- DISCOVER CRYSTAL TREASURE – Break open these rocks to reveal amazing crystals inside! Geology doesn’t get more exciting than breaking open rocks and finding crystal treasures. This great STEM activity makes an excellent gift for girls and boys!
- COLORFUL VARIETY – Geodes can form with a wide variety of crystals inside. These geodes have been hand-selected to bring you the best variety available.
- 100% NATURAL GEODES – These real specimens may be as big as a tennis ball, or as small as a ping-pong ball. Kids will love the thrill of cracking them open to see the natural beauty inside. This STEM activity emphasizes fun and discovery!
- 16 PAGE FULL-COLOR LEARNING GUIDE – You’ll learn all about the fascinating science behind how geodes are formed in the detailed, full-color Learning Guide. National Geographic educational toys make science and learning fun, and are the perfect STEM gifts for boys and girls!
- HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATIONAL TOYS – We’re proud to make the highest quality hands-on science toys, and all our products are backed by exceptional service. If your experience is less than stellar, let us know and we’ll make things right!
Product Description
National Geographic Break Open 10 Premium Geodes Kit
Break open these premium geodes to reveal the amazing crystal treasure inside! Our geodes are hand selected to bring you the best variety available. They make a great STEM activity that’s the perfect gift for girls and boys!
Discover crystal treasure inside these premium geodes from National Geographic!
Geology doesn’t get more exciting than breaking open rocks to find crystal treasures inside! Geodes can form with a variety of crystals inside and National Geographic strives to bring you the best variety available.
This earth science kit provides a hands-on science experiment that you and your children are guaranteed to love. It includes 10 high-quality, crystal-filled geodes; safety goggles; 3 display stands; and a full-color Learning Guide.
Geodes are the perfect activity for energetic boys and girls! The included display stands allow them to showcase the crystals they find and can serve as the first specimens in a rock collection. Our full-color Learning Guide teaches many amazing facts about geodes!
We make the highest quality hands-on science toys, and all products are backed by exceptional service. With a mission to inspire people to care about the planet, the National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. National Geographic’s net proceeds support vital exploration, conservation, research, and education programs.
Kyana –
Very hard to open
My daughter actuallyGot frustrated. Lol I told her that’s the life of a scientist sheesh.
Donna-Marie –
Gift
Seems like they liked it
Erin Osborn McDanielErin Osborn McDaniel –
Such a great gift for kids
Got this for my 7 and 14 year old and they had so much fun busting them open and seeing the beautiful geodes inside. They passed one out to each of the family bc there were so many included. Highly recommend! Well worth the price.
4 people found this helpful
Lance StickleLance Stickle –
Very happy
My son loved this kit! These are obviously real rocks so make sure you’re prepared for breaking them open.
2 people found this helpful
Nick –
A hit!
These were a hit at our white elephant gift exchange. I’ve never seen anyone so excited to get this and fight for it. Super cool and the crystals were awesome.
nahgema –
Love geodes but not the best for a 5-year-old
This came as part of our Amazon STEM Club subscription for this month. My 5-year-old son was excited to receive this (he likes shiny things and thought he might find gold 🙂 ). We didn’t have a chisel (the suggested method of cracking them is to take a chisel and score the outside before hitting with the hammer), so we opted to try the geode in the sock method for breaking them apart: you place the geode in the sock and then hit it with a hammer and broken pieces don’t fly everywhere. This method worked for some of the smaller geodes, but not the larger ones.We started with a smaller, child-sized hammer, and after repeatedly whacking it with all of his strength, my son only succeeded in making holes in the sock. We then got a larger hammer, which was too heavy for him, so I gave it a go with the same result.My son got a little bored and decided he was going to play with the geodes in his water table. That gave me the idea to try to crack them while wet. That did the trick! We did not put them in the sock this time and the smaller geodes were easy to crack, although in a lot of smaller pieces.Overall, my little guy liked these but I would recommend them for a larger kid with more upper body strength, or a mom/dad who needs to whack something for stress relief.
Lila Swearingen –
Geode fun
Great kit with 10 small geodesic. For a child that loves doing this, it’s a great way to introduce them to a new world of wonder.
One person found this helpful
Rodney –
Geode
Got this for my 7 yr. old nephew, and he LOVED IT.
Pam Stephens –
Bought for my grandson
I gave to my grandson for Christmas. He loved them.
Dawn Carmichael – SwickDawn Carmichael – Swick –
Cool Geodes – But How Do You Open Them?
I got the geodes for my husband’s sons for Christmas. When I was young my grandfather took me to a store in Taos – where I picked out a geode and then they had a saw that cut it open. It was beautiful- and I displayed it in my bedroom.Well, I bought these geodes and hoped there was a way to open them. I bought a chisel in case there wasn’t a way to open them in the box.Well, it was almost impossible to open the geodes and then when we did – the cut wasn’t even and many times they busted in several uneven pieces.If you have a way to open them, get these.They are nice small to medium-sized geodes.
DavidDavid –
Read the description before you buy it! It’s very clear!
After reading so many mixed reviews I was on the fence about buying this kit due to all the negative comments about size, quality, and so many people being disappointed because they got a solid quartz instead of crystals. What I didn’t understand is that the description is very clear on what your buying but the reviews made it seem like they were scamming people. Out of the 5 geodes, only one was partially solid. I only have pictures of 4 due to giving one to a friend of the family. Over all, this kit was amazing and we had a blast busting them open and seeing what was inside. Used a punch and a 22oz hammer with the geode sitting on a solid brick. If your careful and consistent with your hits, it’ll split right down the middle. (Or very very close)
66 people found this helpful
vegansince1997 –
Great fun for all ages!!
We got these for our daughter’s 10th bday (10 geodes for 10 years old). She absolutely loves them. We used wood chisels & hammer, because that’s what we had already. We scored them, as directed. Our daughter broke open the first one & it had some very light pink and lavender in it, we’re assuming amethyst, but whatever it is is really pretty. It took her about 15 minutes to get that one open, after we scored it on both sides. After that & trying several others for a few minutes, she let the rest of us open them, stating that the most fun part was getting to see them first & pick them up when they finally break. One opened on my husband’s 3rd try. Some took many tries–15+ minutes. Too hard for 6 year old brother to be able to open the one his sister gave him, but he enjoyed trying for over half an hour. So, I think these would be great for any age, even if the parents are the ones opening them. Our daughter wanted to put all of them in their own ziploc bag & label them with who all worked on opening each one. She thought that was very fun, too. Our 6 year old said many times now that he wants a box of them for his birthday, too. We will purchase the proper chisels for the next batch, bc we pretty much ruined the wood chisels with this and the others would probably work better anyway. We have one left to open. All looked nice, some were more beautiful than others, but again, we were very pleased with all of them.
5 people found this helpful
Simone C. –
Came with 3 geodes instead of 4
I bought this as a gift for my daughter who loves mineral stones. The box came with on geode less than shown.The other thing to keep in mind is that it is pretty hard to actually break the rock, especially in two relatively even parts. Sometimes it breaks in small pieces depending hos hard you hit it.It is hard for an adult to do it, and for a kid it could be even risky. So be prepared to use different tools and be careful.
8 people found this helpful
renewed spirit –
Happy birthday
My granddaughter loved it
MsBathnBody –
Mostly Awesome
Our son is becoming interested in science and I wanted to encourage it by trying out this kit. He loved the kit with the stands, all the extra pieces needed (provide your own hammer), but was a little disappointed that he only got white and smoky quartz out of them all. He hoped for at least one to be different. He had a lot of fun at least and it was a well-received gift, plus it helped boost his interest in science and was a way to learn outside of the classroom (always a massive win in my book). I’d like to note that it really kept his interest too, which is difficult with ADHD sometimes, so a big factor to consider! I think it’s an awesome set and concept, but removed one star just because it was such a let down that they were all the same and he doesn’t want to try another because he just “knows” they’ll be the same way, so now I have to find an alternative. A GREAT first time geode/science gift in my opinion though!
Steve –
Great for Adults Too!
