FROM CHEERIOS® TO CAT LITTER: AN INTRODUCTION TO EVERDAY USES OF MINERALS

Children in elementary school are often curious about minerals and rocks. Many students have their own rock and mineral collections and take great pride in showing their pretty "rocks" to their geoscience educators. Unfortunately, most often the rock collection is where their geoscience education stops. This easily adaptable presentation expands their knowledge by introducing children to the importance of minerals in everyday life. Students (and sometimes their teachers and parents) are presented with a set of raw materials such as calcite, rock salt, feldspars, bentonite, garnet-bearing amphibolites, wollastonite, graphite, and hematite (to name a few). The students are then asked to try to match the raw materials to easily obtainable items that use those materials. These items may include a box of Cheerios® (calcite), table salt, Bon-Ami® (feldspars), clay cat litter (bentonite), sandpaper (garnet), a billiard ball (wollastonite), a pencil (graphite), and red lipstick (hematite). Many times the students are surprised at the way in which minerals are used, esp. with the cat litter and lipstick. This presentation works well in grades where Earth science is taught, at Cub Scout den and pack meetings (Webelo boys are expected to complete a geology badge), or at any other type of setting where the presenter wants to show that Earth science is more than just a pretty rock collection. The format can be easily changed to show diverse minerals or to showcase minerals from specific states or geographic regions. Although this presentation was initially set up for elementary age children it has been used in all age level classes, from kindergarten to college.