The Canadian Rock Exploration Playscape at Alex Munro

Zach’s Viewpoint

Hi. My name is Zach. I am a student at Alex Munro School, and I am legally blind. I also like rocks.

Rocks just don’t look different, they feel different. One of my favourite rocks in the playscape is the schist. The layers make it feel like wood, and it is different from all the other rocks. The quartz that sticks out of the schist feels rougher, just like everyday rocks and pebbles.

The names of the rocks are engraved into the boulders and I can feel the letters. I have a good memory so I can remember all the letters and read the words. On some of the rocks, the side with the letters is polished. It feels so smooth, like glass.

The granite and quartzite are my other two favourite rocks. I like how the roughness of a rock tells a story about its life. For example, the quartzite rode a glacier! All the rough edges show it was not always a smooth ride. Many of the rocks that travelled to southern Alberta on glaciers have minerals in them that are not found here. 

Geologists can look at the minerals in the rocks, and then they know where the boulder s rted before it travelled on a glacier. We think the quartzite in the playscape came from Jasper, just like Big Rock near Okotoks.

When you visit the playscape, I hope you feel the rocks. What is your favourite?