Purchased as a Gift for a Rock Collector, and it was a hit! Had fun breaking open the Geodes and they are more beautiful than I expected. Highly recommended.
Beth Jorden –
Very cool!
Gave these as a gift to my grandson at Christmas time. We had a lot of fun trying to get those geodes to bust open, and in the process, his mind was very open to really learning about these geodes. Lesson taught without the kid knowing! Well worth the money.
rhiannon kuhlman –
Get it
Great activity for the kids, very cool the open the geodes yourself and they aren’t super hard to open, definitely get a old towel to lay down just so you don’t make a huge mess and do it outside!
One person found this helpful
DJMDJM –
Not bad!!
Three of the five geodes were hollow. I used a wet saw to cut them
One person found this helpful
Becky –
Fun but hard to do!
Got these for my 7 year old and she was so excited about this gift! The geodes are beautiful when you break them open and the magnifying glass works well. However, they are not super easy to crack open and she’s needed help with them. We’ve taken them outside on the concrete driveway as doing them on a cookie sheet at the table wasn’t working well with how hard we had to hit them.
Janine –
Very fun! Some VERY hard to open
Love these – have given as gifts and used ourselves! Some of the geodes are VERY hard – 30+ whacks with a hammer from kids and adults. The best whacking occurred after finding a place where 4 slabs of concrete came together to create a holding spot for the geode. Without that? Pretty wild. They are definitely fun though. I wish the variety of what was IN the geode (color, crystal size) was more varied. Still love them though!
9 people found this helpful
Bradley –
No chisel included
I thought the kit would include what’s needed to open the stones, but you will need a chisel and a hammer. I don’t think a chisel is something most homes have laying around…luckily grandpa had one we could borrow. The stones are very pretty, so we are still happy with the purchase.
2 people found this helpful
Brian –
These are great
Please don’t break with a hammer and chisel you will ruin the inside.Buy a tile or diamond blade for a grinder or wet saw and get a clean cut and what you find is amazing!
One person found this helpful
Fat HorseFat Horse –
Pretty awesome geodes
This kit was actually pretty cool. I was mostly happy with it. Some of the geodes were really cool. I wish there could have been a few with some color, but thats ok. Most of them were pretty sweet. I did get like 2 with nothing inside. That was disappointing considering I paid for them. The kit came with goggles so that was nice. To open the geodes, you just whack them with a hammer and hope they don’t shatter too much. All in all this was a pretty cool kit. Now I’m looking into what other kits they have. I saw a fossil one that looked pretty cool. This geode kit is definitely worth buying, just don’t be surprised if you get a few duds.
The Affolter’sThe Affolter’s –
Very cool!
Fun and a great gift! Most of the rock were white crystals but there was one that had blue-ish stone and a couple small pink/red-ish colors
3 people found this helpful
Andrea GreenAndrea Green –
Beautiful!
My 9 year old is obsessed with all things gems and geology. We bought this for Christmas. He opened it tonight and it was so beautiful we ended up cracking them all! He even got an amethyst (he was thrilled as that’s his favorite!). I am very impressed. I will definitely be buying again. One tip- definitely score them before cracking and be a little gentle if you want two halves. My husband was a little heavy handed 🤣 also, one of them at first we thought wasn’t much but I had a feeling there was more inside so we cracked it in half again and lo and behold, it was a beautiful geode. Highly recommend!
11 people found this helpful
Montessori Laurie –
Age appropriate for all ages.
Got this for my older son (two score old) and his girlfriend to have fun at Christmas. They liked it, so you are never too old to have fun.
G Henry –
Great gift
Our great-grandson is 11 and this made a great Xmas gift. He’s pretty quiet and smart, so this really worked for him.
Joseph Marsh –
Beautiful stone
Love the geo colors only wish there was an easier way for my 5 year old to experience opening them himself
songerling –
Nice looking, good sized geodes
We bought the 2 Geode pack for my daughter for Christmas. It arrived quickly and she opened and loved it. It had the 2 geodes, and a plastic “holder” to show off the geode (never used that) and safety goggles. We didn’t want to smash it with a hammer so we tried using the chisel method for almost an hour but it was so hard we were barely able to score it. So we took them to my dad’s house and used his tile saw to cut them in half in about 20 seconds each. Both geodes were pretty much solid and not hollow which was disappointing but they still looked nice. I wrote to the company letting them know that neither one was hollow and they sent us a replacement box. We cut those with the tile saw and one was hollow and had some nice crystals inside. The other one was mostly solid but had some crystals and look pretty. All in all it was a good experience for the price and my daughter loves her geodes. Just know that these are real rocks and there’s a chance they’ll be solid but they are good sized and come with what you need. I would recommend using a tile/masonry saw if you have one for the best looking geode. Smashing them is hard.
One person found this helpful
DewDew –
Great learning experience – low price
My son loved it. We used the hammer and chizel method and got a clean break into two pieces for both geodes – one quartz and one drusy quartz.I recommend studying each geode to find a natural weak looking break point. Then chizel around the weak belt that you have identified. Start with gently taps. One of ours split with just a couple gentle taps. The other split after about 20 medium taps about half way around our imagined ‘belt’. It’s tempting to go for the largest ‘belt’ to maximize the visible area, but we went with shorter, weaker belts with good results. As you hold each geode you will notice that they are lighter than you might expect due to being hollow. Compare the weights of each to hypothesize how hollow you think each one will be when you open it. The kit includes a nicely illustrated information guide on different geodes and how each forms as well. Overall it was a fun project, educational, great galue, and yields some great little display worthy rocks that spur the imagination.
2 people found this helpful
Susan Baczkiewicz –
Entertaining and educational
My grandson enjoyed this project. At age 7 he was able to crack open the genomes and even shared 2 of the crystals with each of his grandparents
One person found this helpful
Angie –
Chill
Seems cool, unsure 100% as it will be a gift but if you’re into rovkd like me and it was given to me I wouldn’t mind.
Megan –
great gift
bought as a gift. It will be a fun project for them. package came quickly
bethysue –
So much fun
These are so fun to break open. Each one is unique and beautiful. Great for rock lovers!
One person found this helpful
Mark –
Gave these to the wife with a hammer
My wife likes to play games and is amused by most children fun stuff. I gave these and a hammer (with some safety glasses) Then told her to hit one. She was having more fun than I thought she would.
2 people found this helpful
Roger Lane –
A very nice product!
Too nice of a product to smash open with a hammer. In my opinion these should be cut open with a nice rock cutting saw.
Tracy Ingalls –
It’s ok.
It’s ok, they are no guarantees when opening a geode. 2 of the 5 were beautiful, large white crystals in one and baby blue in the other. 3 of them however were solid. Still pretty in their own way.
cindy parkercindy parker –
Worth the purchase
Got this for my 10 yr old boy. As other reviews suggests to wash, I did so. I let them sit in water over night, they were quite dirty. One came in already cracked a little disappointed ab that. Aside from that, it was a lot of fun to crack and they are beautiful inside.
3 people found this helpful
GinnyGinny –
What a beautiful surprise!
This geode kit was just what I expected. It came with a little booklet and 2 geodes that were just beautiful when my granddaughter and son cracked them open. I’m not sure if it said so in the directions, because my kids ran off with the kit in excitement, but I would suggest to anyone purchasing this kit that when the geodes are cracked open, you could save yourself a lot of clean up and loose pieces if you first drop the geode into a plastic Ziploc bag and seal it shut, and THEN whack at it until it breaks open. You’d hate to miss out on some cool crystals because they went flying across the room and down the heater vent or something similar. I was glad the kit included safety glasses, but there’s only one pair–not enough for all of the curious onlookers that may be present, so again, the plastic bag saves others from the projectiles. The 2 geodes that we received were really beautiful and the kids loved studying them with the mini microscope. This is such a great gift for the rock-loving little scientist that my 8-year-old granddaughter is and my 23-year-old son enjoyed it right along with her. It’s amazing how the drab looking rocks they give you can be broken open to reveal such a beautiful surprise!I would suggest this kit to anyone who has a budding scientist or just loves rocks and gems. They are quite interesting and you get your money’s worth in this little kit.
