Collections Up Close
When I saw the magnifying glass at my cheap shop for less than three dollars, I didn’t even hesitate. I knew my daughter would get hours of entertainment out of it, and I’d certainly get my money’s worth.
She has actually used her magnifying glass outside every day for the past week! Firstly we talked about what it was made of, and what would happen if she dropped it. (I don’t think we need to only give our kids plastic things.) I showed her how far away she needed to hold it so that items appeared enlarged. Then she set off exploring the back yard. She spent a few days just looking. She looked at flowers, seeds, bark, nuts and leaves up close. She followed a moth around that refused to stay still, and investigated a trail of ants.
Once the novelty of that wore off, we started a collection of little things. I already had a tray perfect for displaying a collection which I picked up second hand for about a dollar. We looked around together for interesting little bits of nature to fill each compartment. At first it was slow going, but before we knew it the tray was full of gumnuts, feathers, coloured leaves, seedpods, and more.
What a low stress, low mess, lovely way to spend a few afternoons.
Cath – where did you get the little divider tray that is great. Would love some of those.
@Michele – it was one of those bargains I picked up on ebay for a dollar! Had no idea what it would be good for at the time…
My girls got magnifying glasses for Christmas last year – I figured they were a small easy and fun gift to give as we were away camping. They have been the best few dollars ever spent – hours of fun!
Totally LOVE your sorting tray – had something similar when I was teaching, so many things you can use it for!
We love magnifying glasses, too! Haven’t gotten them out in a while – thanks for the reminder!
The most fun my girls had with them wasn’t so much in the backyard, as up each others’ noses! lol
My son has a large collection of magnifying glasses – he even keeps on in the car, and spends many a journey inspecting his hands with it.
Great wee collection tray.
@JanMary – I love that you just used “wee” in a comment on my blog and it had nothing to do with toilet training! LOL
I love the case Cath. What a lovely way to display all the interesting and very special discoveries. Don’t you just love the odd things you find on ebay or in cheap shops and op shops, then later find a great use for them. What treasure!
[...] time to just be. Kids need that, and mums do too. We spent the morning in the backyard making nature collections together, and discovered that half of the collection tray was taken up with interesting [...]