GEMS ROCK®Rocks & Minerals School Assembly in NJ, NY & CT, where students dig, find & keep real gemstones
Bring geology to life for Pre-K through 7th grade with real museum specimens, excavation blocks, gem panning, crystal geodes and a rushing-water mining sluice. It’s the perfect kickoff or grand finale for your Rocks & Minerals unit.
to 7th
Grade
A Rocks & Minerals Assembly Where Every Student Digs Up Real Gemstones
Picture your students leaning forward in their seats. Real minerals and sparkling gemstones sit on display right in your gym or auditorium. Then comes the moment they’ll talk about for weeks: every child digs, finds and keeps their own collection of real gems and minerals.
GEMS ROCK® is a fast-paced, highly interactive multimedia assembly. Kids come forward to help, answer questions and handle real specimens throughout the show, so no one just sits and watches.
- Real museum-quality specimens. Nothing plastic or pretend.
- Every child goes home with a gem collection. Parents hear about it at dinner that night.
- Fits your science curriculum. Start or finish your Rocks & Minerals unit.
A GEMS ROCK® assembly at Mt. Horeb Elementary, our home for 15 years in a row.
Earth’s Resources & Everyday Uses
Students discover how rocks and minerals become the things they use every day.
Earth’s Formation & Geological Processes
How our planet formed and the slow, powerful processes that keep reshaping it.
Plate Tectonics, Volcanoes & Earthquakes
The forces deep underground that build mountains and shake the ground.
What Your Students Will Discover
Younger grades are amazed to learn how many things in their homes started as rocks dug out of the ground. Older students go deeper into the science of how our planet works.
Rocks as Earth’s Resources
How many things in your own home started as rock dug out of the ground.
How the Earth Was Formed
From a ball of molten rock to the layered planet we live on today.
Rock Formation, Weathering & Erosion
How rocks form, and how wind, water and ice slowly break them down.
Geologic Time
How the Earth changes over millions and millions of years.
Plate Tectonics
The forces that shape Earth’s land, water and atmosphere.
Volcanoes, Earthquakes & Tsunamis
What is really happening deep underground when the Earth shakes.
Earth’s Place in the Solar System
Why our rocky planet is so special among its neighbors.
How Gems Are Made
How heat, pressure and time deep inside the Earth turn ordinary rock into treasure.
Content is matched to each grade, from Pre-K through 7th.
Choose Your Gem Mining Adventure
Every GEMS ROCK® assembly includes an authentic dig. Add excavation blocks, gem panning, geodes or our mining sluice to make it a day your students never forget.
IncludedStandard Gem Dig
Every student digs for and keeps real specimens of their choice: amethyst, quartz and citrine crystals, polished agates, real rubies, emeralds, sapphire, tourmaline and more.
Add-onExcavation Blocks
As realistic as it gets. We created the original EXCAVATION BLOCK so students experience what it’s really like to dig for rocks, minerals and gemstones.
Add-onPanning for Gemstones
Even in winter! We bring 3-ft bins loaded with real gemstones, and students search for rubies, emeralds, aquamarine, sapphire, tourmaline, golden pyrite and agates.
Add-onCrystal-Filled Geodes
Students pick a dull-looking rock, crack it open with professional tools and safe, guided instruction, and find gorgeous crystals inside. Theirs to keep.
Spring add-on22-Ft Gem Mining Sluice
Students surround a mini-river of rushing water and search for incredible stones to keep and take home.
CurriculumStart or Finish Your Unit
Many schools book GEMS ROCK® year after year as the highlight of their Rocks & Minerals unit, as a kickoff or a grand finale.
Breaking Open Geodes: The Moment Kids Talk About for Years
Imagine 500 kids gasping at the same moment as a plain gray rock splits open to show sparkling purple crystals inside.
Pick a plain, dull-looking rock
Every student chooses their own geode. From the outside, it looks like nothing special.
Crack it open with professional tools
With safe, guided instruction from our team, each student splits their geode in two.
See crystals no one has ever seen
Every geode is one of a kind, and it goes home as a keepsake.
Geode cracking is an optional add-on for an additional fee. Ask us about pricing when you call.
Our 22-Foot Rushing-Water Gem Mining Sluice
It’s a real mining experience on your school grounds. Students line up along a mini-river of flowing water and search for incredible stones to keep and take home.
