Kids love rocks and they make a great addition to a Pre-K science center. In my science center, I have a box for children to collect rocks.
This box is a plastic craft box with divided sections. They typically cost $1-2. Children love to add rocks they find to the rock collection box, and this helps give children “ownership” of their classroom.
To add more variety of rocks, I also have a commercial collection since there are many rocks of different colors and textures that cannot be found in one area. The only way to add more variety of rocks is to buy a set. This set was purchased in a hobby store. Some museum gift shops sell individual rocks.
It’s a good idea to add magnifying glasses so children can see more detail in the rocks. I have several rocks that are the same type and color which adds visual discrimination matching skills to the center. You could also take photos of each of your rocks and have children match the rocks to the photos.