19 people found this helpful
Cindy greulich –
quality
my grandson really loves these I’ve bought more then one
mitch wittman –
Great activity
It’s a good activity but extremely hard to break open properly.
One person found this helpful
C. Funk –
Really amazing
Please wear the safety glasses (we did and were thankful as a piece of rock hit the glasses and could have been his eye) I gave it 4 stars because 2 of the 5 were felt extra heavy and turned out more of a solid crystal formation and was not able to be broken open (we are looking to get something to maybe cut them open). Otherwise it was a lot of fun and very beautiful… a bit messy but in a good way. BTW this was for my 40something husband… not just for kids.
Stephanie Olsen –
Great product
Awesome! So fun. My students loved it.
Helena Marfell –
Fun, but not super exciting.
Had a lot of fun opening the geodes, but one of them wasn’t even a geode–just a lump of random mixed rock with no structure inside at all. No really exciting geodes, but a couple did have pretty, sparkly quartz inside. The rest were dirty looking and cloudy even after a wash. Had to use my own rock hammer to open them, no opener was provided. The stands were just flimsy plastic.
4 people found this helpful
LauraLaura –
Great set of Geodes!
We thought these geodes were great. The 5 exceeded our expectations as they all had amazing crystals inside. My 11 year old son had a great time breaking them apart and finding what was inside. Highly recommended!
10 people found this helpful
Kayla Woodard –
Fun to do!
Honestly should have cut them with a wet saw to make nice halves(even with a chisel, most shattered) but had a blast breaking them open with our daughter!
One person found this helpful
Josh Poole –
Fun, no color variety
Did this with my nephews and they loved the activity. Only disappointment is that all of the crystals were clear in the kit, it would have been nice to have some color variety. Since these are lab made you think they could ensure you don’t get geodes of all the same colors.
3 people found this helpful
Mia –
Fun
This was very fun to do the only downside for me is the pack I did get wasn’t much of a mix of geodes all the same except 1. Definitely a cool and fun thing to do if you like geodes.
LynnLynn –
Good story
Update- Amazon is sending a new set. I’m impressed with their service!3 of the 10 of our geodes were just rocks and not geodes at all! We also didn’t get any colored ones. Unreliable
3 people found this helpful
Andrew Smurawski –
Worth it for the kids fun
Cool but some rocks have nothing inside
ElizabethElizabeth –
Worth it!
I bought these as a fun project to do with my kids and they did not disappoint! Four of the five rocks were beautiful geodes, one was just a nodule. The nodule was extremly hard to crack… Nothing my husband, a metal punch, and a handheld sledge couldn’t handle! We will polish the inside for a nicer look. The other rocks were realitively easy to open… My seven year old was even able to crack one! They recommend the sock method, but if you want nice clean breaks I would not go that route. All in all, I am very satisfied with the product we received and will buy again!
8 people found this helpful
CGJ –
Fun for budding geologists! Be aware you might not get much variation.
Let’s start with the Pros: My son who loves collecting rocks was so excited to get this for Christmas, and it provided a good hour or two of entertainment. He needed a little help breaking open the first couple, and the smaller ones shattered more than cracked in half.There was a good variety of sizes, most of them more than a couple of inches in diameter.The insides were very pretty and elicited many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’.A few Cons: The biggest drawback is that you aren’t guaranteed any variety with the color of the insides of the geodes. We didn’t get any variation at all, they were all white/clear, which was a little disappointing.A couple of the geodes were very small (an inch or so in diameter).Buy these with the understanding that you’ll get a variety of sizes, including small ones, and that you may not get a lot of different colors once you break them open, but they are a lot of fun and a great addition to any rock collection!
One person found this helpful
Harris –
My rock enthusiast was pumped when he opened this gift!
My son enjoys collecting rocks of all shapes and sizes. He often returns from our bike rides with pockets full of rocks. The geodes are like a combination of two things he enjoys–rocks and surprise blind bags!The instruction manual informed us that we needed to be patient when trying to break them open. We appreciated the heads up. It did take some time to bust the first two geodes open. My son is currently displaying those. We ordered the 10 pack and decided that since it takes some time and effort to crack them open, we would only open a couple of geodes at a time.The instruction manual also suggested using a chisel. We do not have a chisel, but were still able to open the geodes using a hammer and the sock method.
Andrew Bruno –
fun
i had bought these for my nephew but after he got them he was not able to break them open himself so i had to help him but it was so much fun to do with him and he loved it as well i would definitely would recommend it
One person found this helpful
AnnaAnna –
SO much fun, but use a vice to hold in place!
I’m an adult in my 30s, but I was such a rock nerd as a kid, so when I saw this kit I knew I had to buy it! I ended up buying it for myself and my adult siblings as a Christmas present—we had so much fun cracking open the rocks on Christmas Day, it brought be back to my childhood! Highly recommend this kit, you get a lot of rocks for the price, and it’s so fun cracking open a rock and discovering what’s inside.A few tips—1. You need a vice, something to hold the rock in place as you hammer it. We used an old wrench and it worked perfectly, otherwise the rock would bounce all over the place.2. We didn’t have a chisel but tried to use a screwdriver, this worked for some but a real chisel would have been better. We ended up using the hammer method most of the time, but the chisel would have helped us not have so many shards, and bigger geode pieces!3. This can get LOUD. To soften the blow, we hammered the rocks on grass with some old wood on top.
14 people found this helpful
langdonsjlangdonsj –
Grand Daughter Loved it
Satisfied with this product.
beftgoesleftbeftgoesleft –
Fun, easy, educational, and unique!
What a terrific gift for a great price! I bought two of these kits for two separate families with small children, one a three-year-old and the other a 4 year old. Both the kids and the parents really enjoyed cracking open the geodes to see what was inside. Many of the geodes were smaller but these are supposedly all natural and that’s just the way it goes. Also, for the price, they were terrific! Most of them had similar colors inside but we did get one that had a beautiful little amethyst colored gem growing. Either way, there was lots of excitement while we all sat together to break them open.Be careful when splitting them open to have all children and adults either wear protective eyewear or stand back. Pieces can fly and are an expected Hazard with something like this. We didn’t have too much issue but I could see the potential trouble if too many were around and too close. Also, the enclosed eye protection was great but there’s only one set – extras are cheap, if needed!Probably best cracked with a small chisel or flat head screwdriver and light hammer. We hit the first few with just a hammer and they split well but into many pieces. When we tried a Flathead as a chisel it worked much better.
3 people found this helpful
Hernandez Family –
Very cool but all the geodes were the exact same
My daughter had a lot of fun cracking these bad boys open, it was messy so recommend a floor or outside on a table. She enjoyed it as a birthday gift for her 10th birthday. But when it came time to crack those geodes open she was a lil bummed to see all exactly the same color. I assume there is no way to tell what is inside of a geode to begin with. But all in all she still enjoyed it as a whole.
6 people found this helpful
Jason Lune –
Need tools and adult support
The geodes weren’t so easy to open and even with the necessary tools, one still shattered more than opened
2 people found this helpful
PK Purchase –
Cool science project
Very cool idea. Should have adult help/supervision for younger kids.
golson –
Fun to open and find the surprise
I was disappointed that only one of the geodes was actually hollow with crystals. I was happy that my grandchildren had a blast opening them and comparing the variation in colors (mostly whites).
One person found this helpful
Oliver Fox –
Nice price
I bought these for my siblings and they enjoyed it
Madison H –
So fun
We had a blast doing this. It was a fun pass time and the rocks were beautiful. It is REALLY hard to break them open though so make sure you set out a good amount of time for this and that you have a real good hammer
One person found this helpful
Samantha –
Rocks
I got all of them to break except one it was to small,the thing i wish was different about it is if it had different Crystals
Brandimissy1958Brandimissy1958 –
Good value
Very happy, hubby bought a sledgehammer or something to break them, but was fun!
