Books
🌿🌻Nerdy Babies: Rocks by Emmy Kastner
🌿🌻Nature Baby: Rocks by Brett Ortler
🌿🌻Little Kids’ First Big Book of Rocks, Minerals, and Shells by Moira Rose Donahue
🌿All the Rocks We Love by Lisa Varchol Perron
🌿A Pocket full of Rocks by Kristin Mahoney
🌿When You Find the Right Rock by Mary Lyn Ray
🌿A Rock Can Be by Laura Purdie Salas
🌿I’m Trying to Love Rocks by Bethany Barton
🌿Volcanoes by Nell Beckerman Cross
🌿Caves by Nell Beckerman Cross
🌿Home in the Cave by Janet Halfman
🌿Amara and the Bats by Emma Reynolds
🌿The Perfect Rock by Sarah Nobel
🌿Home on the Earth: A Song about Earth’s Layers by Laura Purdie Salas
Kid Scientist: Volcano Experts on the Edge by Mia Powell
Hidden Gem by Linda Liu
Little Climber by Danielle Sarli
Creative Art Opportunities
🪨Draw on a stone with colored chalk
🪨Paint flat slate with water
🪨Arrange small stones in a tray of fine sand
🪨Sculpt damp sand
🪨Sprinkle fine sand over wet paint
Hands On Experiences
⛅️Sort small stones by attributes (size, color, shape, etc.)
⛅️Sift through dry sand and pebbles
⛅️Pan for crystals in sand and water
⛅️Build a cairn of small stones (never near a wild stream)
⛅️Watch sea salt (or natural rock salt) dissolve in water
⛅️Make rock candy
⛅️Build with rocks and mud (or a blended mortar of old rice)
🌿Test soil composition: Scoop backyard soil into a clear glass of water, stir, and measure the separated layers of silt, clay, and sand when the soil settles
🌿Search for quartz stones in rock beds
🌿Visit a cave
🌿Make pictures and sculptures in the sand on a beach
Songs to Learn and Sing
“Treasure Hunting (Agate)” – Jessie Farrel & the Gumboot Kids
“I Collect Rocks” – Al Simmons
“Under a Rock” – Caspar Babypants
“Deep Dark Cave” – Makin’ Music Rockin’ Rhymes
“Shine Your Light (Cave)” – Jessie Farrel & the Gumboot Kids
“Echo Echo” – Jessie Farrel & the Gumboot Kids
“Bitty Bitty Bat” – Stephanie Leavell (video includes lyrics and limited animation)
“Pan for Gold” – Jessie Farrel & the Gumboot Kids
“Dinosaurs (Fossils)” – Jessie Farrel & the Gumboot Kids
“Geodes” – Carrie Newcomer
“Bottle Caps” – Laurie Berkner
NIYN – Rocks & Minerals on Spotify
NIYN – Rocks & Minerals on YouTube
All playlists are works in progress and are actively curated when I have a unit in play or preparation, so new songs may appear and old songs may be removed if they don’t suit my designs.
Nature In Your Nurture 