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iPad image for a curriculum about Peaceful Ponds. It has a pond in the background with cattails and grasses up close.
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.

Peaceful Ponds

$28.00

Peaceful Ponds May Not Be Quite as Peaceful as They Seem! Learn about surprising pond plants and the incredibly busy animals in and around ponds. Additionally, cover several earth science topics through engaging activities as you discover pond ecosystems.

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A Pond Nature Study Ranks High on the List of Popular Destinations!

Who doesn’t love a pond nature study? Whether enjoying the quiet peacefulness or the busy boisterousness, a trip to a pond is always worthwhile. Ponds are teeming with abundant animal and plant life, offering endless opportunities for observation and learning. Don’t miss out on exploring these amazing freshwater ecosystems!

Year-Round Nature Walks

Choose from over 40 creative nature walks to keep you busy throughout the year. You’ll explore the water’s edge, peer across the surface, and even delve into what’s beneath the water. Here are just a few activities you can expect:

  • Drawing maps
  • Counting insects
  • Measuring water depths
  • Collecting and comparing plants
  • Determining a pond’s health
  • Identifying animals
  • Discovering signs of unseen animals
  • Examining erosion

If you don’t have easy access to a pond, consider nearby parks, zoos, or nature preserves. Many of these locations have at least a small pond for observation.

Engaging Indoor Activities

Back at home, “dive” into over 60 hands-on activities and kid-friendly research-based projects to further explore ponds and their common plants and animals. You might:

  • Observe pond water under a microscope and identify microscopic creatures.
  • Complete a cross-section mural of a pond.
  • Make a pond food chain.
  • Write a story about one of the critters you observed.
  • Classify pond animals in the animal kingdom.
  • Compare fresh and saltwater ecosystems.
  • Learn about photosynthesis in pond plants.
  • Create a diagram of a pond’s life cycle.

Comprehensive and Fun Learning

Peaceful Ponds helps you thoroughly cover plant, animal, and insect life in and around ponds. It also includes earth science topics as you discover various pond types and their impacts on our world. You’ll even find 15 engaging notebooking pages to use during some of the nature walks and activities.

Perfect for Multiple Ages

Ponds make fantastic study locations for all sorts of science topics. This guide taps into children’s natural excitement about ponds to teach earth science and general biology concepts in a fun and memorable way.

Start Your Pond Nature Study Today!

Don’t miss out on the exciting activity ideas in Peaceful Ponds. You’ll love exploring and understanding this vibrant ecosystem!

Charter-Friendly

Format

PDF
Grade Level

1st-8th Grades
Is Printing Necessary?

Some
Suitable for Black and White Printing

Yes
Pages

62

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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