National Geographic Break Open 15 Premium Geodes Science Kit for Kids

My 11 year old son really enjoyed this Geode Kit even more than he expected! He is at the age where he is hard to shop for aside from video games and electronics, I wanted something fun for him and I to do together as well as a learning tool. He has shown interest in rocks, gems, and crystals so I thought this would be right up his alley and boy was I right. Since cracking open the very first geode his curiosity and excitement began to intensify and I loved helping him out. This kit really provided a nice assortment from solid to hollow and a fair variety of size and colors also. One of the geodes was actually filled with a bright sand colored dirt which both of us thought was really cool, he immediately said "I wonder how old this dirt is" which let me know he was getting a hands on learning experience. We will definitely be interested in purchasing more sets just like this one and I won't be so lost come his birthday as to what to get for him or recommend to others. The set does come with safety goggles which he put on and used without my having to ask as well a small information booklet on the different geodes. I definitely recommend purchasing a chisel and rock hammer to get better splits on the rocks but we made do with a flat head screw driver and house hammer. Some of the solid heavy geodes were a bit hard to break and we even ended up using a sledgehammer on it! Another tip I recommend is to break them on a hard surface and place the geode inside a zip lock prior to cracking to keep all the bits contained. Overall I am extremely pleased with this purchase and it has definitely become one of our new found hobbies thanks to this kit.

This set provided a lot of entertainment for us. Some of the geodes are very beautiful. A couple of them seemed to be duds, but it was still worth the price and the effort. Smashing them was fun but not really a kid activity. The adults did most of the work! But it was a family effort with a nice surprise inside each geode. I would recommend it as a gift for kids (or adults). Our 8 year old did some smashing with the hammer, but the chisel method (to get a cleaner break, the hope is) is definitely for an older kid or adult.

Overall fun experience, most geodes the size of my palm, and easy to break open. One of the geodes that actually counted as one of the 15 "premium geodes" however, was the size of my thumb nail. I've actually ordered these once 2 years ago and the quality difference is very noticeable. You'll also get some full geodes but if you have a saw or give em a good mash they'll break open!

Big hit with my 12 year old granddaughter!

Do you have kids? Do they like smashing stuff? Do they like bling-y shiny stuff that looks expensive? If so, I know what to get them! Sure, they can break these pretty geodes open with a hammer. Or, they can drop them off the deck in a pillowcase, try to make a basketball point with them or crack them open in a myriad of creative, destructive ways that only children under 10 can dream up. Make sure they have protective eyewear and say a small prayer, then stand aside while they have marvelous fun doing what kids love - breaking stuff! Enjoy their innocent wonder at the beautiful sparkling crystals inside. Don’t correct them- These ARE precious jewels if your kids say so. Let them use them as pretend currency or in fancy art projects. Mine wants to make jewelry out of them. They provide quite a lot of entertainment. They also spark creativity and optimism- if these look like ordinary rocks you’d find anywhere- then the world can be full of awesome unexpected magic!

I LOVE National Geographic products so much because of their educational aspect, fun science projects and learning fun for my kids….BUT this product wasn’t it. Some of the geodes honestly were impossible to break and it led to a lot of frustration for the birthday boy (Age 7) and that’s never fun. I tried to help and even his older sister and we couldn’t break even with a hammer. Lastly, they were ALL the same color. The item depicted different color options but every single one of ours was white. Lots of tiny pieces and most weren’t worth keeping given that fact. Again, love their products but this one wasn’t great. Maybe you’ll have better luck than we did!

Hmmm... Ones' satisfaction with this purchase will depend largely on one's expectations. I bought 2 boxes of these for a kids' birthday party. My expectation was that we would have many types of geodes from different parts of the world. We could cut them open and discover some of the wondrous formations that our planet can create. We found quartzite, pyrite, amethyst, and many others. Inside the box is a great booklet which describes the various types of geodes. The kids were delighted. Some of the more interesting rocks warranted making slices which we could hold up to the light to see the interesting patterns inside. Others we quartered to achieve beautiful natural sculptures. I am very pleased with this purchase. Now for the caveat... Many folks seem to want to crack geodes with a hammer or a hammer and chisel. If this is you, this product may be disappointing since about 2/3 of the geodes were solid. We expected solid geodes. We used a tile saw to slice each geode to reveal the magical patterns inside. This purchase was perfect for that. The pyrite framboids which were included are always solid, so "cracking" those will always be a bummer. When sliced with a saw however, we saw the distinct lines of the crystal formation. So, if you can get your hands on a tile saw then these geodes are for you. (You can rent one.) If you want to smash them open, look somewhere else.

Bought these as a gift for the grand-kids, and as you can imagine they were very quick to smash them open. The stones were a little smaller than I would have preferred but the lesson was still there and they did have fun.

Exitoso regalo de navidad

Good

Comprato per un regalo a mio figlio. Bello rompere col martello o col seghetto ed è una gioia immensa scoprire i cristalli all'interno, ogni pietra ha cristalli di diversi colori e forme. Una scoperta continua è come una ricerca del tesoro. Il prezzo ne vale veramente la pena. P.S. con un po' di voglia si possono fare anche dei piccoli gioielli.

Son súperbonitas. Aunque no tan fácil de abrir siempre. Añadiría más soportes no solo 3, que vienen en el paquete. Me gustaría también saber que estos exactamente de donde proceden y cual es su sítio de origen. Quiénes los encuentran. Así sería más interesante y entera la experiencia.

Génial superbe idée ! Le cadeau a eu un franc succès !