6 Simple Steps to Teaching Children to Play with Microscopes

A microscope is an instrument that magnifies tiny objects, allowing us to see details that are normally invisible. There are many types of microscopes, such as optical microscopes, electron microscopes, and scanning probe microscopes, all of which have different principles and functions.

In this article, we'll introduce one of the most common types of microscopes: the light microscope, and teach you how to use it properly to view samples.

1. 6 simple steps to teach children to play with the microscope

An optical microscope uses the refraction of light to magnify the image of an object. It usually has a metal or plastic base, a bracket, a rotating objective lens group, an eyepiece, a mirror or lighting device, and a knob to adjust the focus.

An optical microscope uses the refraction of light to magnify the image of an object. It usually has a metal or plastic base, a bracket, a rotating objective lens group, an eyepiece, a mirror or lighting device, and a knob to adjust the focus. To use a light microscope, you need to prepare the following steps:

2.1 Select the sample to observe

Examples include a leaf, a drop of water, or a hair. If the sample is too thick or too large, you may need to slice it with a razor blade or cut it into small pieces to fit on the glass slide.

2.2 Prepare the specimen

Place the sample on a glass slide and fix it with a drop of water or other liquid. If desired, you can cover the sample with a coverslip to keep it from drying out or moving.

2.3 Fix the specimen on the microscope and turn on the lighting device

Place the glass slide on the stage of the microscope and secure it with clamps. Adjust the reflector or illuminator to allow light to pass through the glass slide and specimen.

2.4 Select the objective lens with the lowest magnification to observe first

Choose the lowest magnification objective (usually 4x) and turn it to align with the eyepiece. View the sample through the eyepieces and adjust the focus with the coarse focus knob (usually the larger knob) until a sharp image is seen.

2.5 Choose a higher magnification objective lens

If you want to further magnify the sample, you can choose a higher magnification objective lens (usually 10x, 40x and 100x), and repeat the fourth step. Be careful not to let the objective lens touch the glass slide or sample, so as not to cause damage. Also, as the magnification of the objective increases, you'll need to fine-tune the focus with the fine focus knob (usually the smaller one), and you may need to increase the brightness of the light.

2.6 Record what you see

When looking at samples, you can record the features you see such as shape, color, texture, etc., and try to compare the differences and similarities between different samples. You can also use a camera or mobile phone to take pictures of what you see for future reference or sharing.

3. Video teaching of microscope usage

There will be 46 seconds of the movie on how to use the microscope.

4. Kidrise New Microscope Promotion