BJU Press Blog

Guest Writer

Preserving Leaves: Fall Color, All Year Long

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preserving leaves in glycerin
I will never forget my most stunning experience with fall color. I was in high school, taking a driver’s education course, and it was time to practice our freeway driving. My driving buddy and I didn’t know where we wanted to go. So, the instructor suggested we drive to the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina. When I was driving, I barely looked at anything but the road. It was only my second time behind the wheel! But, when my driving buddy took over, I was able to look out at all the beauty of God’s creation around me. And what a sight it was! I didn’t take a camera with me, so all I have are memories. Wouldn’t it be exciting to keep that fall color around? Preserving leaves with glycerin is easy!

Preserving Fall Leaves

If the beauty of fall has a special place in your heart, you might want to try preserving fall leaves with glycerin. Glycerin is a natural preservative that you can find in the health and beauty section of your local store. You’ll find the rest of what you need around your house and neighborhood. Take your kids on a neighborhood walk to pick some fresh leaves from the trees. If you can find a variety of colors, this activity will be the most interesting.

Pour your small bottle of glycerin into a pie or cake pan. Then fill the container with water twice, adding that to your pan as well. Mix well. Snip the end of the stem off your leaves and pile them into the glycerin mixture. Then add a second pan or a Styrofoam plate with something heavy on top to keep the stems of the leaves submerged. The last ingredient you need is patience. The process takes several days. Small leaves may be done in a couple days. Larger ones could take a week. When they are done, the leaves will be shiny and flexible. They will maintain their leafy feel, and the color that remains will last for years.

How Leaves Change Color

Fall leaves change color when the trees cannot produce enough chlorophyll as the days shorten. Chlorophyll is a green substance stored in chloroplasts that allows plants to make energy from sunlight. The yellow and orange colors are also in the chloroplasts of the leaves, but they are hidden by the abundance of green. Some leaves will make a red pigment in fall that helps the leaves stay on the trees longer. This allows the trees to draw most of the nutrients back into the branch before the leaves drop. Harsher, colder fall weather tends to result in more red color.

How Glycerin Preservation Works

So, how does preserving leaves with glycerin? Glycerin follows the water transport pathways that already exist in the leaves. Plants have a tissue called xylem which is specialized for water transport. Cut flowers can soak up water from a vase and remain fresh looking for several days. In the same way, the leaves are soaking up the glycerin which will prevent them from drying out. They are also losing the water they had as the glycerin replaces it. Because the red pigment is not stored in the chloroplast, it will leak out somewhat during glycerin preservation.

Taking It Further

Several variations of this experiment will maximize the learning that takes place.

  1. Compare leaves taken freshly from the trees to leaves collected off the ground. Which ones work better and last longer? The fresh ones will work better, because they were more recently involved in active transport of water. The ones from the ground may have already started to dry out.
  2. Try leaves of different sizes and compare how long it takes for them to incorporate the glycerin. Since the glycerin can only enter the leaves through the cut stem, it will take time for it to travel to the tips. The farther it has to go, the longer it will take. You may want to check all of the leaves after a couple days. You should notice a difference in the large leaves near the stem versus the tips.
  3. Include leaves of multiple colors, and find out which ones maintain their color the best. Some of the leaves will not be as vivid after the glycerin bath. Yellow and orange leaves tend to maintain color the best, because those pigments are stored in the chloroplast. The red chemical is water-soluble and turns the water a reddish-brown color as some of it leaks out.
  4. Put some leaves in water instead of glycerin, and watch what happens to them over time. The leaves in the water bath will eventually dry out and turn brittle. The glycerin leaves will last for years and bring the joy of fall color to your home throughout the year.

glycerin leaves hanging

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Valerie is a wife and a mother to a very busy toddler. In her free time she enjoys reading all kinds of books. She earned a B.S. in Biology from Bob Jones University, minoring in Mathematics, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Ohio State University. Valerie has 15 years of experience working in research laboratories and has coauthored 8 original research articles. She has also taught several classes and laboratories at the high school and college levels. She currently works as a Data Analyst and a freelance writer.

Harvest Themed Homeschool Activities

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harvest themed homeschool activities
What’s not to love about fall? Cooler weather, colorful leaves, apples, and pumpkins are the perfect inspiration for harvest-themed homeschool activities you can enjoy with your family. It’s an ideal season for both indoor and outdoor creativity, so here are just a few ideas to jumpstart your fall plans.

Crafts

Pumpkin Carving

Probably the easiest one to start with is pumpkin carving—a classic harvest tradition. What’s great about it is you can carve just about anything you want into your pumpkins: family initials, leaf shapes, animals, words, etc. If you don’t relish the thought of taking out the insides of pumpkins, you could simply use craft paint to create all sorts of fun designs and pictures on the outside instead of carving them. (Tip: I’ve tried the pumpkins made of foam; they are just as fun to carve and a lot less messy!)

