The Three Types of Rocks– Our Activities and a Free Worksheet Packet about igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks

A few days ago I shared the Rocks and Minerals Packet I made for ED (which is also free). I wanted to spend more time on the three types of rocks–igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.  The kids were SO excited when they realized this activity was going to include semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, heath crunch bits and flaked coconut. (No we didn’t eat it all, but we did taste test a bit along the way!) I used that as leverage to make sure the rest of their work was done for the day!

I made some worksheets for their science notebooks. Before beginning our activities, we went over the differences between the three types of rocks (the first page) and sang our song again (below).  We saved the examples (the pages with the pictures of various examples of rocks) for another day. The packet includes some sample example answers for each page (such as the metamorphic rock page in the collage below).  This packet also includes the activities I shared below.

Click here for the – Three Main Types of Rocks – Free Worksheets

I have been doing this Rocks and Minerals unit with my kids again.  Be sure to check out the new 100+ page Rocks and Minerals Unit  as well as our 150+ page Earth Science Packet.

Three Types of Rocks Worksheets

Click here to save the free 3 types of rocks worksheets on Pinterest:

Three Types of Rocks Worksheets (Free)Be sure to check out our new 100+ page Rocks and Minerals Unit here or below!Rocks and Minerals Unit - Worksheets Notebook Pages and More!

New Rocks and Minerals Unit!

The material above was made many years ago when my kids were quite little. I have made a huge new 100+ page Rocks and Minerals Unit if you are interested!

Rocks and Minerals Packet - worksheets activities and moreNew! (2021) We have a fantastic Rocks and Minerals Packet available. I’ll leave these pages I made many years ago still up on the blog, but you may want to check out our new materials below.

In our Rocks & Minerals Unit, we went into a lot of detail about the types of minerals, identifying minerals – crystalline structures, the characteristics of minerals (color, streak, luster, hardness), the Mohs Hardness Scale,  how rocks are formed, weathering, erosion, the lithification process, different types of igneous, sedimentary & metamorphic rocks and more.  This packet includes notebook pages, worksheets, a lapbook, lab activities, vocabulary cards, booklets and more!

Rocks and Minerals Unit with Worksheets Notebook Pages Lapbook Booklet and more $7.99 New! Rocks and Minerals Unit 100+ pages

More details can be found here: Rocks and Minerals Packet or at the Earth Science BUNDLE page.

Don’t forget to check your PayPal email account for your download link! Our packets are PDF digital downloads. If you have any questions or problems feel free to email me or check out the FAQ.

This unit is included in our Earth Science BUNDLE. More details about the Earth Science Bundle options here:

Earth Science and Physical Science BUNDLE of 10

Here are more pictures of what is in the Rocks and Minerals Packet:

Three Types of Rocks - igneous sedimentary metamorphic rock Worksheets - notebook pagesThe Three Types of Rocks - Activities and Worksheets

Our types of rock ‘experiments’

We had different types of chips: white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips plus shaved coconut and heath crunch bits.

Igneous Rocks: We melted some white chocolate (and red dye) on the stove.  We talked about how magma/lava is melted rock. Then we took spoonfuls of the melted chocolate and let it cool on a baking sheet.  These were our ‘igneous’ rocks.

Igneous Rocks Activities

Sedimentary Rocks: Before we began, we hammered the chips in a ziploc bag to make them smaller. We put spoonfuls of the different types of chips into a jar.  Those were the sediments. We applied pressure to squeeze the rock/chocolate layers together to create sedimentary rocks:

SedimentaryRocks

Here are a couple of other activities we did when talking about sedimentary rocks:

Sedimentary Rock ActivitySedimentary Rock Hands-On Activity

Metamorphic Rocks: We put layers of chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows into a pan that could be baked in the oven. We put the pan in the oven and let it heat up for 10 or 15 minutes.  We took it out, let it cool for a few minutes and then applied pressure to the top of half the mixture.  This transformed the “rocks/chips” into a new concoction whereas on the other side we could see distinct layers and distinct rock forms (like sedimentary rocks).

