Outdoor Hour Challenge
Insects with a Magnifying Lens
“In elementary grades, nature study deals with objects which the children can see with the naked eye. However, a lens is a help in almost all of this work because it is such a joy to the child to gaze at the wonders it reveals.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 9
Let’s face it. Sometimes we need to add a little special interest into our nature time. We can be doing everything “right” by making time for outdoor exploring with our children but it can fall flat if the children get distracted. One of my secret weapons is a magnifying lens. Tuck the lens in with your nature study items when you go on a hike or even when exploring your own backyard. Pull the magnifier out if you see the attention of your children wandering. Model how to use the lens with something simple and then see if you can challenge your children to find an insect to view. Even better, for advanced students, challenge them to find an insect wing to observe up close.
You also may be interested in reading more ideas and suggestions for a Magnifying Lens Study that I wrote a for my readers.
Here is the original Outdoor Hour Challenge for a magnifying lens: Outdoor Hour Challenge #8 (from the Getting Started ebook). The ebook provides the challenge as shown above as well as custom notebook pages for your follow up nature journal if desired.
This challenge is found in the Getting Started ebook which is included in every level of membership.
