Table of Contents
Fossils
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Aliki’s Fossils Tell of Long Ago (HarperCollins, 1990) is a charmingly illustrated introduction to fossils in the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science series for ages 4-8. |
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Laurence Anholt’s Stone Girl, Bone Girl (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2006) is a picture-book of Mary Anning, who at the age of 12 discovered the skeleton of an ichthyosaur in a cliff near her seaside home in England and went on to become a famous fossil hunter. (One story holds that she was the inspiration behind the traditional tongue-twister “She sells seashells by the seashore.”) For ages 6-9. |
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Laura Evert’s Rocks, Fossils, and Arrowheads (Cooper Square Publishing, 2001) in the Take-Along Guide series in an informational survey of rocks, minerals, fossils, arrowheads, and artifacts, with illustrations of key samples, suggestions on where to find, and assorted interesting facts. Also included are pages for field notes and project ideas (make rock candy, create your own fossil, design a friendship necklace). For ages 6-9. |
| From Smithsonian magazine, read about The World’s Largest Fossil Wilderness. | |
| Fossils Rock is a wide-ranging site all about fossils with many examples, extreme fossil facts, coloring pages, puzzles, suggestions for starting a geology club, and a detailed series of lessons on the Clock of Eras, an investigation of geologic time. Included are a printable Clock and a recipe for geologic layer cake. | |
| From the National Park Service, National Fossil Day has an Art & Photo Contest, general information, and an Educational Activities page. | |
| From USGS. Fossils, Rocks, and Time is a unit on ordering fossils chronologically, the geologic time scale, rock layers, and fossil succession, illustrated with period photos and diagrams. | |
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David Attenborough’s Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives is a wonderful four-part series on fossils and life on prehistoric Earth. Available on DVD. |
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Stephen Jay Gould’s Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History (W.W. Norton, 1989) is the story of the fossil-rich remains of a 530-million-year-old sea and what it has to tell us about evolution and the history of life on Earth. For older teens and adults. |
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With the Mine for Fossils Science Kit, kids can excavate ten genuine fossils, including a shark tooth, an ammonite, and a coprolite (yes, dinosaur poop). |
Jewels and Gems
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The Gems: Nature’s Jewels series (Gareth Stevens Publishing) by Eric Ethan is a collection of short picture books, each devoted to a different gem. Titles include Diamonds, Emeralds, Rubies, Turquoise, Opals, and Sapphires. For ages 8 and up. |
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In the Eyewitness series, Crystal & Gem (Dorling Kindersley, 2007) by R.F. Symes and R.R. Harding covers crystal structure, color, identification, uses, and lore and legends, with individual sections devoted to quartz, diamond, corundum, beryl, and opal. Illustrated with spectacular photographs and diagrams. For ages 8 and up. |
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Victoria Finlay’s Jewels: A Secret History (Ballantine Books, 2006) is a fascinating and information-crammed history of gems, variously covering the stories behind amber, jet, pearl, opal, peridot, sapphire, ruby, emerald, and diamond. An absorbing read for teenagers and adults. |
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In Aja Raden’s Stoned (Ecco, 2016), readers learn about everything from Faberge eggs to Japanese pearl divers. Find out why glass beads weren’t a bad exchange for Manhattan and learn the truth about Marie Antoinette’s incriminating diamond necklace. A great read for teens and adults. |
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By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle,” Sherlock Holmes solves a mystery surrounding the theft of a priceless gem. |
| The Mineral & Gemstone Kingdom is a comprehensive online guide to minerals and gemstones. Click on a name for a wealth of information, illustrated with photographs. | |
| Check out the Smithsonian’s fabulous Gem Gallery. Click on a thumbnail for a photograph and explanation. In alphabetical order from afghanite and agate to zircon and zoisite. | |
| From the Burke Museum, learn about the Science and Legends Behind Birthstones. | |
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Crystal-growing kits are available from many science suppliers. Check some out here. |