Our Products

Our products make hands-on, land-based, earth science learning more accessible for educators, students and enthusiasts. The curriculum-specific Rock and Mineral Identification guides will help you gain knowledge, develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and learn to observe geologically.  The forms and tables will allow you to document all your discoveries. The Field Trip Planning Guide introduces a 7-step scientific approach for planning all aspects of a fun-filled and unique field trip adventure.

 

ROCK AND MINERAL IDENTIFICATION GUIDES

These guides are designed to be a classroom ready, curriculum-specific, instructional resource for learning how to identify rocks and minerals. They include inquiry-based, hands-on activities which will build observational skills that are applicable to many subjects, not just Earth science. They are written with common vocabulary understandable for Grade 4 students and include simple illustrations, informational tables and large colour photographs.

Pebble Guide, Learning Rock Names

This classroom resource serves two purposes. It provides basic, introductory geological information about the Earth’s layers, the Rock Cycle, and the three rock types. The second part introduces a strategy,  “3Ps Make a Rock”, for learning rock names and includes a rock identification form and key. The rock samples are based on pebbles collected from beaches on the north shore of the Minas Basin. A glossary of geological terms is also included.
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How to Identify Rocks and Minerals

This newer guide includes the same information on learning rock names as the Pebble Guide, but with some updated illustrations and reformatted rock type descriptions of the "3Ps" categories. This guide introduces the Rock Identification Mat. This is a new activity that builds observational skills as students sort rocks into rock types by identifying rock textures and patterns. An additional section on minerals explains the common physical properties of minerals and how to use simple tools to identify them. This guide includes a mineral identification form and key for 15 common minerals.
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CLASSROOM ROCK AND MINERAL KIT

This kit includes all the teacher and student resources you will need to instruct lessons on rock and mineral identification in your classroom. The teacher resources include a USB stick with a lesson plan, copies of the resource materials used in the classroom, and a list of weblinks with useful geology-related resources. The student resources include a rock and mineral identification guide, hand lens, ruler, and student workbook. The classroom kit includes up to 5 group kits meant for group activities with 4 to 6 students. Each group kit contains 14 rock samples, 15 mineral samples, rock mat, a mineral tool kit and copies of forms and tables used for rock and mineral identification.

The materials in this kit are used for our In-Class Instruction and Workshops on rock and mineral identification. The kit is also available for teachers to loan at no charge.
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TRIP PLANNING

Field Trip Planning Teacher Guide

This guide explains a straightforward step by step process for planning and conducting a field trip, including the pre-field trip assessment; the student-led field trip; and the post-field trip evaluation phases of the field trip planning process. The field trip planning process uses the example of a field trip to a beach for a rock identification activity.  The guides can easily be adapted for any subject or type of field trip.
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