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An evergreen tree with a large pinecone is on the cover of a nature study about constant conifers.
NaturExplorers guides are perfect for the 1st-8th grade homeschool, co-op or classroom. This highly adaptable curriculum series uses nature study as the starting point for science lessons that reach into every other subject and meet all learning styles.

Constant Conifers

$28.00

Discover the often-overlooked beauty of coniferous trees with Constant Conifers, a vibrant nature study guide for 1st-8th graders. With over 30 engaging nature walks and nearly 70 hands-on or research-based indoor activities, this versatile guide offers in-depth learning experiences that can be enjoyed in any season and complement any general botany study.  

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Which plant grows consistently throughout the year? Conifers!

Strong and steady conifers are often overlooked during nature study. In this comprehensive conifer nature study, discover fascinating cone-bearing plants. This guide goes beyond the usual focus on deciduous trees to bring conifers into the spotlight, providing a rich and diverse learning experience for the whole family.

Why Do a Conifer Nature Study?

Conifers are unique and vital plants in ecosystems all over the world. With the activities in this guide, uncover the answers to intriguing questions like:

  • Why do conifers have thin, waxy leaves?
  • Where are their seeds housed?
  • Do cone-bearing plants produce flowers?
  • What’s the difference between a conifer and an evergreen?

In-Depth Coniferous Nature Walks and Investigations

Your family will complete investigations using more than 30 creative nature walks. Expect to:

  • Explore conifer parts such as cones, leaves, branches, and sap
  • Search for evidence of insects, animals, fungi, and disease
  • Dissect tree parts to understand their structure
  • Compare coniferous and deciduous trees
  • Create color palettes from nature
  • And even complete hands-on math experiences in nature!

Indoor Activities and Research-Based Projects About Conifers

The learning doesn’t stop outdoors! Indoors, you’ll find nearly 70 hands-on or research-based ideas tailored to various abilities and interests. Activities include:

  • Model making
  • Graph creation
  • Forest type mapping
  • Researching the logging industry
  • Story writing
  • And much more!

With sixteen notebooking pages, your students can document their findings for some of the nature walks and indoor explorations. These pages help solidify learning and provide a keepsake of your conifer nature study.

Conifer Nature Study Is Perfect for All Seasons and Studies

The Constant Conifers guide is versatile and can be used in any season, making it a perfect addition to any general botany study. Whether you’re a seasoned nature enthusiast or just starting your journey, this guide offers valuable insights and fun for learners of all ages and styles.

Don’t Miss Out!

Even if you’ve thoroughly studied deciduous trees, there’s always more to discover with Constant Conifers. This guide will keep your family engaged and learning science through the lens of nature study, sparking curiosity and a deep appreciation for botany.

Charter-Friendly

Format

PDF
Grade Level

1st-8th Grades
Is Printing Necessary?

Some
Suitable for Black and White Printing

Yes
Pages

60

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Inspirational literature suggestions
  • Background information for the parent or teacher concerning the main focus of the nature topic
  • An abundance of creative nature walks
  • Follow-up hands-on activity ideas
  • Writing and research ideas that encompass several subject areas
  • References for Bible study, artist study, composer study and poetry tie-ins
  • Child-friendly internet links and book lists for further study
  • Ideas for adapting the material for younger and older children, as well as ideas for groups of children
  • Several colorful, prepared notebooking pages
  • General nature study suggestions

The NaturExplorers series was written with 1st-8th graders in mind. The curriculum activities are adaptable for all ages, though; specific ideas are included for incorporating your older and younger students. We have personally used NaturExplorers with children from three to fifteen, with all ages (even adults) drawn in almost magically.

Yes! Most of the ideas can easily be used with groups of children—traditional classrooms, homeschool co-ops, summer camps, after-school programs, 4-H programs, and more. Additionally, there is a small section of ideas written specifically for groups.

Any homeschooler using any homeschooling style will find NaturExplorers guides useful.  Charlotte Mason homeschoolers will love the ideas for tying in poetry, artist and composer studies, and the living literature lists to enhance learning.  Those who use unit studies will be excited that most of what they need for a full unit study is already here.  Unschoolers will appreciate the ability to implement ideas at just the right time easily.  Project-based homeschoolers will be excited at many project ideas that meet many learning styles.  Traditional and Classical homeschoolers can pull as little or as much from the ideas as they desire.

New homeschoolers and teachers will appreciate the thoroughly laid-out ideas, while veteran homeschoolers and teachers will be thankful that the ideas are already pulled together and ready to use.

It depends entirely on how you decide to use the curriculum.  Since the guides are extremely flexible, you might spend a week, two weeks, a month, or more immersing your family in one topic – much like a unit study. If you need nature walk ideas, you might spend one month or one year on a single topic. Either way, you’ll have plenty of ideas to keep you busy!

The beauty of each study is its adaptability. You can pick one nature walk and put the book down, or take nature walks repeatedly focusing on the same nature topic and not run out of new ideas for a long time. The nature topic can be used as a full-fledged, science-based unit study if desired. Besides math and phonics, you will find ideas for virtually every other subject. Some of the guides even include a hands-on math idea or two!

