We had previously found that it was helpful to have some sort of way to contain all the little chips and chunks that go flying off when you break a geode, so a bag seemed like a good call. If you look closely above, you can see how the force she uses has some real impact on the geode when I photographed it mid air.
Eventually, that bag and hammer just weren't getting it done. We took a break and tried again, this time opting for more of a chisel attempt at cracking that geode. We were both pretty excited to finally see a chip at the center because we thought that meant we were close to a crack!
The truth is though, some geodes are more difficult to crack than others because of the thickness inside. (Reading that makes me realize how there may be people in life just like that - their feelings and thoughts are fairly deep inside and cracking them isn't so easy.) It really takes quite a bit of determination and strength, so this was an exercise for body, mind, and soul. And even though my girl surely has plenty of all of them, she certainly had some rather sore hands and wasn't always full of smiles as she worked. But then, finally ...
success!! And joy to see that the reason it took so long was because of a practically solid inside! If you are looking for your own exercise for body, mind, and soul, we have a great idea for you!!