Microscopes are a scientific instrument that all kids should get a chance to learn how to use. There are so many everyday things that look really amazing up-close. Under a microscope you can see that objects and even plants and animals are made of tiny intricate parts. The microscopic world is amazing! In this post I share 40 things to try looking at up-close under a microscope.
1. A feather
2. Soil
3. An insect wing
4. A human hair
5. An animal hair
6. Pond water
7. Diatomacious earth- diatomacious earth looks SO cool magnified!
8. Cheek swab
9. An insect leg
10. A drop of blood
11. Mold
12. Sand
13. A shaving from a chicken bone- try both a piece of hard bone from the outside and some spongy bone from inside a bone.
14. Kombucha
15. Snake or lizard skin after they shed
16. A flower petal
17. A sliver of wood
18. Sugar
19. Salt- try different types
20. Thread
21. Saliva
22. A spider web
23. Breast milk- breastmilk is really amazing up close. You can see some of it's living components!
24. Dairy milk
25. An egg shell
26. Dust
27. An ant
28. Whiskers
29. Onion skin- a great one for learning about plant cells!
30. Yeast- try both dry and wet activated yeast.
31. Fingernail clippings
32. Moss
33. Pollen- another really cool one to see up close.
34. Leaves
35. Algae
36. Pine needles
37. Chalk
38. Snow- you'll want to chill your slides first and work outside so your flakes don't melt.
39. Ear wax- a little gross, I know, but earwax looks pretty cool up close.
40. Orange juice
For young children, elementary school aged and younger, you can easily get by with an affordable kid or toy microscope. We had The Beginner Microscope Kit from PBOX when my girls were younger. It was only $12.00 on Amazon and I'm still very impressed with how well it worked. This microscope has 3 magnifications: 100x, 400x, and 1,200x. The 1,200x setting is a bit blury, but what do you expect for $12.00?
40 Things To Look At Under A Microscope:
1. A feather
2. Soil
3. An insect wing
4. A human hair
5. An animal hair
6. Pond water
7. Diatomacious earth- diatomacious earth looks SO cool magnified!
8. Cheek swab
9. An insect leg
10. A drop of blood
11. Mold
12. Sand
13. A shaving from a chicken bone- try both a piece of hard bone from the outside and some spongy bone from inside a bone.
14. Kombucha
15. Snake or lizard skin after they shed
16. A flower petal
17. A sliver of wood
18. Sugar
19. Salt- try different types
20. Thread
21. Saliva
22. A spider web
23. Breast milk- breastmilk is really amazing up close. You can see some of it's living components!
24. Dairy milk
25. An egg shell
26. Dust
27. An ant
28. Whiskers
29. Onion skin- a great one for learning about plant cells!
30. Yeast- try both dry and wet activated yeast.
31. Fingernail clippings
32. Moss
33. Pollen- another really cool one to see up close.
34. Leaves
35. Algae
36. Pine needles
37. Chalk
38. Snow- you'll want to chill your slides first and work outside so your flakes don't melt.
39. Ear wax- a little gross, I know, but earwax looks pretty cool up close.
40. Orange juice
Buying A Microscope For Your Homeschool:
When choosing a microscope for your homeschool there are several factors to consider:
-How old are your kids? Young children are probably fine with a very basic microscope. Older kids may appreciate a microscope with higher magnification and more features.
-What do you want to use it for?
Are you primarily wanting to look at things like insects, plants, feathers, and rocks up close? If that's the case you can get away with a microscope without especially high magnification capabilities. 500x magnification should be plenty. If you are wanting to view things that are actually microscopic like cells and microorganisms, you'll want a microscope with 1000x magnification.
-What's your budget? Higher power magnification microscopes tend to cost more than low to medium magnification microscopes. Digital microscopes tend to be a little pricier than conventional optical microscopes.
My Microscope Reccomendations:
For young children, elementary school aged and younger, you can easily get by with an affordable kid or toy microscope. We had The Beginner Microscope Kit from PBOX when my girls were younger. It was only $12.00 on Amazon and I'm still very impressed with how well it worked. This microscope has 3 magnifications: 100x, 400x, and 1,200x. The 1,200x setting is a bit blury, but what do you expect for $12.00?
For more information on this product, click here.
If your looking for something that's better quality but still good for younger kids, I really love our Cassini LCD digital microscope (500x). It's easy to focus and the LCD screen makes viewing easy for younger kids. This microscope isn't a great choice for looking at truly microscopic things, but it's great for looking at things like insects, plants, and rocks up-close.
We also have a Bebang Ultra Power microscope (up to 2000x). This is the one we use for looking at microscope slides. Considering I paid less than $100 for it on Amazon, I have been very impressed with this scope! The 2000x magnification setting doesn't have the best resolution, but the 1000x setting is very clear when properly focused. If you want a microscope with high resolution at higher magnifications, you'll be spending quite a bit of money, and honestly it's just not necessary for general education.
The AMSCOPE is another affordable microscope with excellent reviews. I have not tried this one personally though.
The AMSCOPE is another affordable microscope with excellent reviews. I have not tried this one personally though.
Another very affordable microscope option is pocket microscopes. A pocket microscope is exactly what it sounds like- a microscope that fits in your pocket. Pocket microscopes typically don't have especially high magnification capabilities, but their small size and sturdy design makes them perfect for taking on nature walks and other outdoor adventures. We own several Carson MicroBite Plus microscopes and have been very happy with them.
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We also tried pond scum and mold this year; very cool!
ReplyDeleteLove your ideas! I've never thought to look at breast milk under the microscope!
ReplyDeleteWe have just looked at water taken from our bird bath, fantastic .
ReplyDelete