Raising Rock Collectors

I’m raising rock collectors.

They fill their pockets, my pockets, shoes, hats, hands, and anything that can hold, with cool rocks they have discovered. This is something that has only increased with ages and numbers of my children. We got our oldest a rock polisher for her birthday (yes, we are feeding the addiction!) and now the kids are always on the hunt for “massive quartz” which is in ABUNDANCE in our region (It cleans up really pretty!)

And because we live in Colorado, my kids have the opportunity to rock hunt year round. Yes, year-round! Believe it or not, we have more sunshine than snow and sunshine makes all the difference in hiking weather. You will see us outside all the time (getting out 1000 hours in!) But I will say that fall hiking (like the hike pictured here) is our favorite. Until Daylight Savings ends, we can get a hike in after an early dinner allowing for cooler weather & sneaking in even more rock collecting before sunsets and bedtime. These photos are of a spontaneous 5:30pm hike in one of our favorite nearby hiking places, Ute Valley Park!

Since rock collecting always gets a little out of hand, I surprised my kids with their own belt bags! Parker Baby Co has been a favorite of mine (my belt bag & diaper bag are from there!) and when they launched a whole kid section, I jumped for joy! My babies are all outgrowing that baby stage and it is hard to leave the diaper bag behind. But they can now carry their own treasures which frees up mama’s hands, pockets, backpacks, etc. Plus the colors and patches really let them customize and “own” their own little look!

It is a joy and a delight to raise rock collectors. I love allowing space for wonder in these little minds and watching them enjoy God’s creation. I love how little “treasures” can mean so much more than new toys and how their rock collections show off the things they value (color, size, feel, shape, etc)

I love how outdoor time makes them happier children. And how they collaborate as siblings and share rocks with each other. I love how they call each other over to check out “neat” things they find and how they encourage each other to continue hiking even when they are getting tired.

Homeschool has been a great fit for us for so many reasons, but outdoor time and and insatiable thirst for information on rocks and plants in our region is one of the highlights. Allowing these children plenty of time to learn and explore on their own is already showing itself to be the gift that it is.

I am raising rock collectors and I am loving it.