Zlata –
Not as large as I hoped
Not as large as I hoped.
kimmikimmi –
We loved this!!
I got this for myself for Christmas, however, my granddaughter loved it! We had a blast opening them!
One person found this helpful
Mary Favreau –
Will keep your kiddos busy for hours!
My grandson loved this set. Sent me a video of him cracking the 1st rock open. A bit noisy of an activity so best for outdoor fun.
Chips –
My son loved it!
My husband and I bought this for our son for his birthday and he loved it! He really enjoys learning about rocks and researching them, so this was a huge treat for him!
Jillian urban –
Would be 5 but no hammer
Love it but I have to spend the same amount for a hammer and chisel. The sock method didn’t work and now I have sock ingrained in a rock. Can’t wait to crack them open.
TL Tuttle –
BIG!
The geodes in our box were BIG. We had to get Dad involved to break them open. Really sparkly crystals inside. Really a good deal.
Ross –
Good
2 stones from like 5 is hollow so is nice and good looking if you cutting in half, like in picture, don’t use hammer you gonna destroy rockif is hollow, 3 of those rocks are like solid rock nothing special.
Breana Jones –
If they love Nature
Purchased for my 5yo who loves nature. Great product.
One person found this helpful
Dane Mireles –
100% worth it’s value
I Absolutely love this….amazing gift gift if you plan to do that or a wonderful treat yourself! Hands on is always fun and for visual learners like myself the best kind of brain food we can get. It comes with a booklet that gives you all sorts of cool information and facts to learn about before or after you smash into your rocks. I love how there’s a wide variety I’m Different geodes and sizes. The price cannot be beat for what you’re getting. The best part about this product is your learning while having a good time and at the end of the process you have some lovely geodes to display they also have a story to tell because you open them yourself. My only advice to anyone is to carefully open your geodes do not just smash into them! Take the time to slowly crack them open and get two halves. One more awesome thing I love about this is that comes with safety goggles and a magnifying glass so that you can check out all the amazing details of the geodes before you crack and after you open them. Stunning and beautiful one of the best purchases I’ve ever made!
Tuz Goe –
One of our geodes from the box cannot be opened.
The media could not be loaded.
5 people found this helpful
TT –
Great size but not a lot of variety
We got the 5 Large geodes for a fun homeschool activity and we were not disappointed in the sizes. We had one that was just absolutely massive and then 4 other very large geodes. For the price it was great. We were a little bummed out that there wasn’t much variety. All of ours were white crystals without much variation. It made for a really fun family activity though and we would definitely recommend it to a friend.
Waylon M. –
Not too shabby .
Surprisingly this was not a bad purchase at all. Of the 10 I got only one was to hard to break but I can tell it is a nodule and not a good. This was not a big deal to me but I was hoping to see more of a variety. Most we’re kukok geodes and I had one that seemed like a nodule but it wasnt it had small cavities of very light amethys and Rosy quarts. The quality was also suprisingly good. Of the 9 that we’re hollow I had two bluish grey druzy quarts as well. My only complaint it they could have been a little bit bigger. I had three. That we’re right at 2.5 inches a few 1.5 and the rest under an inch. But like I said the quality made up for this. Overalll this was not a bad purchase and I’d buy again. 8/10
Corina Macia –
Super cool
My 8 year old absolutely loved my National Geographic Break Open 10 Premium Geodes! The packaging was sturdy and the geodes were all intact upon arrival. The geodes were not that easy to break open and the crystals inside were stunning.My only disappointment was that all of the geodes were white. It would have been nice to receive a variety of colors, but regardless, the quality of the crystals was top-notch. Overall, My kid had a fun and educational experience exploring the world of geology with this kit. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in geology or looking for a unique gift idea.
One person found this helpful
Laura Meyer –
A little difficult
I asked my granddaughter to review this as it was a gift for her. She is 9 years old. Her review is that it’s hard to crack the geodes but it is still fun!
One person found this helpful
Bruce –
Good gift for someone who enjoys geology
Bought these for my wife and we had fun breaking them open. Make sure you have a good place to break them and the proper eye protection. Using a wet saw would probably give good results rather than breaking them open
Pam –
Very hard for children to open
Very hard to open and too many clear ones. Not enough different colors
Ryley Mikos –
A Great Gift
Great Value for 5 big Geodes. Wear Eye Protection and Use outdoors. Great Buy
Mark Hackman –
Fun product for your children who are interested in geology.
I bought these as a Christmas gift and the kids loved breaking open the geodes to reveal their crystals inside.
Eusebius –
Nice geodes made for a great learning experience for an 8-year old
This was a birthday gift for a neighbor’s 8-year old who somehow got himself into rock collecting and is fascinated by all the different rocks he can get his hands on.The four geodes in this package were decent quality. Two were large (about 4 inches across) and the other two were a bit smaller. The two larger geodes contained some nice sized amethyst crystals and the two smaller geodes had very small chambers and very small crystals. With a little bit of help from his father he was able to crack them open. He was absolutely thrilled with his discoveries.Besides the geodes the package contains a set of safety goggles (absolutely required!) and a small display stand and learning guide. The learning guide is a little on the skimpy side and doesn’t have a lot of information in it, but it sure whetted the appetite of the 8-year old! He proudly displays the geodes on the little stand along with other rocks and minerals he’s collected in the area.This National Geographic geode kit has stimulated his thirst to learn more about geology as well as science in general.I also included
National Geographic Readers: Rocks and Minerals
for him and it is a great companion to this package.Highly recommended!
15 people found this helpful
Dane Mireles –
100% worth it’s value
I Absolutely love this….amazing gift gift if you plan to do that or a wonderful treat yourself! Hands on is always fun and for visual learners like myself the best kind of brain food we can get. It comes with a booklet that gives you all sorts of cool information and facts to learn about before or after you smash into your rocks. I love how there’s a wide variety I’m Different geodes and sizes. The price cannot be beat for what you’re getting. The best part about this product is your learning while having a good time and at the end of the process you have some lovely geodes to display they also have a story to tell because you open them yourself. My only advice to anyone is to carefully open your geodes do not just smash into them! Take the time to slowly crack them open and get two halves. One more awesome thing I love about this is that comes with safety goggles and a magnifying glass so that you can check out all the amazing details of the geodes before you crack and after you open them. Stunning and beautiful one of the best purchases I’ve ever made!
NDS –
Great learning gift
Had fun as a family opening the rock
Kevin M. –
All the same
This is a fun project with kids. Every stone is quartz though. I thought they might have a little bit of variety for the price but no. It’s still fun and worth buying once.
One person found this helpful
LRD –
Disappointed
All ended up being the same so a little disappointing
One person found this helpful
Jules –
Love rocks
Was exactly what we needed. Good quality. Great price.
Luddite –
Kids loved them
One of the boys just loved banging away with a hammer. The other liked that too, but was also interested in the types of rocks and crystals. I had fun with them as I also enjoy geology.
PackoPacko –
Good for kids
I read the reviews before I bought this, and acknowledged that many of the geodes are small. They truly are. This was a great project to keep my 6yo busy for an hour outside with a hammer. I was hoping for more diversity in color, but my child is happy.
Tim Jones –
Fun gift
Great fun for anybody able to swing a hammer. Probably not for 6ish age and below because you have to slowly increase the hammering/chisel work to get it to break but good fun. Includes saftey glasses
One person found this helpful
hh –
Cool kit
Some of the rocks were small but still big enough.. wish were a little bigger though. But stillWorth it
UpstateNY –
Grandson Really Enjoyed! Cut them open with a tile saw!
Great gift and was fun to watch each get cut open
cmom –
Gift for 10yo
Gift for 10yo boy who loved smashing them apart. Defiantly use the safety goggles as pieces fly. Crystals were impressive, wish there has been at least one that was colored.
CC –
Fun!
I got these for my niece who is totally into science. She had a blast breaking the geodes apart but was disappointed by the fact that all of them were white inside.
FDemmon –
Great Value for the Cost.
