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Science Sunday: learning how to use a microscope

July 14, 2013 Ticia 17 Comments

 

I mentioned in the Moses and the Burning Bush post that we were studying snakes, well here’s one of our projects.  The boys got a snake skin from the Nature Center, and couldn’t wait to observe it.  It being the ridiculously delicate thing it was, it had already broken into a few smaller pieces, this worked perfectly because I had three stations for the kids.

learning how to use a microscope

A few months ago (and by a few I mean more than 6) I got a deal on The Magic School Bus – Microscope Lab.  I bought it and squirrelled it away for when we got to anatomy, then the snake skin came into play……….

Rules for learning how to use a microscope

  1. First learn how to use a magnifying glass.  A magnifying glass uses the same principles, but is more easy to learn and maneuver.  If you can learn to move things under it, you can move items under a microscope.
  2. You MUST follow directions, because microscopes can be expensive, if you play around you will break an expensive tool.  Which leads us to:
  3. This is a tool not a toy.
  4. Only one kid may use the microscope at a time, there is no horseplay near it.

Procedures for learning how to use a microscope (these will change by microscope)

learning to use a microscope procedures

1.  Know your tools, these are slides, cover slips, and prepared slides.  Before a slide can be put under the microscope, it must have a cover slip or be a prepared slide.

learning to use a microscope ready to work

2.  Be ready to work, have your notebook, and pencil handy.  If you are not ready, then it will become another person’s turn.

procedures to learn how to use the microscope

3.  Ensure the microscope is ready.  Move the barrel all the way to the top, make sure the slide clips are in place so your slide does not move, and make sure the light is flipped off before starting and when ending.

 

We went over all of these steps several times, and then they got to their observations (which I’ll share about later).

snake skin observations

 

Let’s see what others did this week:

Each week I’m spotlighting a few posts that were shared previously.  Many posts get linked up later in the week and they don’t always get as many clicks as they deserve, so I’m trying to spotlight a few every week.

Inspired Montessori and Arts at Dundee Montessori shared a cool tree of life activity that she made.  Now, I want to look into how it’s used in a Montessori classroom.

 

 

Photobucket

 

<div align="center"><a href="https://ticiamessing.com/category/science-sunday/" title="Science Sunday"><img src="https://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g344/Ticia1/AiMScienceSundaycopy.jpg" alt="Science Sunday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Now link up your SCIENCE posts for the week, and then visit some of the other posts linked up and say hi. I’m going to be pinning, commenting, FBing or tweeting all of the posts linked up as the week goes by.

 

 

science Science Sunday

Comments

  1. Lula B says

    July 14, 2013 at 6:21 am

    Sensible microscope rules. I must get round to getting one. Looking forward to hearing more about what they learned. Thanks for hosting 🙂

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      July 15, 2013 at 9:34 pm

      I look forward to putting it together. Someday, I have one more activity I want to get done, we’ll see if it happens.

  2. Phyllis at All Things Beautiful says

    July 14, 2013 at 9:08 am

    This is a great post. I never thought to post about microscope use. Wonderful.

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      July 15, 2013 at 9:35 pm

      Thanks, I have to admit, I almost didn’t write it, but writing these sometimes helps me figure out what my goals are for the future.

  3. Natalie says

    July 14, 2013 at 2:55 pm

    I love your microscope rules. We have a microscope too, but Anna was way too young when we got it out for the first time. She might be more ready now, and I will certainly be introducing your rules then.

    Reply
  4. Mary says

    July 14, 2013 at 3:26 pm

    So Ticia — I just looked at the Magic School Bus microscope and kit on Amazon. It didn’t get very good reviews, but I would be interested to hear what you thought of it. Is it worth it for me to get for Grant (he’ll be 9 soon)?? Thanks for the rules for use… I’m pinning this post!

    Reply
  5. Almost Unschoolers says

    July 14, 2013 at 6:41 pm

    I have a tendency to see my own eye reflected back at me when I look into the lens of a “real” microscope…not my favorite tool.

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      July 15, 2013 at 9:37 pm

      I struggle with that too. I can’t wink, so I have to hold my other eye closed, it’s kind of silly.

  6. Lindsay @ BytesofMemory says

    July 14, 2013 at 7:24 pm

    What fun and great way of teaching how to use a microscope!

    Reply
  7. Amber Hockman says

    July 14, 2013 at 10:12 pm

    I loved, loved, LOVED playing with my microscope as a kid! I felt like I was a real scientist, on the verge of some microscopic discovery- I hope your kiddos feel the same way!

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      July 15, 2013 at 9:43 pm

      I’m hoping they will too.

  8. Hwee says

    July 15, 2013 at 1:57 am

    What a great idea to have rules for the use of microscope. I never thought of doing that. The microscopic world is fascinating. I look forward to reading about what they’ve discovered!

    Reply
  9. maryanne @ mama smiles says

    July 15, 2013 at 7:47 pm

    I am also curious to hear what you think of this microscope – eventually I would like to buy one for my kids, but haven’t had much luck finding one with consistently good reviews.

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      July 15, 2013 at 9:32 pm

      I emailed Mary, since I didn’t have great internet access to answer online, but this way I can make sure everyone hears the answer 🙂

      The microscope isn’t all that great of quality, it’s okay, but rather flimsy. It’s a good start for us because my kids aren’t quite ready for a high quality one because they’re still learning the right skills. The slides that come with it are plastic, and the slip covers are a sticker. Which to me is odd. Probably in a year or so, possibly sooner if they can master using this one.

      I need to do some research to find a better one next time, this one is rather so-so. It’s a good start if you’re dealing with lots of young kids, like in your house, because I doubt they can really damage it. But, you’re not going to get great quality studies from this one.

  10. Claire says

    July 16, 2013 at 3:35 am

    Great Post Ticia!
    Only just now getting enough time to link up, so thanks for hosting!!

    Reply
  11. Andrea @ No Doubt Learning says

    July 16, 2013 at 8:57 am

    This is a great post because microscopes are not toys and starting kids young, they can learn responsibility and respect for major tools! We’ll be starting microscopes in one of my co-op classes this fall, so this post has perfect timing. I bet the snake skin looked really neat!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Science Sunday: Snakes | Adventures in MommydomAdventures in Mommydom says:
    July 28, 2013 at 7:00 am

    […] as I mentioned before, in the “learning how to use a microscope” post, we looked at snake […]

    Reply

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Ticia Adventures in Mommydom Hi, I'm Ticia! This is the adventures of my family in life and learning. Follow along with us as we share our adventures. We're having a lot of fun and learning as we go.

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