Rocks & Flowers

Because Bentley has maintained a strong interest in rock collecting, I have purchased him some tools of the trade. We picked up a bottle of 20% acid at the local rock store and he has been trying it out on all his white rocks to determine if they could be limestone or marble. I purchased online for him a rock hammer, a rock chisel, and a test kit for rock hardness. Those supplies arrived in the mail Tuesday afternoon and the next day the boys took the tools outside to give them a try. Jake isn't into searching for rocks outside like Bentley is, but he was eager to try out the rock hammer and rock chisel.

Bentley has read a couple of books on rocks and I'm surprised how much he has learned. Of course, there is no substitute for field experience and that's what he is working on now. It's quite hard to identify a random rock. He is always asking for my input and I don't have any. I know less than he does, but I'm pretty sure he hasn't found any diamonds or sapphires on our driveway no matter what he thinks! (We learned today that there is a state park in Arkansas where you can find diamonds loose in the dirt and you can take them home with you. Bentley is looking for a date on our calendar to go visit that park!)

While the boys were whacking away at rocks on Wednesday, Viva was collecting and pressing flowers. It was a very good afternoon spent outside exploring the natural world. (I was weeding my flower beds.)