I read many reviews about this product before finally deciding to choose it over other options. (I always read the 1’s, as well as the 5’s). Ultimately, I selected the National Geographic product on faith in their reputation over the years. But the reviews also played a significant role. Many/most of the low ratings centered around the size (“too small” being a common complaint), difficulty of breaking, and broke into many pieces.The complaint about size boils down to unrealistic expectations for the cost of the product. The dimensions of the box in the picture suggest that the samples would not be more than about two inches in diameter. The price reinforced that conclusion. Large geodes aren’t especially common, and the price asked for them reflects that.The difficulty in breaking them and the shattering complaints are related. Channeling my inner Forrest Gump, this product is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you are going to get. Indeed, several of the pieces are solid throughout, are agates or concretions; it’s essentially impossible to know in advance which are partially hollow and which are solid throughout unless one is familiar with the provenance of the samples. General inferences can be drawn. Given two pieces of similar size, the one with the lesser heft is more likely to be hollow than the other one. So if you have a kitchen scale (and OCD) you could, in theory, estimate which are hollow and which are solid by comparing the weights. The packaging is your friend in this regard–they have to pick pieces that are fairly similar in size to fill fixed-size boxes reasonably closely time after time.Given your hypothesized “hollowness,” you can adjust your breaking strategy accordingly. (Note to the statistically inclined: a Bayesian approach to the problem, rather than a Frequentist one, will serve you better). Unless you have a tile saw (and a face shield and sturdy gloves in addition to the supplied safety glasses), you will need a hammer and a chisel to break your specimens. You can find a chisel for trimming concrete blocks and bricks at any hardware store. Do yourself a favor and get one with the guard that prevents you from breaking your metacarpals if you miss the chisel head. Take the pieces you suspect are hollow and place them on a padded surface like a folded up dishrag, place the chisel lightly on the specimen and tap with a hammer–softly at first then increasing in force as necessary. Do not press the chisel forcefully on the surface. If truly hollow, excessive force applied by the chisel has the same outcome as just whacking the stone with the hammer–it will shatter into many pieces. Be patient. What you want to happen is for the shell to crack gradually like an egg. Repetitive hits of lesser force work better than one “mother of all blows” in this regard.The specimens you believe to be solid or mostly so should still be placed on the padded surface (force applied is thereby focused on the contact between the rock and the chisel, not at both the top and broadly on the bottom of the specimen. My experience with these specimens in the product was that one could strike harder earlier with strong applied force of the chisel. Agates are commonly silicate filled, which means that they commonly fracture cleanly across the diameter of the specimen.The bigger the geode, the greater the cost, and the more interesting the mineralogy, the greater the cost. Both criteria are in play with the NatGeo product–they are relatively small with common mineral assemblages. This past May I was at Put in Bay near Sandusky, Ohio. Close by is Heineman’s Winery, where you can walk into the world’s largest geode. Check out their website if you plan to be in the area. I have an MA in geology (though I’ve been a statistician by experience for over 30 years, which accounts for my Bayesian bent) and the geode (small cave??) was extremely impressive! Individual crystals weigh tens of pounds. There are nearby places where you can buy geodes up to several inches of diameter and have them cracked using a chain that encompasses the entire diameter of your selected specimen. Short having the saw, the chain method is next best; the force is applied “evenly” around the circumference–and you still get the kick of seeing what is inside.
57 people found this helpful
The PackThe Pack –
Awesome quality!
Was actually blown away by how nice these geodes were compared to many I’ve purchased at gem & mineral shows & shops! Worth every penny!
MasonMason –
8/10
Pretty cool experience, definitely some hard rocks to crack and not all were hollow but still pretty. Make sure you have a hammer although its worth it. Wish I found a pink one but its all part of the game
2 people found this helpful
J. HeroldJ. Herold –
Fun activity for kids, bring a mallet!
We loved opening each one to see what was inside. There was nothing amazing. We had Calcite, quartz mostly. So no amethyst or other rocks, they have like 8 different kinds but in ours we really only had two or three different kinds out of 10 geodes. A hammer won’t cut it. Probably need a mallet. It was hard for get them to open so kids likely couldn’t do it only with supervision. Fun though to do. A little disappointed in the types we had but I imagine that’s hard to dictate picking them out. Generally a good buy.
2 people found this helpful
Ceci –
Geode interiors all the same color
This is the one particular gift my granddaughter wished for and she was very pleased to receive it. I like anythingNational Geographic so was pleased to purchase this.Unfortunately all the geodes were very small, practically disintegrated when she broke them open and all the crystals were the same clear color. She went through the contents of the box in about 10 minutes then stood there looking less than pleased. I will have to go to a rock shop now and purchase larger ones for her to open. My husband told her he would help her slice them open using his vice and rock saw and she might like it better. For now she has a plastic bag of geode dust and small pieces in her “junk” drawer.
6 people found this helpful
EC01 –
Great for kids
Kees the kids busy for hours
Laurie Cederquist –
Fine for 5 year old with adult supervision
They were a bit smaller than they appeared in the picture. Needed a chisel besides the hammer.
Deborah Brown –
Great gift!
We purchased this for our 14 year old grand-daughter. One of the geodes turned out spectaclular. We had a ball breaking them open. Glad we got this one!
Dena –
Not perfect, but will be buying again
Let me start off with what I liked about this:I have sampled a few other geode-breaking brands and a lot of them were very hard to crack. Usually ones that are harder to crack are mostly rock and less cavelike crystal space. Only one of the rocks in this lot was hard to break, and that was because it was completely solid crystal. I’m not too upset about it because that’s just the nature of geodes- sometimes you get a rock. 9/10 geodes is good enough for me.Now, a problem is that even though there were many decent sized geodes, there were two that were pretty small. One was extremely small and seemed to have been under 1.5 inches in diameter.Another thing is that about 6 of them were the same type of rock and looked exactly the same inside. I wasn’t expecting a hand-picked assortment, but when over half of them are the same rock despite the varieties that exist, it seems a bit odd. Maybe I just got a bad lot.But even still, the quality and overall easy-opening of these geodes compared to the other brands I’ve bought will keep me coming back for more every time I decide to start a new craft project.
448 people found this helpful
Angie –
Chill
Seems cool, unsure 100% as it will be a gift but if you’re into rovkd like me and it was given to me I wouldn’t mind.
Mamaberkhie –
Fun for Everyone
This was a Christmas gift for my 9 year old who loves rocks. The whole family actually enjoyed it. This is an activity that needs adult assistance though; he couldn’t split the rocks by himself. Almost all of our rocks were geodes so we were pleased.
Amber P.Amber P. –
Great Homeschooling Project! Love, Love, Love!!
Ordered a box of 10 geodes to open with my 9yo daughter. They only cost about $2 ea. We were impatient and ended up breaking most into several pieces (5 or 6), which were still very pretty. The ones we took our time opening are our favorites, getting 2-3 large chunks from them. Only a couple out of the 10 weren’t hollow but solid crystal inside. There were also several that were larger than I expected.We used the experience toward her homeschool science grade. She read the book that came with it and as we broke them open, she looked up in the book what type of crystals were inside that particular geode.I’m not sure how some reviewers ended up with no hollow ones, unless they only bought one or two and just got unlucky. I saw one review where the picture showed one of the geodes weren’t even open, but they thought they were ripped off. And another who said it was the worst product experience of their life. Either that person is VERY young, or has always been extremely fortunate with purchases, if dud geodes are the worst they’ve ever had to deal with.If you’re considering trying these, DO IT! But, might I suggest purchasing more than 2, just in case. There’s no way for the sellers to see inside prior to selecting them for shipping. Also, really take your time opening them. It seems like they won’t crack, but eventually, they will. You can put them inside an old sock, then put your pick on it, then tap the handle of the pick with a hammer. This helps it not to bounce around when you hit it.Anyway, I’ve been dying to order more since opening first 10. I just ordered 20 more. CAN’T WAIT!!!
