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As John Belushi said once in a movie, "How much for your daughters?"
Each state has labor laws but if the kids are not being forced to work for pay, or without pay, and this is just a family activity, I seriously don't think anybody would have a problem as long as they are out having fun. But if you are out there whipping them to dig faster and harder somebody might have something to say about it.
We consider ourselves as a family and family is always allowed to attend, especially children, that's why we have outings teaching kids how to pan for gold, it teaches the next generation a skill that is being lost and creates a interest in prospecting on the next generation.
This last year we volunteered to go to a camp for kids with cancer called Camp Wapiyapi and spent two days teaching kids to pan for gold. We gave each kid a pan I paid for myself and had them pan some really nice concentrates I bought from Marvin's Gold. Before we left more then a few of those kids were down on the river using their new pans. We even got messages back from some of their parents thanking us for what we did.
I do believe the GPAA does have a age requirement but I cannot find it. At 4 and 8 years old you are doing nothing more then teaching kids to be good people, until they are adults I don't think they need their own membership. I think it is 18 years old but to be sure call 800-551-9707.
If you have ever worked a 4" dredge before you know it is a two person job. One to suction down as deep as they can go and the other to clean rocks out of the sluice, and if you have a kid that is a rock hound they can pick through all the nicely cleaned rocks they want as they shoot out of the dredge while you are doing the suction on the river floor, and keep your dredge sluice cleared out, not to mention alert you when a log or debris are heading your way.
We recently found some rocks unlike anything I have ever seen before when we got down to bedrock. We found turquoise, we got plenty of gold, and found rocks that are so beautiful that need to be polished and placed on peoples desks. I have always taken my black sands and separated them and then dry them out. From there I take a magnet and pull out the magnetics and put them in a jar. When kids and even adults see that for the first time they are mesmerized by just putting a magnet to the bottle. Because of this I have sent these to many teachers around the country so they can show them.
Good for you for involving your kids, prospecting is hard work, rewarding, and incredibly educational. My father made me take a paper route when I was 8 years old, plus mowing lawns, and at the time I hated him for it, but it taught me how to work, how to interact, how to sell, and responsibility. Prospecting can be a bit more dangerous, I myself got rolled down the river with my waders filled this year, rolled about 7 times but kept my hat dry, you might want to keep your kids attached to lines all though I have found that most kids want to run through the river as if it was nothing.
If you are working fast water I will be more then willing to teach you how to use a grappling hook to traverse the river and secure yourself and kids while you are doing it, just ask if you need.
Involving your kids is one of the best things in their life, GOOD FOR YOU.
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