Toysmith Mineral Science Kit

I'm a college earth science professor and our supplier was one kit short for my online class. I decided to try this kit. It's about half the price and mostly the same minerals. For some reason not halite...oddly, and the one I got had rusted pyrite (I've never actually SEEN rusted pyrite before). But overall great quality. And for like half the price!

I bought this kit and another one from a different company for our homeschool geology unit, and this one is by far the better kit. It has 15 different rocks, 5 each of the three types (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic). Each rock is in its own compartment in the case and is very clearly labeled as to which type it is. There is a number tag on the rock, and there is a sheet that comes with it that identifies each rock by number. Each rock is a decent sized sample (roughly 1" diameter for each) and shows the unique characteristics so you can get a good idea of how to identify it. I am very happy with this purchase and would highly suggest it for homeschool or anyone interested in learning more about rocks and geology. The case is plastic and would probably be very flimsy, but it fits perfectly in the box which is a rather sturdy cardboard, so as long as you leave the case in its the box for storage or display, it shouldn't be a problem.

I homeschool and coming up with science experiments/labs isn't always easy. My 5th and 7th graders are currently studying rocks and minerals, so I thought ordering a mineral science kit would give them a hands-on lesson. I paid less than $10 for the kit and it came with a nail, strike plate, and 15 minerals. The kit also contained a magnifying glass, which as you can see from the photo, is tiny and pretty much useless. There's nothing clear in the magnifying glass - it's just a plastic, blurry lens. The minerals are labeled and can be found with descriptions in the included pamphlet. The booklet that came with the kit is pretty useful as it discusses topics such as luster, mineral hardness, among other things one could benefit in knowing about minerals. I wouldn't say $10 is a bargain, but at the same time, it provided us with a hands-on learning experience. Just make sure you have or buy a magnifying glass so your child/children can examine the rocks up close.

I got this kit when I was 12, now 72 I have a great grandson who is into rocks. I got it for him. I started doing lapidary when I was 16 and started selling jewelry I made when I was 20. Every relative I have has something I made. Right down to my grandchildren. It started with learning about the hardness of rocks, the steak test, and the magnetic test, in this kit and a basic rocks and mineral book. I highly recommend this book for any kid interested in rocks at any age 5-105 and please don't limit it to boys I was not a tom boy but I loved rocks and still do. I was involved in a Christmas give away to children they had science projects like building a robot out of an a can or a weather station out of a 2 litter bottle she said "oh that's for the boys not the girls. We give beads to the girls and dolls". When I took over the girls got science projects and some of the boys asked for beads.

I bought this kit for my son who has suddenly taken an interest in rocks, minerals, and gem stones. He'd bought a different kit previously and, while he liked it, he found that he had a hard time really determining which rocks he had in his kit because they didn't seem to match the pictures on the back of the box. And then, we found this kit and the big plus is that it takes the mystery out of figuring out which rocks you have because each rock comes numbered and corresponds to one of the numbers in the identification guide. He loves it! This kit came with 15 rock specimens, a magnifying glass, and an identification guide. The identification guide is pretty basic but does provide a good start for someone just getting into rock collecting. My son especially liked the page of the guide that shows the names of the rocks and some specific information about each one. The box that the rocks come in is a good one for keeping them in for storage - of course my son had to have a special "rock sorting box" but this one would suffice if you don't have a picky rock collector. We are very pleased with this product and it's made our little rock collector a happy one!

This is a useful mineral kit that my 15 year old had fun learning about mineral identification with. There were a large variety of minerals to test, and the instructions were easy to follow. That said, the so-called "Pyrite" sample in the kit is definitely not Pyrite but is Pyrrhotite which is sometimes called Magnetic Pyrite, and has very different features from the normal Pyrite (which is fool's gold). Pyrrhotite is softer than Pyrite, and if you try to use the scratch test and nail scratch test comparing to the chart, you will not get the right results. Unlike Pyrite, Pyrrhotite is magnetic (hence the other name of Magnetic Pyrite). So if you get this kit and your #4 is brown, earthy, heavy, not gold metallic...and a magnet sticks to it...this is why.

Nice item for less than $10. The pieces are small. Each piece has a number sticker on it which correlates to the number on the key. It tells what type of mineral each piece is. Some of the pieces are fragile. This didn't bother us. I just explained to my son before touching them, that some are brittle and could break. He is in kindergarten and loved it. He has a "learning to read" non-fiction book about rocks and minerals which he reads often. This set really complimented the book. I did not use the additional tools within the kit, so I can't describe how they are, except they are a little plastic magnifying glass and what looks like a nail.

I bought a couple of these kits for my Science Club students to use in their mineralogy study. The mineral specimens were approximately 1 inch in length, and were in good condition upon arrival. They are packed in open cells and jostle around a bit in transit, but they have numbered stickers on them to identify each mineral, so you can figure out which one is which and reposition them. The stickers do not tend to stick very well, and I replaced a couple of them. I like the fact that these minerals are in their natural state and not polished or cut. Instructions come with the kit, and there is a chart which identifies the hardness and streak color of each mineral. The kit also contains a scratch plate, nail, and plastic magnifying glass. I added other items from a Rock Mineral Test Kit (also available on Amazon at a reasonable price), and had a wonderful little mineral identification/test project for my students.

Was what I expected

Smaller than I expected, but is as described and functioned perfectly for college level Physical Geology class.

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Must have if you like rocks and earth science

Como se ve en la foto