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Cub Scout Adventures > 
Webelos >
 Earth Rocks! > 
Mineral Lab
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Webelos – 4th Grade
Earth Rocks!
Elective
Requirement 3

Mineral Lab

Webelos – 4th Grade
Earth Rocks!
Elective
Requirement 3

Mineral Lab

Snapshot of Activity

Cub Scout study and share observation of the mineral test.

Indoor
3
5
4
If you want to know more about The Adventure Activity Key click here.

For each Cub Scout:

  • Penny
  • Small piece of glass
  • Piece of unglazed tile
  • Metal file
  • Eyedropper
  • Safety glasses

Variety of minerals to test (pick at least two)

  • Talc
  • Gypsum
  • Calcite
  • Fluorite
  • Apatite
  • Feldspar
  • Quartz
  • Topaz
  • Corundum

Additional items:

  • Small bottle of vinegar, enough to share
  • Webelos handbook
  • Paper

Before the meeting:

  1. Buy or find at least two minerals to be tested.
  2. Prepare a mineral testing kit for yourself and test it out.
  3. Set up meeting space for Cub Scouts to have room to work.

During the meeting:

  1. Tell Cub Scouts that they will be testing for minerals. The Earth contains many useful minerals. Some, like silica (sand), are easy to see and collect. Others, like iron and zinc, are found in rocks. There are three categories of useful minerals: metals, nonmetallic minerals, and fuels.
  2. Ask them to open their Webelos handbook to page 217. They will be using the Mohs Hardness Scale to examine the minerals.
  3. Demonstrate how to test for a mineral:
    • Scratch the tile with your mineral to determine the “streak” of the mineral. The streak is the color of the resulting powder. It’s usually a more consistent color than the apparent color of the mineral. You can refer to a mineral identification chart to find out what minerals have this streak.
    • Use the eyedropper to put a drop of vinegar on the mineral. If the vinegar fizzes, that means the mineral contains calcium carbonate.
    • Test the hardness of the mineral by trying to scratch it, in order, with your fingernail, the penny, and the file or knife. Then, try to scratch the file or knife and the glass with the mineral. Refer to the chart to determine the mineral’s hardness. For example, if you can scratch the mineral with your fingernail, it measures 1 or 2 on the scale. If the mineral can scratch the file, it measures at least 7 on the scale.
  4. Pass out the minerals and have Cub Scouts test.
  5. Ask them what minerals they have found. Where could their mineral be used?

Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.