Sometimes, I have trouble learning. I have a hard time understanding things. But when I learn about geology (especially rocks), everything makes sense to me. Last year, I went on a field trip with a bunch of other homeschooled kids. On my field trip, I went to different geology sites.
A geology site is where there are massive, big, and small rocks EVERYWHERE. My mom and I drove for what felt like a couple of hours and went to this place that had some really weird rock formations with big and tall piles of rocks. The rocks were mostly orange and reddish with a little bit of yellow.
We pulled over on the side of the dirt road, and we got out of the car to go to the piles. There was a special geology teacher there who guided us through the piles. He pointed out a certain kind of rock. It floats in water! It’s called “tuff.” Tuff is a type of volcanic rock that’s made from ash that comes out during an eruption. I thought it was weird that it was in the desert! I took one home with me. The teacher said I could.
We stopped at another rock site, and there was a big lake. There was some sort of rock that was really interesting to my teacher. It was called raw red jasper. I was surprised because it was so hard to get out of the earth! It seemed like it was glued in. That day, I learned that we can tell how old the earth is by looking at the rock formations.
This trip was special to me because it inspired me to learn more about how things work in our world, and I was fascinated by how much we do not know about the world. Rocks also inspired me to study fossils. I thought that fossils would be torn apart and weird-looking, but I am learning that they are very well preserved because they are usually buried in layers of mud and rocks.
Rocks help me learn because seeing things makes schoolwork make more sense. I even went to Bryce Canyon this summer, and I really loved the rocks! It was cool to see the hoo-doos there. I went to Yellowstone National Park, where I was amazed by the geysers. I learned about water reservoirs and the pressure that makes the geysers sprout up! They had so much strength to shoot all that water.
After my trip, for school work, I wrote about what I had learned in a paper. It was pretty good if I don’t say so myself. When I did the paper, I would do it as fast or as slow as I wanted. I could take breaks, which is helpful because I have a hard time staying focused and concentrating for a long time. During breaks, I move around. Sometimes, I do weights and play with the ball. After my break, I come back and do school.
On my own, I asked my mom to get a rock and fossil kit to learn more about it. With my mom, I read books on geology.
I am so glad that I am homeschooled by my mom and dad. They really help me a lot in school. I am glad that they make school fun, and that I can understand what they are saying (most of the time). I now want to become a paleontologist, and I am so excited to learn more about the earth.
I am thankful that I can do school in a way that makes learning fun. Yay for educational freedom!
Author: Benjamin M.
