As a family, we love rocks, fossils, and other geological finds. Geology was my main course of study the first time I was a university student. I was also newly saved. That made things a little awkward, to say the least. That’s why I am so pleased to have found some great Biblically-based geology resources to use in our homeschool studies. Northwest Treasures is one of my favorite finds through Schoolhouse Teachers. I was so excited when we were given the opportunity to review two of their online courses, Dinosaurs and The Bible, and Taking the Mystery Out of GeologyTaking the Mystery Out of Geology.
Our youngest son is dino-crazy right now. Even though the course is for grades 5 and older, he enjoyed watching the videos with his high-school sister. He is definitely too young for it at 3rd grade, but there are some other options for younger children. Geology for Little Eyes is an option from Northwest Treasures for your pre-K through 3rd-grade children. You can get the book alone or pick up a collection of samples specific to this curricula. This includes many fossils and even a dinosaur bone!
Though we have spent time throughout the years studying dinosaurs from a Biblical perspective, we still learned some new things. My high schooler found it all interesting. The 6 part video course complemented her biography studies very well. We added one lesson per week. It is set up nicely through Vimeo, remembering which video we are ready for each time we pulled it up. In addition to the video lesson (15-20 minute average) there is a pdf of questions to go along with each section. Answers as well as a comprehensive test and key are included with the video series. It has been very easy for my daughter to sign in and get right to work.
Through the six lessons, we learn when dinosaurs were created, how our modern view of them came to be. We next learn about the classifications and the problems with the system used by secular scientists. The third lesson brings us to the “dinosaur rush” (think gold rush) and the mismatching of some finds. Lesson four looks at causes of dinosaurs disappearance or did they all disappear? With accounts of dragons all around the world throughout history, we think not. In the fifth lesson, we learned about the ice age and its effect on the remaining dinosaurs. The last lesson looks at soft tissue and the problems with the scientific dating.
My daughter who worked through this course feels this has deepened her beliefs in the truth of the Bible. The use of Scripture in the lesson about dinosaur extinction really made an impression on her. She wishes there had been more to expand on the lesson about soft tissue. We’ll be seeking out other courses to further her interest in geology. And getting our hands on some samples that we don’t have from exploring nearby parks.
In studying geology, reading text and looking at charts and maps is nice, but actually getting your hands on samples and conducting experiments is necessary. Geology really is an area of study that needs to be hands-on. Field trips to experience the geology of our National Parks can be taken on your own (be sure to pick up the resources available) or as a group organized by Northwest Treasures. They even have a family geology camp in addition to field trips to a few areas in Yellowstone.
All of the resources from Northwest Treasures are scientifically sound and even more importantly, Biblically sound – Creation-based from a young earth perspective. These are the types of materials that would have made my geology studies even more fulfilling as a student. While the knowledge grows, the faith is deepened.
To read other reviews of the online courses by Homeschool Crew families simply click the image below. Or click here to check out the courses by Patrick Nurre through SchoolhouseTeachers.com.
