Blue Marble Break Open 1 Gigantic Geode Earth Science Kit for Kids

I purchased this for my child and it was a big hit. First, it was big. Second, I had to hit it a few times. I previously ordered a couple geodes from American Science Surplus, and they were a hit, too, but they were small and one was too hard to crack and might even have been solid. The Gigantic Geode Kit was much better. This Gigantic Geode was about the size of a softball. I could feel some powder-like material shifting inside when I shook it, which only added to the mystery. I used a hammer, screwdriver, and a chisel to open it. My goal was to try and break it in two nice halves, so I tried to be precise in my brute smashing. It was surprisingly brittle in places. My first tap on the screwdriver went right through the shell. Other parts of the shell were, strangely, as hard as stone, and my chisel hardly made an impression until about 1/3 of the geode suddenly cracked free in my hand. Inside, we could see white crystals had formed all over the interior and a number of them, about two tablespoons' worth, had ended up deposited loose inside. I emphasized how special this moment was, explaining that we were the first people to ever see what was inside that particular rock since it had formed deep inside the Earth untold millions of years before. My child was thrilled and excited to hold the geode, as well as the crystalline sand that was inside it. Later, we broke out a microscope to look at the tiny crystal bits, which was interesting for all of us. Personally, I really hoped we would be fortunate to have a rock full of beautiful purple crystals, but I know these things are a gamble and you never know what you're going to see when you finally manage to crack them open. My child was excited and continued to be excited about it all weekend. I'll probably get a few more in the future for the educational, as well as the entertainment, aspects. I might even try to drive up the suspense before I open it; leave it out for a couple days where it's easily visible and make references to how mysterious it is before I actually open it to let the anticipation build like it was Capone's Bank Vault. I love doing this stuff with my child because they get so enthusiastic about it and it's more interesting than anything on TV. And we're both learning in the process, which is fun for both of us. Finally, we have a cool little thing to stick on the shelf and return to whenever we want. If you have a child and you're trying to interest them in science and find cool things to do with them away from the idiot box, I think this is a terrific addition to your edu-tainment arsenal. If you're into homeschooling (as I hope to be one day), this would probably be a great tool for that, as well. At $12 a pop, it would probably be a good go-to gift for the other kids in your life (I know a couple I might get one for). Finally, even if your kid isn't that excited about it, you might enjoy it, too. So get crackin'.

This was a gift for my 7 year old son. He got the package and the first thing he said was "wow, this is big!" the geode we got was about softball size or maybe a little larger. Very nice in terms of what you typically get for geodes. We went down to the basement and use a cold chisel and hammer to break it open in the middle. When it broke open and the crystal facets started reflecting the light, my son was beside himself with excitement. The crystals were small, but clean and EVERYWHERE, so a very beautiful specimen I think. My son has since split one of the halves into two to allow greater visibility of the crystals, and kept the other half as is so it's more of a crystal cave. All are very nice arangements. Overall, we are very happy with this product. It's totally worth the price, and I'll probably get him a few more when spring arrives. Maybe for his Easter basket. I would recommend these without reservation for someone looking for a good introduction to geodes that will garner enthusiasm in young (or old) rock hunters.

I got this for my son's birthday. We got him a pack of 10 smaller ones for Christmas and he loved them, so we decided to get him a really big one for his birthday. He was so excited at first, but then it was very difficult to open and he needed help. He didn't need help with any of the small ones. Then when we finally got it opened, I saw why it was so difficult... It was solid rock. He was pretty disappointed because most of the smaller ones had beautiful crystals inside. It was a nice size and the inside was different than the outside rock, but if I had known it was solid all the way through, I would have spent my money on another 10 smaller ones. Edited to say I was contacted by customer service soon after posting this review. I went back and forth about whether or not to ask for a replacement/refund and after deliberation, I decided not to ask for a refund or replacement because a solid geode is still a geode.

My dad has wanted a geode for decades. He loved it and cracked it open with the grandkids. Totally worth it.

Fun little experiment for my 6 yr old son's birthday. Got a good one full of crystals although it was a little smaller than I expected. Would have been cool with a little more information on geodes along with the packaging.

I can’t not open this rock. I think it should come with the tool to open it. But other then that it’s arrived on time and had a geode.

Amazing Geode!!!!! My son flipped when he broke it open! And so did daddy!

Ordered this for my nephew for his 11th birthday. He was so excited. It ended up being just a ball of rock hard sand! I had a very disappointed birthday boy.