Adventures With Rocks and Outdoor Stuff and More

As an educator, I have been working with kids for over 10 years helping them connect with the environment and become comfortable in the outdoors. As a rockhound, prospector, and outdoor enthusiast, teaching kids about natural resources and instilling in them an excitement about the world around them comes naturally to me. Often, courses like geology and other sciences are difficult for kids to grasp in the classroom. By giving kids a fun connection to the environment through rockhounding, prospecting, hiking, paddling, climbing, and camping they can more easily understand and appreciate these disciplines. Instilling in them a love for the outdoors engages kids in healthy activities and makes learning fun. I have worked with kids from 5 years old to high school, however, the majority of my experience is with grades 2 through 5. While I have taught within the confines of a physical classroom in a building, the largest portion of my experience is outdoors with the natural environment as the classroom. Educational materials that I create are designed as a supplement to traditional classroom curriculum, and can be used both indoors and out. My products are the result of years of developing teaching materials designed for use in various outdoor education settings. I have worked as a freelance instructor in camp settings, outdoor education programs, afterschool programs, campground classes, and the like. In addition to teaching in programs related to science and geology, I have taught paddling, climbing, caving, outdoor living skills, camping, backpacking, lapidary, and rockhounding/prospecting. It is easy to combine the sciences with these disciplines as the kids are out in the field experiencing first hand the things they are learning about in their classroom curriculum. Learning is fun when they are doing and experiencing exciting outdoor activities and applying what they are learning in interesting and creative ways. For my full CV, visit my website www.AdventuresWithRocks.com