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Rock & Mineral Field Guides:
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Awesome! I also wanted to be a paleontologist since I was in kindergarten, and I am so thankful to my parents who helped me to follow my dreams! We were (and still are) members at our local museum, The Field Museum in Chicago, so I got to go on members night behind the scenes tours and meet real scientists. We also did all sorts of paleontology activities around Chicago and also while on vacation. I definitely would not have become a paleontologist without my parents support.
Tell your daughter that being a paleontologist is an amazing career and that she should follow her dreams! Take as many science classes as she can. Biology and geology are critical, but chemistry, physics, math and statistics are also very important. Art and drawing in particular are also important because they help you to be keener observers of the world around you. Spend lots of time outdoors, thinking about how the natural world works today. Maybe have her make her own field notebook, where she can record her observations and sketches and then more detailed notes as she learns about what she is seeing? A good birthday present might be "Cruising the Fossil Freeway" by Kirk Johnson and Ray Troll (https://www.amazon.com/Cruisin-Fossil-Freeway-Scientist-Ultimate/dp/1555914519).
Try going to a local book store and look for books on rocks, minerals, fossils, and elements. Look throught the book(s) and see if any of the rocks match up with the ones in your collection. I'd recommend the book, Rocks and Minerals: The World In your hands. for basic cataloging (this book is mostly for casual collectors and may not include all of your rocks). But you could also find region specific books (if you found some of those rocks your self.), Or field guides. If you have a local rock mine, such as the Herkimer Diamond Mines you could probably get an ID there from an employee.
Simon & Schuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals
https://www.amazon.com/Simon-Schusters-Guide-Rocks-Minerals/dp/0671244175/ref=asc_df_0671244175/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=265989256760&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12872894245236141258&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&... This is the book I got when I took minerology. It is a bit of a text book, but tells you all you need to know for identification
Welcome! I'm assuming you paid for them. These are not crystals but "massive" forms of the minerals that have been tumbled to polish them. What is important though is that they bring you joy.
Here are some additional resources:
Educational:
Worlds biggest mineral specimen database with a big message board.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals: North America (National Audubon Society Field Guides) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0394502698/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_i_4N64V1G5AEX6B3GPSJ43
r/rockhounds
Places to buy mineral specimens
eBay: Look under collectibles. There is a rocks and minerals category.
Etsy
Various dealer websites.
Rock shops and metaphysical shops.
Gem and mineral shows.
Rockhounding.
my favorite: National Audubon Society Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals: North America (National Audubon Society Field Guides) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0394502698/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_YMJ54BXJMH8Y5KR8QEA9
Anything by John McPhee. Or either of the books these two did: https://www.amazon.com/Cruisin-Fossil-Freeway-Scientist-Ultimate/dp/1555914519/
If you like gemstones and rocks, I am not sure if this counts as a non-fiction book it is more of a guide? I mainly read fiction so this is the closest thing I have I think lol
Anastasia on Disney Plus! It's one of the few non-Disney princess movies that is semi-famous. It has really pretty music and a cool storyline! I watched it again recently.
Buster$ and Fabio (Fabio is the long haired orange one and Buster$ has white and orange spots)
u/achavva let's see those pugs!! u/rebstra do you have any new pics of Myles? u/ancientcatgod any cute cat pics :)
The first thing that got me interested in rocks and minerals was going to a museum as a kid and seeing a really pretty amethyst tree in the gift shop. I remembered seeing how pretty it was, so every time I went to a gift shop after that I would look at the rocks and crystals :) I recently bought this book at Barnes and Noble and have gotten to see so many new crystals. I think that dioptase is my new favorite crystal because it is a dark green color that reminds me of Slytherin :)
"Gemstones of the World" is an excellent book, got great info, the in depth moh's hardness scale is very useful.
And i recommend Andrew Berry on YouTube to get you up and running with soldering and general workshop basics.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals: North America.
Got it as a present when I was a kid, used it through college, still have it. Great reference book, and fits in a cargo pocket.
Audubon guides are good starter books. There are probably some geared toward professional geos that are better, but the Audubon books have great identification sections and decent, full color photos.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0394502698/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_q.APFbTYXVAKP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I have a few geology guide books, but by far my favorite is my Audubon society field guide to rocks and minerals. It encompasses many different kinds of rocks and minerals, and has clear pictures of each one along with more information about various characteristics of each one, how they are formed, how to identify them, etc... The Audubon society always does a great job with their field guides, and for someone interested in geology I guarantee it will not disappoint.
Here is the link to the guide on amazon. I know the book is geared toward North America but I imagine it will still work in Europe. Enjoy!
Hard to go wrong with Simon and Schuster's guide to rocks and minerals
https://www.amazon.com/Simon-Schusters-Guide-Rocks-Minerals/dp/0671244175
There are a variety of "Rocks and Minerals" booklets that are great introductions, I used this one when I was studying geology (for intro courses / identifying some stuff).
For better information youll have to get a textbook, but there are free pdfs for most of them floating around... or so I've heard.
As far as getting self collected material goes in the area, I probably can't be of much help. the best advice I can offer is getting a book about the area. The only one I found with a quick search was this one. If you're interested in buying pieces for your collection though, I can offer some better advice there.
No problem! I really like that book, it’s definitely better than most, but still missing a bit. You can get it on amazon. Also, my personal favorites are for just Agates, #1 being “The Other Lake Superior Agates” by John D Marshall (it’s out of print, but I think you may still be able to get it from the author), and “Agates Inside Out” by Karen A Brzys. Here is what the covers look like to make them a little easier to find.
this book is a good general reference on all things rocks and minerals. the layout is simple to follow and the language is easy to understand (specialised knowledge not required).
it is a general guide so it probably wont cover every possible example but it is a good starting place.
Thanks for the recommendation! I just bought this book: Gemstones of the World: Newly Revised Fifth Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1454909536/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pPGIybE1G50X2
Given that I didn't know an Amethyst was a quartz, I figured it's a good place to start. The book you recommended seems like a logical next step once I've upped my technical knowledge of gemstones themselves!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0789491060?selectObb=new
The textbook used for my Minerology class. This is the first textbook I kept because I wanted thought the information would remain relevant, rather than the buyback price too low.
I use the simon and schuster book for a field guide in ny daypack. Super useful for reference.
A nice adult-level rocks and minerals guide with plenty of colored pictures. :D Something like this.
This was one of my favorite books when I was younger. It has a little more substance to it, and has great pictures!
I haven't found an app that I really like. I'm a big fan of Audubon for the pretty pictures (http://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-Society-American-Minerals/dp/0394502698) and Deer, Howie, and Zussman's "An Introduction to the Rock Forming Minerals" for the more technical/comprehensive listings. Note: I don't particularly recommend the latter for an 8 year old, especially given the price of the newer editions, but if you can pick one up really cheap, it's nice to have.