Acorns

Last year, our daughters came up with their own fall craft. We have oak trees behind our house that drop loads of acorns on the ground. Our girls decided to collect acorns and paint them, and in a couple of weeks we had a bowl full of colorful acorns. The girls had fun experimenting with colors and designs. They painted stripes, polka dots, and swirls on the acorns; they painted faces on some of them and made others that looked like bees and ladybugs. It was an easy, cheap activity that provided hours of amusement!

Preserving Leaves

Another popular fall craft is preserving leaves, and this is a simple one to do with younger children. There are several methods, but perhaps the best one for preserving leaves the longest is by using glycerin. You can find it at health food and craft stores or online. Mix a solution of one part glycerin to two parts water in a shallow pan. Place the leaves in the solution and place a heavy pan or dish on top to completely submerge them. Then all you have to do is wait two or three days; by then the leaves should be supple and soft. If they’re still dry, leave them in the solution for another two to three days. When they are pliable, remove them from the pan and gently pat them dry.

Outdoor Homeschool Activities

Nature Walks

A great way to take advantage of cooler fall weather is to take a nature walk with your children. Engage them by asking questions about the different things you see. For example, “Why do the leaves change color and fall?” or “How do we know that fall will continue to come every year?”

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Another enjoyable outdoor activity is a nature scavenger hunt. My husband and I have made a list of several items for our daughters to look for in the woods, including yellow flowers, mushrooms, butterflies, pine cones, moss, a red leaf, a unique rock, and any animal that lives in the woods. The goal is to find as many of these things as possible, and it’s fun to search for them as a family.

Hopefully these are some homeschool activities you can use to create your own special fall family memories!

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

Creative Thinking: Connecting the Dots

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boy reading in hammock for creative thinking
My best friend has always insisted that she is not creative. It’s true that she doesn’t gravitate toward crafty projects. But scrapbooking and making art are not the only ways to be creative. Creative thinking is being able to use what you already know to solve a problem you’ve never seen before. And my friend does that all the time as a doctor in the emergency room. Medical doctors need a strong knowledge base. But they also have to be able to connect that knowledge to the patient sitting in front of them.

Is creative thinking an innate skill, or can you teach it to your children? God, the most creative thinker, made us in His image. Therefore, we all have the potential to think creatively. You can help your children learn to connect prior knowledge to new problems. Here are some ways to instill creative thinking.

Add variety to the learning environment.

You have probably designated a place in your home for learning. The benefit to learning and testing in the same place is that it aids memory and recall. However, varying the environment strengthens the ability to apply knowledge in a new context. Homeschooling allows more opportunity for changing the learning environment than traditional classrooms can. Using a variety of teaching methods also promotes creative thinking. Use analogies in your teaching to connect new concepts back to what your kids already know. The variety of environments and methods promotes a variety of mental connections.

Ask open-ended questions.

Before teaching new content, ask questions like, “Since you know seven times five, how would you solve seven times six? What would you try first?” Notice the hint about what prior knowledge will be helpful to apply. The hint gives your children confidence, when faced with a new question. Asking what they would try first, implies that they may need more than one try to solve the problem. Even outside of school, you can entertain open-ended questions that begin with “What if.” Ask your children to think about what they would do in different scenarios, realistic or imaginary. What if we are on a field trip and you can’t find me? What if you could have any superpower you wanted? Let them imagine scenarios they have not encountered by thinking creatively.

Have them explain in their own words.

Ask your children to describe what they have learned recently to Grandma. You can also ask them to teach a younger sibling what they have learned. They will have to know it well enough to use their own words and make it simple. Even an above average student will benefit from study groups. Explaining content to others helps move that knowledge from short-term to long-term memory. The better they remember information, the more likely they will be able to connect that knowledge to new areas.

Encourage collaboration.

Your children may be able to collaborate on some problems at home. If not, be sure to include interactions with other children in your schedule. Giving kids projects to work on together can increase their confidence when they don’t have all the answers. Connecting with people who think differently broadens the scope of their thinking. Working in groups gives kids confidence to think creatively on their own. At the park recently, I saw a group of Boy Scouts tying knots together. The next time one of them needs a knot, what will he do? He will remember that collaboration and connect the dots from what he learned then to the new problem he faces.

Practice.

After teaching in a way that promotes creative thinking, be sure to practice. Thinking creatively is not limited to science and math. Any subject will do. Like any skill, getting better at creative thinking comes with more practice. Inevitably, your children will be unsuccessful. They may not be able to connect to prior knowledge at first. Some kids will be frustrated when solutions are not easy to find. The word “yet” is valuable. When your child says, “My idea isn’t working,” you can add, “yet.” When she says, “I can’t do this,” again you add, “yet.” Talk to your children about times when you had to try again and again. Remind them that a solution that doesn’t work is useful. You know what won’t work, and now you can try other possibilities. Thomas Edison is credited with saying, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Kids and adults can learn to think creatively with intent and practice. If you’re hoping to teach your children to think creatively, what would you try first?

