The Boston Mineral Club considers its educational efforts to be the most important part of its mission. For a number of years, the club has supported events sponsored by the Harvard Museum of Natural History, such as its Earth Rocks! Festival, which aims to encourage kids and their families to explore the wonders of Earth Science together. Such events are a great way to pique the interest of the next generation of budding rockhounds and maybe encourage a cadre of future geologists!

Check out the BMC members who participated in the Earth Rocks! Festival in 2014!

Barbara Martin staffed the BMC membership table, where we introduced visitors to the club, provided club brochures and membership forms, and gave away mineral and fossil specimens to both children and adults.
Bill and Rita Schaare brought in a collection of hand tools to show visitors what club members use to collect mineral specimens on BMC field trips.
George Adleman & John Campbell fascinated museum visitors of all ages with George’s ever-popular display of fluorescent minerals.
Lights out…and the rocks light up!
Paul Young and Peter Cristofono were kept very busy helping visitors to identify rocks and minerals that they had brought in for inspection by these BMC experts. Don Ernst helped out at a number of the BMC tables throughout the day. They also gave away many interesting specimens to visitors.
Donna Dickerson shared her knowledge of gems and gemstones with visitors.
Ellen Young helped visitors visualize meteorite impact craters with this 3D display developed by BMC member Nancy Hicks.
The son and father team of Toby and Charlie Flowers shared pictures and displayed specimens collected during 2013 BMC field trips with museum visitors.
BMC member Cindi Herrick worked with museum volunteer Mike Williams to demonstrate that rocks can be musical.
Move over MacGyver! Andy Siegel created this demonstration of using the semiconducting properties of pyrite or galena to create a working crystal radio.