No need to worry! The NaturExplorers curriculum is not dependent on the literature suggestions. You are free to find other books on the same topic or leave extra reading out completely.

This answer varies depending on the part of the world in which you live.  A sample list provided below is most appropriate for those who enjoy each of the four seasons in their fullness.  Keep an eye open in your area; you’ll soon see which topics are most appropriate during a particular season.

Spring

  • Animal Signs
  • Beautiful Birds
  • Captivating Clouds
  • Constant Conifers
  • Delightful Deciduous Trees
  • Everchanging Erosion
  • Frogs and Toads
  • A Fungus Among Us
  • Hard as a Rock
  • Incredible Creeks
  • Peaceful Ponds
  • Remarkable Rain
  • Wonderful Wildflowers
  • Nature Study Through the Holidays: Easter

Summer

  • Animal Signs
  • Beautiful Birds
  • Butterflies Flutter By
  • Captivating Clouds
  • Constant Conifers
  • Delightful Deciduous Trees
  • Everchanging Erosion
  • Flying Creatures of the Night
  • Frogs and Toads
  • Fruits and Nuts
  • Hard as a Rock
  • Incredible Creeks
  • Peaceful Ponds
  • Remarkable Rain
  • Spectacular Spiders
  • Wonderful Wildflowers

Autumn

  • Animal Signs
  • Beautiful Birds
  • Butterflies Flutter By
  • Captivating Clouds
  • Constant Conifers
  • Coping with the Cold
  • Delightful Deciduous Tres
  • Everchanging Erosion
  • Fruits and Nuts
  • A Fungus Among Us
  • Hard as a Rock
  • Incredible Creeks
  • Peaceful Ponds
  • Remarkable Rain
  • Spectacular Spiders
  • Wonderful Wildflowers
  • Nature Study Through the Holidays: Advent

Winter

  • Animal Signs
  • Beautiful Birds
  • Captivating Clouds
  • Constant Conifers
  • Coping with the Cold
  • Delightful Deciduous Trees
  • Everchanging Erosion
  • Hard as a Rock
  • Snow and Ice

No way! While each NaturExplorers guide focuses on a particular topic, the lessons are not dependent on any particular things within that topic. For instance, if you can access any flower anywhere in the world, you can use the Wonderful Wildflower guide. Or, if you have access to any deciduous tree, you can use the Delightful Deciduous Trees guide.

You’ll find plenty of indoor learning suggestions, including hands-on activities, kid-friendly research projects, booklists, and more. However, much of the curriculum relies heavily on experiencing nature through creative nature walks. While you could still use the guides without taking the nature walks, you may want to consider the Nature Study Made Easy series instead.

No, the NaturExplorers series looks at nature through the lens of creation-based science and includes some Bible lessons.

You can always email a picture or story to me at cindy@ourjourneywestward.com. Better yet, share pictures of your adventures on social media and tag me @ourjourneywestward!

In regards to the downloadable curriculum and freebies on Our Journey Westward:

When purchasing a downloadable product, you are purchasing a license to use the product, not the product itself. The license is not transferable.

Each download is meant for single family use. You may keep a copy of the e-file on personal devices and print the file for personal use.

Please Don’t:

  • Share or link to the e-file directly; link to the blog post or product page instead.

  • Alter the e-files in any way.

  • Sell, distribute, or give away the e-files in any way.

  • Host an e-file on your website or upload it to a shared website.

A teacher of a co-op or classroom may use an e-file with her students. She may keep a copy of the e-file on personal devices and print it in its entirety for her use. She may make multiple copies of student pages as necessary.

She may not share the e-file with other teachers, even if they are team teachers. Each teacher needs to purchase her own copy of the curriculum file.

Please Don’t:

  • Share or link to the e-file directly; link to the blog post or product page instead.

  • Alter the e-files in any way.

  • Sell, distribute, or give away the e-files in any way.

  • Host an e-file on your website or upload it to a shared website.

Some folks enjoy creating additional notebook pages, worksheets, charts, etc., to accompany the NaturExplorers studies and other Our Journey Westward publications. The pages you create must only be used with your children and may NOT be sold for profit or shared with others (online or otherwise) as free enhancements, go-alongs, or otherwise.

While Our Journey Westward is pleased you enjoy our products and wish to create derivative materials, doing so without authorization violates copyright law. In other words, it is considered theft of intellectual property rights. We trust that you will understand the importance of this and thank you for your cooperation.

If you wish to create derivative materials for sale or as freebies, please contact us to discuss possible permission.

If unsatisfied with a PDF product, your entire purchase price will gladly be refunded. We only ask that you please request a refund within two weeks of purchase and delete the file from your computer. Thank you for respecting these terms. Please contact us for a refund that meets these criteria.

The following curricula meet the requirements of charter schools to remain neutral on religion.

The following professional development materials remain neutral on religion.

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