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Valerie is a wife and a mother to a very busy toddler. In her free time she enjoys reading all kinds of books. She earned a B.S. in Biology from Bob Jones University, minoring in Mathematics, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Ohio State University. Valerie has 15 years of experience working in research laboratories and has coauthored 8 original research articles. She has also taught several classes and laboratories at the high school and college levels. She currently works as a Data Analyst and a freelance writer.

Growing Stronger in Hard Times

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growing stronger in hard times
If these past few months of quarantine have taught us anything, it’s to appreciate all the extra time we’ve been able to spend together as families. Many parents have had time to stop and reevaluate what’s really important for their family life. Despite the hardship of isolation from neighbors, coworkers, friends, and church family, we have all learned invaluable lessons. As this unique trial eases or continues, let’s hold on to these lessons and allow God to use them to strengthen our families so we can be growing stronger even in hard times.

Growing Stronger as a Family

One of the main lessons we’ve learned is that we often allow busyness to overtake our lives. This time of quarantine has forced families to postpone normal activities such as work, sports, and music lessons. All of a sudden, everyone has had a lot more free time on their hands! Families have been able to enjoy simple things like outdoor walks, board games, bonfires, and picnics. We’ve been able to tackle those intended chores and house projects. We’ve been free to pursue new hobbies, such as gardening or crafting. All of these activities have provided special times of bonding with our children and making lasting memories. As this period of isolation wanes, let’s continue to guard our time together and keep busyness to a minimum.

More Time for God

Another vital opportunity we’ve been given during this trial for growing stronger is teaching our children to trust in God more than ever. With so many people living in fear and anxiety, there’s never been a better time to remind our families that God is still sovereign, all-powerful, and good. My husband and I have had several wonderful conversations with our daughters about the Lord. We’ve discussed Bible verses that point us to our hope in Christ, our security in His promises, and His faithfulness to us. One of the main verses that has been an encouragement to us is Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

What a comfort to know that God can use even a virus for good in our lives and for His salvation purposes! We have a peace unbelievers don’t possess or understand. We know that no matter what, God will never forsake us. Nothing can take away our eternal security or our future heavenly home. If you haven’t already, spend some time with your family sharing what God has revealed to you about Himself and His Word during these past few months. Discuss how God wants to grow and strengthen your family as you persevere through this trial, however long it may last.

Special Opportunity

We didn’t ask for, expect, or want this upheaval in our world. But as we keep our focus on the Lord, He can produce lasting spiritual fruit in our lives. Let’s allow God to draw us closer to Him and use our families for His glory during this time!

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

Preparing Your Heart for the New School Year

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preparing your heart for a new school year
It’s that time of year again—time to prepare for the new school year! Your next few weeks will be full of ordering textbooks, tests, worksheets. Shopping for the necessary school supplies. Mapping out the year’s schedule and determining start and end dates. Perhaps you’ve been talking to your children about the upcoming school year to mentally prepare them. Maybe they’ve started arranging their desks or other school spaces. As we make all these preparations, let’s take some time to focus on the most important way we can prepare—spiritually.

Beginning a new academic year is both exciting and challenging, and we need God’s help! So before we become engrossed in all the organizational details, let’s set aside time with our family to prepare our hearts as well as our minds. If our main goal in homeschooling is to glorify God, there’s no better way to prepare than by committing our school year to Him.

Setting Goals for a New School Year

First, take the opportunity to think through some spiritual goals for the new school year. What are some steps of growth you want to take as a family? Perhaps it’s in your prayer life, your gospel witness, or your interaction with each other. Write down your goals and keep them in a visible place. Spend time in prayer, asking the Lord to help you achieve your spiritual goals. Choose at least one verse you can claim, either on your own or with your spouse, for the coming school year. Here are just a few suggestions: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” (Col. 3:23); “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31); “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” (Prov. 16:3); and “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might…” (Eccl. 9:10).

Sharing Goals

Second, take the opportunity to share your goals and Bible verses with your children. Encourage them to write down one or two ways they want to grow in their walk with the Lord that can help them be a better student. For example, “I want God to help me have a better attitude toward English and not complain.” Or, “I want to do my school work wholeheartedly for the Lord, not just to get good grades.” Help them choose a verse they can write along with their goals. Then pray together as a family; this will help solidify your commitment to the Lord.

Taking time to prepare your heart will make a tremendous difference as you begin the new homeschool year. When we align our will with God’s, He is able to do “exceeding abundantly all that we ask or think,” (Eph. 3:20) not only in our homeschooling but also in our spiritual growth.

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.