Geology-related gifts for new middle school teacher

July 3, 2007 7:40 AM

Geology-type gifts for a middle school Earth Sciences teacher?

My best friend just started teaching Earth Sciences. It is super awesome, and I am going out to visit her later this month. I wanted to get her a birthday gift that was very cool and geology-ish, but all I can think of is geodes, and that is kind of lame. What really awesome things are there out there that someone teaching Earth Sciences would like?

I saw this question already, but I don't want to get her something so much "teachy", but more "sciencey". Also, she is not my girlfriend, so backrubs and massage oils are out of the question.

posted by mckenney to Shopping (17 answers total)

PBS/Discovery Channel DVDs on earth-related stuff (Nature, NOVA, etc)? It would be good to have these around to show in class when there's a sub or it's a half-day or something.
posted by rhoticity at 8:04 AM on July 3, 2007

Best answer: A correlated history of the earth? (Maybe too teachy?) Something by John McPhee about geology? I'm thinking of 'assembling california' but he probably has other geology books. Maybe a really good thermos for those days out in the field? (I like my zojirushi thermos a lot.)
posted by prettyboyfloyd at 8:04 AM on July 3, 2007

This website has some great t-shirts (as a little extra gift probably)

http://www.cafepress.com/buy/geology/geologist
posted by unccivil at 8:12 AM on July 3, 2007

Best answer: A nice hand lens for looking at rocks, in a nice case. Something like:

http://www.indigo.com/magnify/geology-lenses.html

http://www.geology-outfitters.com/default.asp?c=115

http://www.geo-tools.com/lens.htm

Note: I am a geologist (IAAG?) and I can never find my handlens when I need it.

If that doesn't work for you, go see if you can find a hardcover Geological Dictionary and inscribe it to her.
posted by some chick at 8:14 AM on July 3, 2007

(It looks like all the hardcover dictionaries are out of print, so you might have to look at a used book store. This is the one that I have but it's not exactly a keepsake-quality book, despite being an excellent dictionary)
posted by some chick at 8:17 AM on July 3, 2007

Yeah, I second handlens. I love mine :)
A string so she can wear it around her neck would be nice, too.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 9:45 AM on July 3, 2007

How about something handmade from Etsy, like some jewelry made with semiprecious stones? Here's a gorgeous necklace, but if you think that will be too bold for her taste, some earrings might be nice.
posted by happyturtle at 10:10 AM on July 3, 2007

What really awesome things are there out there that someone teaching Earth Sciences would like?

Rocks.

Rocks from other parts of the world. Rocks that have stories. It's quite cool to be able to point to a rock and go, "That's a chunk of Hawaiian pahoehoe lava, taken from the north shore of Oahu, where all the famous surf spots are found."

Or, "This is a piece of Ireland -- actually a hunk of Connemara marble from Diamond Hill."
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:34 AM on July 3, 2007

I asked an old-school geologist this question. He suggested a subscription to Geotimes, published by the American Geological Institute.
posted by solongxenon at 11:36 AM on July 3, 2007

If she has a somewhat black sense of humor, she might get a kick out of drinking her morning coffee from a global warming mug. I know I do!
posted by nelleish at 12:13 PM on July 3, 2007

Oooh Ooh! Teacher, I know!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:16 PM on July 3, 2007

If you live near a natural history museum, their gift shops usually have some pretty neat and unusual items.
posted by rcavett at 12:39 PM on July 3, 2007

Dang! Ambrosia Voyeur took the words right out of my.... I think a piece of fossil jewelry would be nice. So, along those lines, check out www.naturalcreations.net, www.earthrelics.com, www.twoguysfossils.com or www.badalijewelry.com. (Apologies. I don't know how to do links.) I have a fabulous ring with a small trilobite set in the center. Got it in Roswell, NM, about 20 years ago. More people have commented on that ring than any other piece of jewelry I wear. (And most of those people have no idea what a trilobite is.)
posted by Smalltown Girl at 5:14 PM on July 3, 2007

Maybe a USGS benchmark?

Good for talking to students about mapping and works great as a paperweight for her desk.
posted by buttercup at 5:51 PM on July 3, 2007

Rock samples! When I took middle school earth science (well, regular science but with a distinct earth science bias due to the teacher) we did a long term lab where we got a bag of rock samples and has to ID them. Very fun. Actually, we did it first with minerals and then with rocks; different set of criteria. I have no idea if your teacher friend does this sort of thing, but it was really a fascinating experience.

This is off topic, but my teacher for that class was a really cool guy. He collected his own rock samples from all over the US, and told lots of crazy stories about the samples he gave us to work with. Usually they seemed to involve him going down into some mildly dangerous cave and almost dying. Fun stuff, and he was a good teacher too.
posted by MadamM at 7:12 PM on July 3, 2007

I agree that a USGS benchmark is a cool idea if she's done any field work. In surveying the US, surveyors hammered them into the ground at particular spots, making them fixed markers of location and elevation. In field work, you often have to find your nearest one, and finding it among the brush feels like hitting the jackpot. How awesome to have one on your desk!

If you do get her a handlens, since they're cheap, get a little rock hammer too. In the field, the surface of the rock is always dulled, so you want to break the rock or knock off the surface to see the insides.
posted by salvia at 12:20 PM on July 4, 2007

Oh, or what about this map?
posted by salvia at 12:20 PM on July 4, 2007