"Make the lesson an investigation and make the pupils feel that they are investigators…….The ‘leading thought’ embodies some of the points which should be in the teacher’s mind while giving the lesson; it should not be read or declared to the pupils……..The outlines for observations herein given by no means cover all of the observations possible; they are meant to suggest to the teacher observations of her own, rather than to be followed slavishly….If the questions do not inspire the child to investigate, they are useless.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 23
More Nature Study #8
Fall Leaf Study - Close Up
Inside Preparation Work:
- Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 9-10 (The Lens, Microscope, and Field Glass As Helps in Nature Study).
- Have on hand a magnifying glass to use as part of this leaf challenge. You can see more ideas on my: Squidoo Lens on Magnifying Lenses.
Outdoor Hour Time:
- Spend your Outdoor Hour time in your own backyard or neighborhood.
- Look at the various kinds of leaves and have your child point out several that capture their interest.
- Choose four or five leaves to collect and bring home to look at with the magnifying lens.
- Use the hand lens to make careful observations of your leaves. One at a time have your child describe what he sees as he looks at the leaf carefully. Record your results in your nature journal (or use the notebook page in the ebook).
- Press your leaves to add to your nature journal at a future date. You can watch my YouTube video to learn how to do this with simple household items.
- Advanced Follow-Up: Use this LINK and scroll down to the section, “Taking a Closer Look At Plant Cells”. Make your own leaf slides to look at under your microscope. Here is a LINK to view many leaves up close. Ebook Users - Use the Leaf Morphology page and the notebook page to complete your study.
- Advanced Follow-Up: Read this article on Wikipedia: Leaf. Read this page that illustrates Leaf Margins and Shapes (love this page with the clear images).
It is getting very close to the end of the month and the next edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Outdoor Hour Challenge entries that were written in the month of October 2011 are all eligible and are due to me no later than October 30, 2011. The carnival is posted on the last day of each month. You can enter at this link: Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival Submission Form. 
