Inside Preparation Work:
- Read pages 751-752 in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson #211). This lesson includes instructions for creating your own crystals and then observing them but you may want to use the Additional Links below for complete and thorough instructions using materials that can be found in your local grocery store.
- Grow some crystals and record the growth in your nature journal.
- Advanced Study: Grow different kinds of crystals and compare them in your nature journal.
- Advanced Study: This is an interesting video with more information on snow crystals: Snowflake Safari.
Outdoor Hour Time:
- Ice and snow are crystals you may have access to for this Outdoor Hour Challenge. Talk about crystals and then perhaps use a magnifying glass to examine some snow for crystals (make sure to watch the snowflake video above). You can also glean ideas and find more information on snow in the Winter Snow challenge.
- If you don’t have ice and snow crystals to observe, go on a cold weather hunt using the ideas from this printable: Winter Nature Walk.
Follow-Up Activity:
- Create a nature journal entry answering some of the following questions.
What is a crystal?
How did you create a crystal? What materials did you dissolve to make crystals?
What shape were the crystals you grew?
What did the surface of your crystals look like? Were they shiny?
- Notebook pages included in the ebook: Crystal and Advanced Crystal.
Additional Links:
- Borax Crystals and video http://youtu.be/ibKCsN3amTo
- Epsom Salt Crystals
- Alum Crystal and video http://youtu.be/oy5xgoFAcRs
- Salt and Vinegar Crystals
- You may also be interested in the Salt Study challenge from the OHC archives.
Join us for this series of challenges every week here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
If you want to purchase the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook so you can follow along with all the notebooking pages, coloring pages, and subject images, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Winter Nature Study Continues Ebook Announcement page for more details.
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