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NaturExplorers curriculum cover with example pages laid out.

Hard as a Rock

$28.00

Uncover the Hidden Treasures of Rocks! Rocks might seem ordinary at first glance, but once you dig into this nature study, you’ll discover they’re full of incredible treasures. Get ready to see rocks in a whole new light – and even find out what’s living in the dark underneath them.

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Explore Rocks and Habitats with a Rock Nature Study!

Learn about the unique qualities of rocks and uncover the life beneath them in an engaging, nature-based science study. This comprehensive guide transforms rocks from mundane to mesmerizing, making geology an adventure for young learners.

Exciting Outdoor Adventures

Through a variety of nature walk suggestions, you’ll:

Learn about rock formation from a creationist viewpoint.
Discover the rock cycle and its wonders.
Identify various rock types and test their characteristics.
Find fossils and signs of weathering.
Explore much more in the world of rocks!

Delve into Life Under Rocks

The second part of the Hard as a Rock nature study sends you on an exciting journey to literally uncover the hidden creatures living beneath rocks. Through nature walk observations and experiments, you’ll discover snails, slugs, ants, earthworms, pillbugs, and many more fascinating creatures.

Hands-On Learning at Home

Keep the excitement going indoors with activities that include:

Making edible and non-edible rock models.
Creating 3-D landforms.
Conducting a displacement experiment.
Building a habitat from rocks.
And engaging in oodles more creative projects.

Broaden Your Knowledge

Kid-friendly research projects will inspire you to:

Learn about early rockhounds and their discoveries.
Understand isopods and their characteristics.
Differentiate between minerals and rocks.
Explore historical rock landmarks and their significance.
And, again, so much more!

Sixteen notebooking pages complement the activities, providing a structured way to document your discoveries during nature walks and supporting activities.

Integrate Faith and Science

The Hard as a Rock nature study offers a creationist perspective on geology, presenting the young-earth origin of rocks in simple terms. This guide helps you explain the formation and types of rocks to your children in a way that aligns with your faith.

Versatile and Comprehensive

The lessons can be used perfectly with any geology or general earth science study. They also complement studies of soil, erosion, insects, and spiders, making them a versatile addition to your homeschooling resources.

Ignite a Passion for Rocks

After completing this study, rocks will no longer seem dull. Instead, you and your children might develop a newfound passion for rock collecting and geology!

Start Your Rock Nature Study Today!

The Hard as a Rock nature study will help your children uncover the incredible things about the stones beneath your feet. Grab a copy of the curriculum and start exploring today to spark a love for nature and science. This guide could keep your family busy for weeks!

Charter-Friendly	No
Format	PDF
Grade Level	1st-8th Grades
Is Printing Necessary?	Some
Suitable for Black and White Printing	Yes
Pages	63

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.

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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.

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

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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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