![Using science to take a closer look at nature](https://i0.wp.com/blog.dma.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/firsttuesday_4_2013_3.jpg?resize=500%2C667)
Using science to take a closer look at nature
We usually think of scientists and artists as working in completely different spaces: a white coat-clad researcher gazes into a microscope in a sterile lab while a painter wearing a paint-smeared apron brushes color onto a canvas in a cluttered studio.
But this past First Tuesday, families tried their hand at becoming science-artists and investigating nature through both a scientific and artistic lens. In the art studio, children used celery, bell peppers, zucchini, apples, and oranges as their art tools to create one-of-a-kind nature prints. The unique patterns and shapes of the food we eat everyday make surprisingly beautiful images.
![Using natural materials to create art](https://i0.wp.com/blog.dma.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/firsttuesday_4_2013.jpg?resize=500%2C375)
Using natural materials to create art
Meanwhile in the tech lab, aspiring scientists used magnifying glasses to take a closer look at shells, rocks, flowers, and leaves. Looking at nature samples on the light box was illuminating in more ways than one!
![Investigating nature samples on a light box](https://i0.wp.com/blog.dma.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/firsttuesda_4_2013_2.jpg?resize=500%2C375&ssl=1)
Investigating nature samples on a light box
Spring is the perfect time to head outside with your sketch pad and magnifying glass to explore nature as a science-artist!
Leah Hanson
Manager of Early Learning Programs