Loupe Learning

We broke out some tools to start learning about and with. I had learned of this great program several months back from a fellow homeschooler and we decided it would make a great addition to next year's science plan... and well, just our learning experience over all. Loupes along with a book called The Private Eye, here is their site: The Private Eye

I am in the process of reading the book to better prepare myself for a rich program with the loupes. So, we have not taken a serious approach to them yet. Instead I am letting my children become familiar with them and practice proper holding, use, focus and care of their loupes. We have used them on several occasions now and have had many discussions on the care and use of them. Towards the end of summer we will try an activity from the book in a lesson fashion. For now, it's all fun!

Holly decided to get out her rock and fossil collection the other day -- a great chance to also break out the loupes. Using the loupes kind of changed the normal experience to more in depth discussion on what things looked like. She slowed down and took a moment to look at the details. She found similarities in different materials, she showed differences to me that from the naked eye -- looked the same. As well, we learned not to scrape the lens on the rocks, Hudson mastered which way to use the loupe and they both had a really good time!

Nature Imprints

Earlier this week Holly did some Nature Imprints from items she has been collecting all fall. Using airy drying clay from Crayola was wonderful, required no baking and is pretty clean to work with. I am excited to have found this clay and have so many ideas to try now... I cannot wait! Anyhow, this was a rather easy project but takes time as the clay does have to dry before you can paint them.

To start she made several small balls and then pressed them flat with the lid of the clay, making sure not to make them too thin. Then she chose various items and pressed them into the clay attempting to get the best detail she could. Be warned that more delicate objects like a helicopter (maple seeds) and fresh leaves will most likely tear when removing them from the clay. After she was finished she set them out to day. Two days later she painted them in natural colors from her iridescent watercolors. They are absolutely lovely additions to her Nature Display! This could make for a really fun themed nature project such as a leaf study or pine cone study where a child makes a collection from those items. The possibilities are endless!

Nature Display

We spend a lot of time outdoors, ideally some time each day. We meet up with friends to play at parks a lot. We spend time taking family walks. We do some small hikes while camping. We camp. We are part of an active Nature Club. My point is.... we are outside a lot. Which means we collect many treasures from the natural world!!!

With those treasures my daughter has collections happening all over the house. She has treasure boxes, collection bags, a back pack, tubs in the garage and bits lined up on the back of her bed.

To find a purpose for her collections we have created a Nature Display. I'd like to say table and maybe someday it will be, but for now it is a display. We have had one off and on throughout our homeschooling journey. Over time I have had to take it down so that my counter feels less cluttered, giving mommy a small mental break from clutter. It was time to set our Nature Display back up.

For our display I have collected some wooden trays, bowls and a great cubed wooden display piece from garage sales. My mind is always thinking about learning when I find a good garage sale - these were great finds in my mind! The little containers make wonderful places for small collections - such as acorns. Or, a great display place for a special item you want to feature. We always keep a magnifying glass handy in our Nature Display and I try to leave some room for new additions or trade-outs. It is ever changing and sometimes seasonal.

Fall is the best time of year to start a Nature Display I feel. So many seeds to find, pine cones litter the ground, nuts are easy to gather, dried grass seeds are plenty and the colors are beautiful to preserve! If you don't already have a Nature Table or Nature Display... I highly recommend one. It is one of Holly's favorite places in our home!