After it cooled we cut the “rock” up and looked at the layer, noticing how on the metamorphic side the “rocks” had blended into one another.

MakingMetamorphic-Sedimentary-Rocks

Here is another activity we did when we were studying metamorphic rocks:Metamorphic Rock Activity - part 1Metamorphic Rock Hands-On Activity Metamorphic-Rock-Activity

You can do these same kinds of activities with shaved crayons. I saw that over at The Adventures of Bear they did the rock cycle with crayons and had some really great results! Be sure to check it out!

Rock Cycle Song

I’m sorry to say I can’t find the exact link to this song, so if you know who I should give credit to let me know.  The kids and I have been singing this all week (to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”):

Sedimentary rock
Has been formed in layers
Often found near water sources
With fossils from decayers

Then there’s igneous rock
Here since Earth was born
Molten Lava, cooled and hardened
That’s how it is formed

These two types of rocks
Can also be transformed
With pressure, heat and chemicals
Metamorphic they’ll become

For this unit, we used two books in particular for our hands-on activities:

We really loved Explore Rocks and Minerals!: 25 Great Projects, Activities, Experiements (affiliate link)

Explore-Rocks-and-Minerals

Geology Rocks!: 50 Hands-On Activities to Explore the Earth (affiliate link) was really great for the age of my kids. It had a lot of really fun ideas.  We got it first from the library, but then I wound up purchasing it to have on hand!

Geology-RocksWe got a number of other books as guidebooks, but the one I highly recommend is Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals (affiliate link)  because of all the beautiful photos.

Rocks-and-Minerals

And one last recommendation if you have younger kids (preschool age), my kids really liked Let’s Go Rock Collecting (Let’S-Read-And-Find-Out Science. Stage 2) (affiliate link)

We also got a rock kit with different samples of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks. We got the small version (with 15 rocks): American Educational Introductory Rock Collection (affiliate link).

Rocks-KitThe large kit with 75 rocks and minerals looked really great: Introductory Earth Science Classroom Rocks and Minerals Collection (affiliate link). For a rocks and minerals unit for older kids, I would probably got with this because it has at least 25 minerals, 6 or 7 ores, and samples of the sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks.

Large-Rocks-and-Minerals-KitThere is also a set of posters about Rocks and Minerals (affiliate link) that would work well for a classroom unit on rocks and minerals.  (16 inches x 22 inches) These have really good reviews.

rocks and minerals poster

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase. 


New Rocks and Minerals Packet!

In our Rocks and Minerals Unit, we went into a lot of detail about minerals, identifying minerals – crystalline structures, the characteristics of minerals (color, streak, luster, hardness), the Mohs Hardness Scale,  how rocks are formed, weathering, erosion, the lithification process and more.  It includes notebook pages, worksheets, a lapbook, lab activities, vocabulary cards, booklets and more!

$7.99 New! Rocks and Minerals Unit 100+ pages

Don’t forget to check your PayPal email account for your download link! If you have any questions or problems feel free to email me or check out the FAQ.

This unit is included in our Earth Science BUNDLE. More details about the Earth Science Bundle options here.

Rocks and Minerals Packet - worksheets activities and moreRocks and Minerals Unit with Worksheets Notebook Pages Lapbook Booklet and moreMinerals Worksheets Notebook Pages and ActivitiesRocks and Minerals Unit - Worksheets and Notebook Pages on Igneous Sedimentary and Metamorphic RocksThe Three Types of Rocks - Activities and WorksheetsLearn terms like weathering, erosion, compacting, cementing, luster, vitreous, clast and more! Rocks and Minerals Matching CardsRocks and Minerals Worksheets

See more details at our Earth Science Page. The new Rocks and Minerals Packet is included in our Earth Science BUNDLE of 5.

Earth Science Bundle of 5


I shared some of our hands-on activities in these related posts:


Be sure to check out our Earth Science BUNDLE!

