Can you guess what this is?

Kayaking, 7 new chicks, and beekeeping classes have kept me busy this summer. I hope I’m not neglecting the “farm!” But I have stumbled on to the most incredible invention and am exploring it for use in elementary schools. It’s called a Foldscope, a cardboard, folded origami-type microscope with 140x magnification, that fits in your pocket and costs a fraction of a science textbook. (Yes, I know…I have an origami kayak, too!) Every 5th grader should have one and I’d like to develop the science curriculum for the year that would center around it. Developed by a Standford professor to put in the hands of health care providers in third world villages….and so many other uses. So I have been having fun exploring the anatomy of a honeybee. This is a photo of the bee’s hindwing. You can clearly see the hamuli, or hook-shaped projections, that connect to the forewing while the bee is in flight. AMAZING! (A foldscope with accessories and training, costs $19.95)