23 people found this helpful
leo flores jr. –
AMAZING
I’ve always liked rocks but never able to find geodes! These are amazing!!! Not the easiest to crack open but they are rocks after all and definitely worth it when you do… They were actually a gift for my wife but we both enjoyed cracking them and revealing our new crystal geode display rocks!!! Be sure to use a hard surface to crack these on, not your hardwood floors!!! Lesson learned and still love them.
4 people found this helpful
Xavier Virsu –
A great gift
My kids loved these, and they also learned a lot. The geodes are beautiful. This makes a great gift for the little scientists in your life!
Stingray –
Fun family event!
Smash with a hammer and chisel method works well
Carolyn CCarolyn C –
Great mix; as expected.
I bought two boxes of the Nat Geo Break Open 10 Premium Geodes. They are exactly as expected and are similar to the ones I’ve seen for sale at science museum gift shops, but with more variety. These will be given as part my 8-yr old’s birthday party favors along with a printed insert about geodes and instructions (better than candy and junk toys, I think). The instructions inside are clear and printed nicely with color pictures. There is a good mix of geodes with different colors, shapes, and sizes so they all don’t appear to be from the same place. For the most part they each feel fairly light, 3 of the largest ones of the total 20 feel heavy/solid, one was already broken but that’s OK since I got to see the crystals inside. Geodes should feel light since ideally they’re hollow inside. The solid ones might have pretty striations but are hard to break open. I weighed one set and it was about 2.2 lbs. I’ve also included pictures of the box, the packaging, both sets where one includes a ruler to give you an idea of their sizes. The sizes in both boxes are similar. I also included pics of the broken geode before and after washing. I’d definitely buy it again.
10 people found this helpful
Linda B –
Educational as well as fun!
You can depend on National Geographic to provide great learning experiences!
Carolyn CCarolyn C –
Great mix; as expected.
I bought two boxes of the Nat Geo Break Open 10 Premium Geodes. They are exactly as expected and are similar to the ones I’ve seen for sale at science museum gift shops, but with more variety. These will be given as part my 8-yr old’s birthday party favors along with a printed insert about geodes and instructions (better than candy and junk toys, I think). The instructions inside are clear and printed nicely with color pictures. There is a good mix of geodes with different colors, shapes, and sizes so they all don’t appear to be from the same place. For the most part they each feel fairly light, 3 of the largest ones of the total 20 feel heavy/solid, one was already broken but that’s OK since I got to see the crystals inside. Geodes should feel light since ideally they’re hollow inside. The solid ones might have pretty striations but are hard to break open. I weighed one set and it was about 2.2 lbs. I’ve also included pictures of the box, the packaging, both sets where one includes a ruler to give you an idea of their sizes. The sizes in both boxes are similar. I also included pics of the broken geode before and after washing. I’d definitely buy it again.
10 people found this helpful
Naniofboys –
Fun!
Who doesn’t love digging for gems! Always so much fun when you discover gem mining!
Faith Smith –
Angry therapy lol
I definitely love this, it’s fun for people if all ages. You can take your anger out while getting something beautiful in return
S Scott –
Great quality for the quantity
My nephew loved these as his Christmas present. There was a some variety in texture. Mostly in the light gray/white light blue color spectrum. They didn’t break into tiny pieces
T CT C –
Fun for a range of ages
We gave this kit to our kids and their cousins (ages 6-13) at a family reunion. They had fun breaking open the rocks and then traded pieces with each other. Of the 10 rocks, 7 had at least a small hollow part. The solid ones were tough for the kids to break and required some adult help. It was a good hour and a half of entertainment, and then they each had a pretty souvenir to take home. The 13-year-old and the 11-year-old read the brochure about how geodes form and found it interesting. The adults also enjoyed seeing the different rocks. I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 because we had several that weren’t hollow. Would buy these again and would recommend them.
3 people found this helpful
Memphis –
Loved it!
This was a gift for my nine year old son and he was so excited to receive it! He’s been asking for this for a really long time and I wasn’t sure what to expect? I gave him very minimal tools as it did not come with any, but I wanted it to keep him busy for a while, L O L. It did give him a challenge without a hammer but again it kept him busy for a while, lol! When he finally got one open, he was so excited! The quality is very good, and a great gift! I highly recommend this for kids to have an interest in gemstones, archaeology, curiosity with digging and breaking things, lol !
4 people found this helpful
KikiKiki –
Not Just For Children
I bought this kit for myself even though it is advertised for children. My success with it was mixed.Pros: Hitting rocks with hammers is great stress relief. It was sort of fun. The two largest geodes split nicely in half with medium effort and have lovely sparkling quartz inside. The learning guide was interesting to read and budding geologists will enjoy itCons: The two smallest rocks were solid. After working on them for a long time it was obvious they weren’t going to be split open. Some pieces of the host rocks splintered away, but that’s it. It’s a shame because those two rocks hinted at having something other than plain white crystal quartz inside.Tips: Patience is needed. A chisel would be helpful. Definitely make sure eye protection is worn. I wore a different pair of protective glasses I already had, but I appreciate that the kit included goggles. I also wore a light pair work of gloves. From my experience, I think it may require help for children under 12 or so (unless they really like to hammer things for several minutes non-stop).I included pictures of all of the geodes, post breaking, and a photo of the smallest and largest one before attempting to open them to show the size you may receive.If you keep your expectations realistic, this kit will be enjoyable for any rock/nature loving kids, or kids at heart.
66 people found this helpful
janelle henkens –
So much fun! Just wish there was more variety
I got this for my son for Christmas and he had sooo much fun taking a hammer to these geodes. The only down side is that there were only light and dark quartz.. no colors like the picture may suggest. Love the little stands for the geode display, my son has them up in his room and gave some of the other smashed pieces to friends.
CatCat –
Not all geodes, not great for kids.
I got this kit for my partner for Christmas. Welp, some of them were geodes. The rest were just tough rocks that were hard to open. My dude is 30, 6 feet tall and 240ish. He was out there wailing on em’ with chisel and mallet and they were tough for even him to open. I suggest having a strong person around. There were some nice geodes in there, but again, we got a few duds that were just hard, gray rocks. We had fun doing it but I wouldn’t recommend it for little ones.
Stephanie –
Hard to open
Gift from Santa for my crystal/ rock/ geode loving 9 yr but these were really hard to break. We still haven’t open 2 of them.
2 people found this helpful
C –
Great fun with a hammer
so much fun with a 4 year old.
songerling –
Nice looking, good sized geodes
We bought the 2 Geode pack for my daughter for Christmas. It arrived quickly and she opened and loved it. It had the 2 geodes, and a plastic “holder” to show off the geode (never used that) and safety goggles. We didn’t want to smash it with a hammer so we tried using the chisel method for almost an hour but it was so hard we were barely able to score it. So we took them to my dad’s house and used his tile saw to cut them in half in about 20 seconds each. Both geodes were pretty much solid and not hollow which was disappointing but they still looked nice. I wrote to the company letting them know that neither one was hollow and they sent us a replacement box. We cut those with the tile saw and one was hollow and had some nice crystals inside. The other one was mostly solid but had some crystals and look pretty. All in all it was a good experience for the price and my daughter loves her geodes. Just know that these are real rocks and there’s a chance they’ll be solid but they are good sized and come with what you need. I would recommend using a tile/masonry saw if you have one for the best looking geode. Smashing them is hard.
One person found this helpful
Bea A.Bea A. –
Will likely buy again.
Was happy to see by the types of dirt on the exterior of these that they all came from different places. None of the geodes were undersized, either.
2 people found this helpful
molly redfernmolly redfern –
Awesome
Easy to break open and super fun! The kids loved these!!!
One person found this helpful
LauraLaura –
Great set of Geodes!
We thought these geodes were great. The 5 exceeded our expectations as they all had amazing crystals inside. My 11 year old son had a great time breaking them apart and finding what was inside. Highly recommended!
10 people found this helpful
curtis mckee –
great geods
great geods for the price
Danielle Krystofik –
Great family activity
Tons of fun!
michael cloningermichael cloninger –
About as big as a large plum, mostly.
All geodes did have an impressive pocket of cristals inside.