These packets can be purchased together or separately: Earth Science Packet (150+ pages), Layers of the Atmosphere Packet (50+ pages), Where I Live Activities: My galaxy, solar system, planet, continent, country, state, town and home!

Earth Science BUNDLE

Our 150+ Page Earth Science Packet:

You may be interested in the Earth Science Unit we did more recently. Be sure to check out our 150+ page Earth Science Unit Packet. It includes worksheets about the solar system, the layers of the Earth, plate tectonics, the ring of fire, earthquake activity and volcanoes. I also included more than a dozen hands-on activities we did with this unit including activities about plate tectonics, using a compass, earthquakes, volcanoes, instructions on how to make a shake table and more!
Find out more by visiting this post: Earth Science Packet

You might also be interested in our 150+ page Earth Science Packet: We did a ton of hands-on activities as we studied

  • the solar system
  • layers of the Earth, Earth’s axis
  • compass directions, compass rose, how to use a compass
  • Earth’s geologic timeline
  • equator, latitude, longitude  — Using a globe to determine latitude and longitude
  • Pangaea and continental drift
  • understanding convection currents
  • tectonic plates
  • 4 types of mountains
  • 3 types of faults
  • earthquakes and faults
  • volcanoes – volcanic terms, types of volcanoes
  • earthquakes and building construction, earthquake shake table

To purchase the Earth Science Packet, visit our Store!

Earth-Science-Packet 150 page - worksheets hands-on activities and moreLayers of the Earth - Interactive Notebook ActivityEarth Science Activities Hands-On-Activities-EarthScienceUnitVolcano-Lapbook-Interactive-Notebook-PiecesTypes of Volcanoes Worksheets and Interactive Notebook Pages

You might also want to check out our Layers of the Atmosphere Packet 

Layers of the Atmosphere Packet - Worksheets Hands-On Activities Notebook Pages Layers of the Atmosphere Printable Activity Earth Systems - Atmosphere Geosphere Hydrosphere Notebook Activity - Earth System Lapbook Pieces Earth's Atmosphere Packet 50+ pagesYou will find this packet and more in our Store!

The Earth Science Packet can bundled with our Layers of the Atmosphere Packet

Earth Science BUNDLE

You might be interested in our recent Earth Science Unit:

You might also be interested in some of our other packets:

igestive-System-WorksheetsDigestive System WorksheetDigestive System Flap BookSmall intestines, liver gall bladder pancreas large intestines notebook pagesNutrition Worksheets and Activities - Fiber Vitamins

Simple Machines PacketSimple Machines - Levers Inclined plane wedge pulley screw wheel and axle simple machines at a construction site worksheets Simple Machines Unit - Worksheets Lapbook Activities

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase. 

See you again soon here or over at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page! Don’t forget to Subscribe to our Homeschool Den Newsletter. You might also want to check out some of our resources pages above (such as our Science, Language Arts, or History Units Resource Pages) which have links to dozens of posts.  You might want to join our free Homeschool Den Chat Facebook group.  Don’t forget to check out Our Store as well. :) Homeschool Den StoreAgain, if you are interested in joining our Homeschool Den Newsletter, feel free to subscribe here.

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7 Responses

  1. kaylie says:

    i luv it, it is so cool!

  1. June 19, 2013

    […] of rocks… I made a few different packets to go along with this unit… one on the three types of rocks: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks, famous rocks around the world (Montessori 3-part cards) that you see above and a 26 page packet on […]

  2. June 21, 2013

    […] for my preschooler and half for my older kids). Around that same time I also made some sheets on the three types of rocks: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks and some Montessori Cards: famous rocks around the world (Montessori 3-part […]

  3. October 13, 2013

    […] Three Types of Rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rock Packet – the kids loved these activities because they involved chocolate!! […]

  4. January 6, 2014

    […] The Three Types of Rocks: Sedimentary, Metamorphic, Igneous  […]

  5. October 14, 2014

    […] Three Types of Rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rock Packet – the kids loved these activities because they involved chocolate!! […]

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