Rock Tumbling is a fantastic method to introduce physical sciences to students in high school. It helps them understand the formation of rocks, geology and form, as well as the process of erosion. They`ll also begin to show an interest in the earth and science all over the world. Tumbling is also a way to help youngsters recognize visual qualities like color, shape and texture as well as distinct marks. How the Most Forward Thinking Schools Are Using Rock Tumbling to Teach An excellent way for students in high school to discover the physical sciences is to do hands-on exercises that permit them to manipulate and manipulate objects. The tumbling of rocks is an awesome exercise that allows them to take a walk and play with basic devices and objects. The majority of rock tumblers consist of two parts: the motor as well as the barrel. The two components work to crush the rocks and smooth the rocks. Tumbling rocks using abrasive material is very popular among craft, jewelry and lapidary enthusiasts. It`s a wonderful way to bring out the shine and color of a rock that is not polished or mineral. It`s also a favorite sport for those who like looking for natural stone specimens in the wild. Tumbling stones from the ground is an excellent method to get closer to nature and see the beauty in every piece of stone. What Rocks to Tumble? If you`re going to instruct the art of tumbling rocks as part of the science curriculum for high school, you should only provide rocks that can be used for tumbling. This will give you the best results and ensure that your students will have a excellent experience studying the minerals and how they work together in order to make the rocks that they tumble. The best way to start is to test the hardness of the rock. In the ideal scenario, all the rocks in your tumbler must be roughly the same in terms of hardness, somewhere between 6-8 on the Mohs Harness scale (see below). Another very important test to conduct is to feel the texture in the surface of the rock. In general, you should look for stones with an even surface with no or minimal granularity. This is pretty easy to verify – simply rub a few stones against each other and observe any grains of sand or grit which fall off of the surface. This is a reliable method of determining if the rock has a smooth texture and is suitable to tumble. How to Tumble Rocks Utilizing rock tumbling as an exercise in high school science class can be a great method of engaging students. But before you get started, be sure to understand how to correctly tumble rocks. Before you start, determine what kind of stones you`ll be using to tumble. This will determine what grade you require along with the dimensions of your tumbler as well as how long each stage of it will require. Following that, you need polishing the rough rock into smooth, round gems. This is done with Abrasive grit. It is made out of either silicon or carbide. Once you have the correct size of grit, put it into your rock tumbler at least for one week. It is recommended to check the barrel at least every 7 days to determine what the stone is progressing through the tumbling process and polishing. Tumbling Activities Rock tumbling is a great opportunity to introduce students to physical science. It`s also a fun game for all the family. The most important thing is to be sure that the tumbler has been used in a safe manner. It runs on electricity, has moving parts and requires the supervision of a responsible adult. - To make this activity a success the students should be able to comprehend weathering and erosion in the geologic world. This can be done through a simulation that lets them take part in and observe this process. They will need to measure the visual aspects like shape, texture, color and distinguishing marks, length and mass. They may need to use calipers for this purpose. The harder rocks take longer to tumble than soft rocks Be sure to provide them with the same relative hardness on the Mohs scale. Limestone, shale and marble are great choices. They are well cemented but soft enough to allow for the effects of weathering over a few days of tumbling.