René is still a big kid at heart, but as an actual little kid, he spent a lot of time in the forests surrounding his house in Den Dolder in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands. He had an odd obsession with rabbits and their burrows, he was into caving then already. It’s not surprising then, that he built his museum like a cave. It appeals to adults and children alike.

To further engage the young ones at The Crystal Caves and turn them into avid rockhounds, the kids room has a ‘scratch patch’ sand box where kids can ‘fossick’ for gemstones. The space also has a chalkboard, a drawing table and a tv screening a short documentary on the life of René.

Each child admission into the crystal caves also comes with an activity kit which contains a ‘treasure hunt’ through the museum or a ‘maize’ for the younger kids. The kit also contains a started kit of gemstones and a colouring in, complete with coloured pencils.

If the young rockhound decides to crack a geode, this activity sheet is also where the geode identification is recorded.