TETE –
Real geodes
All the geodes have crystals in them.My grandson used a 1inch cold chisel to crack them open.The picture is of the smaller geodes. Planning on using a diamond saw to cut the three largest ones.
One person found this helpful
Tasha –
Fun but wished they were different colors and not all the same.
Like some of the other reviewers had mentioned a few are a little hard to open. Sadly, every one of the Geodes were the same color. This would have been nicer if they varied in color. Overall, it was a nice experiment to do with my kiddos.
Marilyn –
Geod
Very messy
Paul T. Scherer –
grandson liked them
was ok. nothing great. Grandson liked them. I was disappointed in number of stones in the kit.
One person found this helpful
Pam Stephens –
Bought for my grandson
I gave to my grandson for Christmas. He loved them.
Oliver Fox –
Nice price
I bought these for my siblings and they enjoyed it
Leah –
Need to get bigger ones
Bought this product for my grandkids for Christmas. We’re pretty satisfied other than a few of them were very small they should’ve been bigger.
D. C. LunaD. C. Luna –
Double the Fun
I bought this for my 12 year old Grandson. He’s just getting into rocks and Geodes’s so I thought this would be fun. He loved the gift and then you get to love it again, after you break the Geode’s. This one was his favorite. If you have a rock lover, then this is the perfect gift.
10 people found this helpful
Christopher Fey –
fun geological surprise makes a great gift!
Got this for my nephew just for fun. You get five kinda ostrich egg sized geodes that he had fun breaking apart with the neighbor kids. Eye protection is included which I thought was great! All of them had beautiful crystals inside, its a great gift for a kid into rocks or really any kid!
One person found this helpful
J. Robinson –
So fun!
Not the greatest geode specimens, but they were so fun to break open. We got a couple duds that were just grey rocks with no sparkle – but that’s the fun of nature! The mystery!
Lana H. –
Some are very hard to open!
My son loves cracking these open! It came with 5 geodes and 3 of them were normal in cracking them open but the other 2 I’ve had to use power tools to even try and make a dent in them. I’ve gotten one of the 2 open and it was completely solid on the inside. I’ve decided that I’m going to wait on opening the last one until I can get my hands on a saw that cuts through tile cus I think that is what it will take.
2 people found this helpful
ryan –
👍🏽
Good learning experience
AK –
Inexpensive way to have fun with some geodes
As a friend group of 30 something’s, we had a lot of fun with these. I see a lot of folks had fun with their kids but this is for the kids at heart too. All ages who have a positive attitude and a desire to smash some rocks will have just as much fun!This set comes with 10 geodes (ours were mostly druzy quartz) and for the price, that’s a great deal. It was a fun time to spend with friends outside hammering rocks like a kid again. We got mostly the clear/white quartz and one that was really solid and had bits of quartz mixed it but they’re still beautiful and different.Were some of them really solid and hard to open? For sure! But isn’t that part of the fun? These are rocks after all. They’re not supposed to be soft.For all of those negative reviews complaining their geodes aren’t amethysts, please remember you’re spending $3/geode so they’re not going to be super rare or semi precious stones. This is just for fun and it’s meant to be educational. The guide just shows you all the potential geodes out there, not a guarantee of what you’re going to receive.If you buy the kit to have some fun outside and maybe add to your rock collection, you’re going to love this.
57 people found this helpful
Judee O. –
Fun!!
I gave this to my nine-year-old grandson for Christmas and he loved it! The rocks busted up….some in little pieces and some in large pieces. The inside of his rocks were white with a tiny purpleish tint to them. His Christmas gift was really heavy as you can imagine 🙂
Along for the ride –
You never know what you’re going to get
I used these for stocking stuffers for Christmas and they were a real hit. Of the five geodes one was just a solid sparkling rock- not a real geode at all so that was disappointing. Three were white crystals inside and the best one was beautiful light purple crystals inside. They all looked more or less the same on the outside. Anyway, the kids had a lot of fun finding a rock in their sock and breaking them open for the big reveal.
Karl Waterkuetter –
Pretty rock
Part of collection that I started 41 years ago
Robbin Albrant –
GREAT PARTY FAVORS!
At a recent family gathering I had each child choose a geode and with the help of a strong adult they cracked them open. To everyone’s delight, they found treasure. The adult party guests were just as fascinated to see what the results would be. It was also an opportunity to talk about the science. Lessons made FUN! I loved it!
4 people found this helpful
heidi hickam –
Kids had fun
I’m not sure what all they got out of it but they had fun smashing these. That’s all I needed.
EC01 –
Great for kids
Kees the kids busy for hours
Jazlyn –
Kinda tough
Some of these rocks were too hard for my 8 year old to break open, he was pretty disappointed but these were overall ok! The colors were all exactly the same which was disappointing for me not so much my son!
MB –
Beautiful Once You Can Get Them Open
Some are definitely easier to crack open then others, but once they do break open, they’re beautiful on the inside.
Sandra K. Smith –
Nice gift for curious adults as well as children!!
I have always wanted to go Geode hunting since I was a child. I purchased this with my Grandsons in mind and for myself as well. We opened one on Christmas and the kids were in awe. I saved a couple of the larger ones for myself to open. Now I have a tile saw that is able to cut granite and marble so I’m going to attempt to use this to open the rock. Fingers crossed that it will turn out well!! By the way, my curiosity about the Geodes have lasted all my life…..I’m 75 now and I’m not disappointed with this gift!!! We are all kids at heart!!
3 people found this helpful
Linda –
Need a chisel
These are pretty hard to crack. Be sure to have a chisel so they may break somewhat in half. I would not recommend for children unless they put them in a sock for safety and hammer away, but then they will be a bit shattered. They are beautiful tho.
One person found this helpful
goerge Dib –
How hard the rocks were to break
Breaking the rocks were fun but some rocks would not break easily other than that the rock were fun
BAO –
So far the best geodes out there
We’ve bought from other sellers in the past. So far National Geographic jumbo geodes are the best.Highly recommend!
Melinda Baker –
My 9 year old Grandson loved it and was very interested in the rock that came in the box.
I like it because Grandson could not wait to start breaking opening the rocjs
Ryley Mikos –
A Great Gift
Great Value for 5 big Geodes. Wear Eye Protection and Use outdoors. Great Buy
brittany mcfall –
It’s ok.
We didn’t get any cool ones like the pictures and it took forever to get them open. Don’t recommend for any kid under 10
3 people found this helpful
Kathryn TillKathryn Till –
The heading to the product on Amazon said (in all caps) that these geodes were top quality and the picture on the box shows 4 me
My daughter loves geodes. She was really excited when she received this set on Christmas morning. I had been very selective in picking this out; trying to get the most of what I could and not spend a fortune. The heading to the product on Amazon said (in all caps) that these geodes were top quality and the picture on the box shows 4 medium sized geodes that fit nicely in the boy’s hand. I thought this is perfect. However, when my daughter opened the box and got out the geodes, 2 of the four didn’t look nearly as impressive as the box or the add had advertised. One especially was much smaller than the rest and I really questioned if it could be considered as top quality as the other two. I felt that all of these as a whole weren’t exactly what the add and the picture on the box lead me to believe, BC they weren’t all the same size as they had advertised. Plus another geode was oddly shaped. It has pointy edges that make it appear to be large size, but the edges are flat. The body of the rock is the same size as the smaller rock. So my complaint is that I wish we would have received 4 large geodes that were equal in size or that it might have prewarned me not to expect it, but oh well. I’m sure that once she breaks them open, well forget all about the uneven sizes and just have fun.
22 people found this helpful
Susan D. –
Three and 1/2
Disappointed in the size of the 4th geode – half size. Really? Picture shows 4 all the same size so that’s what should be in the box. They take some work to open, which is the point right – where’s the fun in one smash!
JamesJames –
Lots of fun
My son loves these. They’re really big. Had to buy a chisel to open them nicely. Wish there was a little more variety but now we’re hooked! Penny shown for scale.
Tool Guy –
It’s hammer time!