Scoop a bag of mining rough
Each student gets a scoop of sand and gravel hiding real gemstones.
Sift it in the rushing water
The current washes away the sand, and the treasures start to shine.
Keep every gem they find
Rubies, emeralds, amethyst, pyrite and more go home with every student.
See GEMS ROCK® in Action
Real specimens, real excitement, and real gems going home in every student’s hands.
Why Schools Book Us Again and Again
The programs offered are absolutely OUTSTANDING. The kids were engaged, enthused, and totally engrossed in an educational experience. One of the BEST PROGRAMS we’ve ever had!
“Over the course of the past 11 years I have worked with DINOSAURS ROCK repeatedly. We are hopeful to have DINOSAURS ROCK back every year.”
years in a row of GEMS ROCK® at Mt. Horeb Elementary School
students, families & visitors served over 27 years
Kids do, not just watch
Every student digs, discovers and keeps what they find.
Real specimens
Authentic geodes and gemstones, never plastic replicas.
Built for every age
Pre-K–7th grade, family science nights and libraries.
Easy for you
We bring everything and handle setup.
Trusted for decades
27 years bringing the museum to schools.
Easy for Your School
You don’t need a field trip to see real geological treasures. We bring museum-quality geodes, gemstones and minerals, plus expert guidance, right into your gym or auditorium. All you provide is:
Essential Geology Concepts for Elementary & Middle School
Help your students get familiar with these big ideas before (or after) GEMS ROCK® visits your school.
Plate Tectonics: The Engine of Earth’s Geology
Earth’s outer shell is broken into plates that drift on the hot, slowly flowing mantle below.
- Divergent boundaries: plates pull apart and new crust forms (Mid-Atlantic Ridge)
- Convergent boundaries: plates collide and build mountains (the Himalayas)
- Transform boundaries: plates slide past each other and cause earthquakes (San Andreas Fault)
Volcanoes: Where New Rock Is Born
Volcanoes form where magma reaches the surface, often along plate boundaries or over hot spots.
- Shield volcanoes have gentle slopes and runny lava (Hawaii)
- Stratovolcanoes are tall, steep and explosive (Mount St. Helens)
- Hot spots built island chains like Iceland and the Galápagos Islands
Earthquakes & Tsunamis
When stress builds along a fault and suddenly releases, the ground shakes. Under the ocean, that shake can push a tsunami across the sea.
- Most earthquakes happen along plate boundaries
- Scientists measure them with seismometers
- Undersea quakes can send giant waves across whole oceans
America’s Amazing Geology
The United States is a living geology classroom, and great examples help students connect lessons to real places.
- Grand Canyon: nearly 2 billion years of rock layers carved by the Colorado River
- Yellowstone: geysers and hot springs powered by a supervolcano
- Mammoth Cave: the world’s longest known cave system, dissolved from limestone
GEMS ROCK® Frequently Asked Questions
What grades is the GEMS ROCK® assembly for?
GEMS ROCK® is built for Pre-K through 7th grade. Content is tailored to each grade, so younger students get simpler material and older students go deeper into plate tectonics, geologic time and how gems form.
Do students really keep the gemstones?
Yes. Every student digs for, finds and keeps real gemstones and minerals. The standard package includes about 3 specimens per student; Excavation Blocks raise that to 20+.
What does our school need to provide?
Just a projection screen, 3 tables for our specimen display, and access into the building without stairs. We bring everything else and handle setup.
Can students break open their own geodes?
Yes, as an optional add-on. Each student uses professional tools, with safe, guided instruction, to crack open a crystal-filled geode and take it home. Call us for pricing.
When is the gem mining sluice available?
Our 22-ft rushing-water sluice is available in the spring, weather permitting, in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Gem panning bins work indoors all year, even in winter.
How do we book and how much does it cost?
Call (917) 375-4248 or email dinosaursrock2@gmail.com. Our office schedules every date and will give you pricing for the standard program and any add-ons. Spring dates fill quickly, so reach out early.
Give Your Students a Day They’ll Never Forget
Bring gem mining and the thrill of breaking open rocks to find gems to your school, library or event. Every child goes home with real treasure and a story to tell.
dinosaursrock2@gmail.comServing schools in New Jersey · New York & NYC · Connecticut · Pennsylvania · Maryland · California
