Mining Room Transformation

I had been noticing that the students in my room have been obsessed with rocks. At recess, they have spent a good portion of their time digging rocks out of our playground. So I decided that it was time to do a study on rocks. We are just about finished with our unit now and I decided to do something fun for the day that would also help me wrap up my unit in an engaging way. Enter the room transformation...Half days are my favorite time for room transformations. Today was a half day and also one of the other teachers in my class teamed up in my room for a day of mining.  To create the feel of a mine, I blocked out all the windows with rock-like shapes to make it dark inside the classroom. Around the doorway, there were rocks and some sticks of dynamite (made from pool noodles) and a train track leading in through the doorway. Inside, we scattered rocks and other rock memorabilia around the room. It was a super simple setup that made a huge impression. I also purchased some geodes that we could crack. I got enough so that every student could take one home. Each student got a hardhat with a light. We turned off the classroomlights and had sounds from a cave playing in the background.

We had some rock snacks that the students could enjoy.  

The students were split into groups and we took students through different rotations with various rock activities. 

Students collected and studied the smallest rocks...dirt and dust.

We made sedimentary rocks.

Checked out rocks under a microscope...

We also put a rock through several different tests to find out more about their properties. 
During the final rotation, students were able to learn a little bit about famous rocks around the world (such as Mt. Rushmore, Stonehenge, the Great Wall, etc.). Students chose a rock to observe like scientists. They examined closely with magnifying glasses and wrote details about their rocks.

It was a wonderful way to culminate our learning. And what a great experience the students had! What do you do to engage your learners and make learning fun?