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Edmonds’ Rock Solid Science wins two Seattle’s Child Family Choice awards

By
Jamie Holter

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Edmonds’ Rock Solid Science has captured the attention not only of hundreds of local families but also Seattle’s Child, the go-to magazine for fun things to do with kids. 

Quite an accomplishment for rock hound/rock enthusiast/teacher Amy Bergin, who only opened last September. The hands-on science learning lab in Edmonds’ Harbor Square Business Complex won Seattle’s Child Best New STEM Classes and Best New Party Spot.

Amy Bergin stands in front of her learning lab, Rock Solid Science. (Photos by Jamie Holter)

The lab brings families together to unplug and dive into the wonders of the natural world through a geology lens. “Kids and adults have a great time learning,” Bergin said. 

There are six interactive stations.

Station one, otherwise known as “touch everything”, has a variety of rocks and microscopes to see up close. The microscope shows a desert flower, a rock made of sand wrapped up in gypsum.

“Kids really like the rainbow fluorite,” Bergin said as she showed the colored crystal. Kids can compare what the rock looks like in the wild to after it’s cut and polished.  

Rainbow fluorite, before and after.

With so many rocks, kids can test weights and densities, and look closely at the different crystal shapes through the microscope.

Station two is a treasure hunt. Bergin learns in advance what each child hopes to find and buries it, including this little axolotl that looks more like a Pokemon than the real species of mole salamander that’s found only in Mexico. (Apparently the axolotl are very popular among kids right now. )
Finders keepers. Station three is a gem hunt. The card shows what is here. Students find a match and keep the polished rocks they find.
Station four is gem mining. Each student gets a bag and runs it through the sluicer to find treasures. Then, for bonus points, they learn the mineral or fossil’s country of origin. This is a fan favorite too.
A map identifies locations of gems.
Station five is a room all by itself, an elaborate augmented-reality sandbox. Using one of eight scenes cast from a device overhead, kids push sand around, changing the scenes as they go.

“Kids will spend a half hour there, working together to build and rebuild different scenarios,” Bergin said. 

Scenes include dinosaurs, birds, bugs, oceans, Egypt and the mesozoic time period. To really appreciate this, you have to see it in action here. 

Station six is a light box with slices of agate, plus kids can do a watercolor painting of what they see.
Amy shows the slice.

Bergin has big plans this summer with field trips, parties and summer camps. The camps include trips to the beach and a local wetland to see nature at work. She still does drop-in business too. 

“I have repeat families and families that come from as far away as Auburn. It’s really gratifying,” Bergin said. “I vibe off the people here.” 

Right now, she has a lot of Pre-K and kindergartners and 7-to-9-year-olds. 

“[That second group] is when they start collecting rocks. That’s my favorite age group. They know about earth layers and have lots of different and good questions.”

She’s really proud of the unsolicited Google reviews she’s been getting. 

Rock Solid Science google review.

Rock Solid Science is in Edmonds’ Harbor Square Business Complex with free parking and easy access. It is open Monday, Memorial Day, and Bergin encourages everyone to stop by and see it for themselves. 

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