Microscope for children

Get a good one! Stereo microscopes are easy to use, but to my mind
nothing beats the discovery of pond organisms, pollen etc for which a
compound monocular or binocular microscope is needed.. Buy nothing
plastic, or in a pack with 'accessories'
My recommendations would be :
- Avoid new scopes unless from a specialist supplier, who will not
sell junk. Some impressive looking instruments have lousy optics
because of poor quality control. Nothing will put a kid off so much as
a fuzzy image.
- Secondhand good quality scope with an established name, - Watson,
Vickers, Russian (Zenith/ Biolam), and Swift are all good quality and
good value. Built in illuminators, and a condenser preferred. Lots of
knobs much liked by small boys.
You should be able to get a good scope for about $100 in the
secondhand market.
Do not discount vintage scopes such as the Watson Service - these were
research grade in their day, and can be a remarkably good buy.
Quality counts - Nothing will put a kid off so much as a fuzzy image.
x10 or x20, and x40 objcetives are all that is needed.
- Binocular preferred, but monocular is fine. It will NOT REPEAT NOT
cause eye damage, unless the mirror is pointed at the sun. I am a
senior physician in the UK and can be quite categorical about this.
Using both eyes for a monocular will reduce fatigue, and is easily
learned, but you will not damage your eyes with a monocular
microscope.
Don't forget to buy slides and coverslips, and a good book - long out
of print, but still avilable is 'the Microscope Made Easy by A.
Laurence Wells.
A few jars, eyedroppers, and water or scrapings from a local pond or
even some moss shaken with water will provide hours of fun. Beware of
small children and ponds, though!

The gift of a microscope may well be a life-changing experience, so do
buy a good one!
Good does not necessarily mean expensive.
Best of luck, HJ

-

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Relevant Pages

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