than breaking open rocks and finding crystal treasures.
- DISPLAY YOUR FAVORITES – Show off your favorite rock, crystal, and fossil specimens in the included case! Keep the rest of your treasures safe in the included storage bag.
- HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATIONAL TOYS – National Geographic is proud to make the highest quality hands-on science toys, and all our products are backed by exceptional service. If your experience is anything less than extraordinary, let us know so we can make it right for you!
Darren Bollinger –
I ordered two of these so both of my kids could have their own to use as part of a homeschool lesson. One of the kits had significantly better specimens than the other kit. There was enough of a difference that I really felt bad for my son who got the bummer box. Most of the 200 specimens are very small 1/4 to 1/2 inch sized tumbled stones, of which there is not a great deal of variety. Even among these tiny tumbles, one box had a much better selection than the other one–the majority in both were rose quartz, tiger’s eye, red jasper, and sodalite (which is not listed in the booklet or poster it comes with). If you don’t include those little rocks in the count, you are actually only getting a couple dozen specimens–primarily duplicates and triplicates of each other. The most surprising exclusion was the lack of any amethyst, because it’s both a common and popular gem. I’m glad I already had a large gemstone collection of my own, so I could provide my kids with some nicer stones, and a better variety. The geodes were good in both boxes, as was the ammonite half. One box had a very nice coprolite and aragonite cluster; they were so-so in the second box. The different colors of calcite were of very poor quality in both sets. All said, I would still recommend this as a good economical choice for a starter collection.