These geodes are very cool for inquisitive minds of all ages.Keep in mind, you are splitting a hard rock so it’s best to have several sized hammers available.Use the included goggles, set up in a concrete area, and wrap the specimen in a rag to contain the chips.Like all Nat Geo stem products, this is a great learning tool.
GG –
Happy Grandaughter
Bought this for my Granddaughters 8th birthday. She loved it and enjoyed discovering her gems.
Miranda Zunun –
Scientific gift
I bought this a as a gift for my 9 year old who loves science and mining. It was a great gift. It came with a guide showing the pictures of the geodes.
jeff –
Pretty Geodes
It was a fun activity for my young son. He enjoyed using his dad’s hammer safely to open the geodes up and what pretty designs were inside. Only thing that I would complain about is that once they are all broken open, that’s it. So my son used this kit in like 10 minutes.
Kim Hoggan –
Fun surprises ! Not as easy to break at times. Must help kids with hammer.
Fun to cut open, educational, and lucky to have. Beautiful rocks, however the packaging box makes them appear much more clean cut and brighter in colors than they actually are.
2 people found this helpful
Phil M. –
Pretty fun gift
My six year old grandson had a blast with this. But his dad helped him crack them open. They are quite beautiful inside only one did not sparkle.
Jenee OJenee O –
Lots of fun
This was a huge hit for my two girls (age 6 & 7). They were excited to see the inside of each unique, individual geode! It can be rather difficult getting a perfectly straight circumference with a chisel, however, every stone is beautiful inside, regardless of how it breaks.
One person found this helpful
Michael –
Fun activity!
Got this for both my son and daughter. They had a blast breaking open the geodes! Educational and fun. Kept them away from their phones for quite awhile. Lol
4 people found this helpful
frgprints –
Fun project for kids about 6 or older
This is a very nice science project. Some of the rocks are a bit hard for a young child to split open and need adult help though.
Kat mcsparren –
Family fun
Spent an hour with 3 kids haveing blast cracking the rocks open and finding the treasure
David Dane –
Geode kit
Got it for my daughter on her birthday and she loved it
Sara –
Very fun!
Got these for my 6 year old for Christmas avd we just used some today – so much fun! Cute to see him out on the safety goggles and Dawn a hammer and then see his delight when he found what he calls “gems” inside.
A Real Family –
Great science teacher gift 🙂
I was looking for a great gift for the science teacher and knew the whole mug thing wasn’t going to hit the mark for someone who had been teaching for decades. I am sure her cabinets are full! – So I spent some time searching on Amazon to find an appropriate and special gift, but all I really knew about her was she had made science understandable and interesting for the teens in the small private school which was no small feat science my daughter hated science in the past.After perusing the offerings for about 30 minutes, I settled on the geodes kit from National Geographic. Here is what I thought it had going for it:1. It was science related with a reputable name behind it.2. It was a quick-and-easy-to-explain activity if she wanted to do it with older or younger kids or grandkids.3. It was a hands on experience and a physical gift at the same time.4. It was pretty. As a lady, I knew I liked pretty, sparkly rocks (usually in jewelry form though) – so I was hoping she would too.5. It was in my price range.After giving the gift, we discovered the teacher had a special interest in rocks. So it was a good match. It is nice to feel like you purchased a gift that is well received and won’t be collecting dust. She has already made plans to open some of the geodes during a class this year. Thus far it is a raging success.During my research, I discovered that scoring an equator around circumference and using a hammer/chisel to open produced a better outcome than just using a hammer. The hammer alone seemed to produce smaller sections and some crumbled. I would also suggest using some type of holding mechanism, if possible, like a vice with foam padding around the geode. I noticed that many of the people in the videos were afraid to hold it in place while they were striking it to open.Once they are opened in class I will update the review with any feedback I get.
10 people found this helpful
Adam T. –
Nice kit if you get good geodes.
I had bought 2 of these for Holiday gifts. One set for my niece/nephew and one set for my kids. We had did my kids set after opening in the morning and about 4 of the geodes were just rocks. Went to my family’s house and helped my niece and nephew break into theirs and they got one that was just a rock. My kids were pretty disappointed that almost half of their geodes were just rocks, but still a fun experience. My kids set had nicer looking geodes overall, so I guess have to take the win where you can.
5 people found this helpful
NiNi –
Better Than Expected
This was a gift for my niece who lives out of state. It was already known she liked crystals so I thought this would be a fun & appreciated gift. My sibling sent a vid of my niece opening it after she thought it had to be saved for Christmas- child please, I’m your aunt. Open that now!!! Lol Her reaction was Priceless! Overjoyed & excited like it was Christmas!! She couldn’t get them open w/ a hammer but chose the sock option & walking it on the street-that worked! The other kids in the neighborhood curious what she was doing & thought she got lucky w/ some diamond rocks, very cute! Thanks National Geographic for getting kids interested in science early!!!
11 people found this helpful
Wendy E. StallingsWendy E. Stallings –
Natural geodes so expect some variation
These geodes are natural, not a manufactured product (and not cement as another reviewer claimed), so expect some variation. Because they are real, no one can look inside ahead of time and make sure all ten geodes will be spectacular when opened. I didn’t get any with beautiful colored crystals inside, but most were hollow with interesting crystals. Only one was not quite hollow, but it had a swirl of pale blue agate inside of it, so we were pleased. My thirteen year old son and I used a regular old claw hammer and had no trouble opening any of them, although read the instructions carefully!! Some of them are actually pretty fragile and will dissolve into a pile of sand if you whack too hard to start. We also used a chisel with some of them to try to achieve an even split, as the instructions suggested. We did this outside on the pavement as it does make a small mess (easily swept away). I am only giving four stars instead of five because unless you have a portable vice (or are willing to pound geodes in your workshop), one person does have to hold the geode (and chisel) in place while the other person swings the hammer. It’s inherently hazardous. I was the “holder” while my son wielded the hammer. Luckily, I still have all my fingers and some nice geodes to boot.
645 people found this helpful
sandfisher –
Quality set
Great Geodes. Great transaction. Definitely recommend this seller.
Anne Goodman –
Fun, but no variety
They were all the same color (just the clear quartz) when we broke them open.
Sue W. –
Dragon Eggs
This item was purchased for an activity while the grandkids were visiting. Ages are almost 4 to 9. The 4 yr old was the 1st to get hers open! That’s because hers was hollow. But the boys took a lot of work due to theirs being solid. So we called them‘Dragon Eggs’ and they seemed content with that. So only 2 were hollow. I know these can be weighed to see if they are likely to be hollow or solid. I think it’s like getting that extra piece of fat hidden in the bottom of your meat tray at the grocery store to add weight and up the price. Overall they enjoyed themselves and were happy with their new treasures.
16 people found this helpful
Eusebius –
Nice geodes made for a great learning experience for an 8-year old
This was a birthday gift for a neighbor’s 8-year old who somehow got himself into rock collecting and is fascinated by all the different rocks he can get his hands on.The four geodes in this package were decent quality. Two were large (about 4 inches across) and the other two were a bit smaller. The two larger geodes contained some nice sized amethyst crystals and the two smaller geodes had very small chambers and very small crystals. With a little bit of help from his father he was able to crack them open. He was absolutely thrilled with his discoveries.Besides the geodes the package contains a set of safety goggles (absolutely required!) and a small display stand and learning guide. The learning guide is a little on the skimpy side and doesn’t have a lot of information in it, but it sure whetted the appetite of the 8-year old! He proudly displays the geodes on the little stand along with other rocks and minerals he’s collected in the area.This National Geographic geode kit has stimulated his thirst to learn more about geology as well as science in general.I also included
National Geographic Readers: Rocks and Minerals
for him and it is a great companion to this package.Highly recommended!
15 people found this helpful
Jessica WJessica W –
Great Geodes
Great geodes but minus a star for the spelling typo in the guide (crystals is spelled cryyrstals).. The guide is very short and to the point and National Graphic is a reputable name so I’m surprised this wasn’t reviewed better before it was printed.
One person found this helpful