13357 Introductory Earth Science Classroom Rocks and Minerals Collection

I think this rock collection is an awesome value for the price. Rock and mineral sets this large and this quality are usually far more expensive. A few of the rocks had gone to visit their neighbors, and one had lost his label, on the trip to my house but that was easy to fix. None of the rocks came broken, and they all look like decent-size, good quality samples. The included booklet seems like a good introduction to earth science and I will read it carefully since I never was exposed to that subject in school (my bad). I recently became interested in rocks and minerals about 6 months ago, and I have bought a couple inexpensive rock and mineral sets where you have to ID the rocks yourselves, and a couple field guides, also a couple mixed bags of polished stones (one of which came with a few rocks and fossils). I struggled with ID'ing the rocks and minerals in the sets I bought, and I think this classroom set of 75 rocks and minerals will help me a great deal as I learn, plus it really looks awesome. It's more money than I've spent on anything else so far, but really worth it. Oh, and the first 9 minerals in this set are the 9 minerals of the Mohs scale, so no need to buy a separate Mohs scale set, which can cost you $15-20 alone.UPDATE: The price has nearly doubled on this since I bought it. Too bad.

I think this is a good set. I had wanted to continue collecting, but many "rock shops" want $5 and up for each sample. To have a sample of common rocks, you don't need ones that are the size of a fist and you don't need to put big money into simple things - save your cash for the real good ones. This set would have potentially cost $300 plus through a shop. Came well packaged with several reference materials and some small testing items.

This is a fine product. A nice, attractive and educational rock and mineral collection. They came a bit jumbled, but organizing the specimens was enjoyable and interesting in itself. This is the only such effective collection that I have seen so far; it is educational, organized, interesting and fun for any age. I have been collecting rocks and minerals for more than 70 years, and I think it is a wonderfully educational tool. Kids will love it and so will intelligent and curious adults. I'd give it ten stars if I could. Oh, it came with a spongy cover for the specimens, so such complaints are now needless. Keep it in the box and the plastic organizer is more than strong enough. I have no complaints!

I used this Rock pack for a Cub Scout Webelos "Earth Rocks" adventure merit bage. As stated before the rocks do fall out of their positions in shipping, but it took me less than five minutes to organize them. It came most of the necessary materials to do the Mohls hardness test, except a penny, vinegar and glass. I also purchased a larger magnifying glass. The rock samples are large and very interesting. The numbers were securely attached to the rocks. The boys were able to look at and examine each of the rock samples (except lead I kept that in a small bag)we were able to test a few of the rocks. I found it was a very worthwhile purchase it's small enough to store easily that I can use it again. I did add a piece of foam to hopefully hold the rocks in place while I store them.

This is a great sample kit for beginning geology students, the rock-curious and prospectors. All the major rock types are covered. The individual samples are well chosen and good specimens. The kit arrived in good condition. I actually bought it for a gift, but liked it so much I decided to keep it.

I really enjoy this.It is very educational it includes many samples of the rocks and minerals one reads about when learning geology.Samples 1-9 the Mohs scale (1-9)Samples (10-22) for streak, luster cleavage, fracture, and specific gravity,Samples23-32 The rock forming mineralsSamples 33-39, Ores of metals and nonmetals:Samples 40-52 Igneous Rocks,Samples 53-66 Sedimentary RocksSamples 67-75 Metamorphic RocksIt also includes a piece of glass and a nail for testing hardness, a streak plate, a small magnifying lens, and a magnet.The booklet is also very good - it has the kind of information you would find in a textbook that might not be in a field guide.

This is a nice introductory set with a great guide to accompany the product. Unfortunately my kit arrived with a missing sample and several broken samples. I need the product this week for a lesson with my students, so it isn’t worth exchanging. It seems like several other people have said that they were also missing samples. It was not packaged very well either- when i opened it up samples were all out of order and many weren’t in one of the squares. I had to reorganize everything and put the samples back in order

I don't normally write reviews, but I had to post a review of this product, because it exceeded my expectations. For the money, you cannot find a better collection. Good enough for a high school or intro. college level. The samples were mostly large enough to fill the holders, with only about 6 that were not. The included study guide was a real surprise. It is well written, and gives a very good introduction to geology.