When I was a kid I was always picking up interesting looking rocks and trying to find something special in them. I remember my grandfather brought me a Geode one time and I was really excited to see the crystals inside. Now National Geographic has the National Geographic Break Open 10 Geodes and Explore Crystals Science Kit and I thought this was a really cool way to bring some science into playtime. I had to call “uncle” after a while though because this set was “rock hard” to do.
CHECK PRICEUnboxing is by far the easiest part of this experience. Once you open the cardboard box you find a pair of safety goggles, a magnifying glass and several booklets to educate on different types of Geodes as well as instructions on how to break them successfully. Also included? The Geodes. There is a giant, heavy bag of rocks for the main playtime of this set.
In order to play, you will need a sock, hammer and chisel, which are not provided. The directions suggest not hitting the Geode directly with the rock and suggest as the best method to use a chisel and hammer to break them easily. However, if you don’t have a chisel (like me) you can use a sock and the hammer. Place the rock in the sock and hit the rock with the hammer. It will take some force obviously but you want to be mindful that if you hit it too hard it will break into a million pieces and the geode will be ruined.
I really like the concept of this toy but unfortunately never got to see the fruits of my labor!
I really though that this set would have the rocks somewhat scored or have a fancy trick for helping break the rocks. Instead I had to find a hammer and attempt to the sock method. I also tried the hammer with a screwdriver like a chisel and still no luck. After hammering, and hammering, and hammering….I finally called “uncle” and had to give up.
For safety reasons no matter what age, you should always wear the safety goggles to prevent rock debri getting in your eyes. But National Geographic is recommending this set for players 8 and older.
Although I was really excited about this National Geographic Break Open 10 Geodes and Explore Crystals Science Kit, I never was able to get one of these buggers opened. It was incredibly difficult and being a children’s kit, I didn’t really expect it to be so difficult to do. I am a little disappointed that I couldn’t get it opened, even though I was really giving the hammer some muscle!
(You may also like: National Geographic Mega Fossil Mine)
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