Magnifying glasses

Last week I asked the children what they thought about scientists.  I was impressed by a general understanding that scientists are learners of the world.  By the end of these investigations the children will have different answers and ideas.  

In order to be a scientist you will need specific tools.  We looked at a variety of tools and the children signed a safety contract.  After that, they were ready to start using tools for their purpose.

I started out by showing the children some video clips of a few entomologists at work.  What does a "bug scientist" need to do their job?  Why would they need those tools?  In fact, what is their job?  How can using tools make their job easier?

One of the students mentioned a magnifying glass so we started talking about it.  We talked about how an entomologist could use a magnifying glass.  I then provided some guided activities for the students to get used to the tool and use it scientifically.

The first activity was a letter search.  What letter did they see?

I noticed how most of the children held the magnifying glass right up to their face.  We talked about how that actually makes things more blurry.  The children then were asked to find an item in the room that they would like to see up close.  They examined it and shared their findings.

If you'd like to see what your child did, come in the classroom and ask for their science notebooks!