Are your children excited about the new microscope for kids you just brought home and now they want nothing else but to look at various things through its lenses? Some are great even as microscopes for dissection but looking at biological organisms is not the only cool thing such an optical instrument can help you with. We will list here some things you and your kids will be able to see through a microscope.
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The structure of chalk
Nothing could be more straightforward then chalk when it comes to examining it with the naked eye. What could be interesting about it? After all, it appears that all it does is to turn into a fine powder when you use it. However, that is further from the truth.
Under a microscope, the revealed structure of chalk can prove quite fascinating. It will reveal a mix of dead bodies of microorganisms that make the actual chalk we are using.
Kosher salt
Your kids will definitely feel excited when you place a bit of chunky salt under the microscope. We don’t recommend table salt, even if that can be interesting, too, for the simple fact that the slightly larger crystals of salt can open the door to an entirely different world, the type that you know fantasy movies want to reflect.
Under the microscope, you will see structures that look pretty much like ancient temples. It is incredible to see how Kosher salt really looks like. The tiny pyramids that will be revealed underneath your eyes will make you think of salt from an entirely different perspective.
Samples of fabric
The world around us is filled with things just waiting to be discovered. One other simple idea that is handy for anyone is to get various samples of fabric and examine them through your microscope. You will discover that different types of material are quite interesting and their internal structure sets them apart in exciting ways.
It won’t be the same thing if you are looking at a piece of canvas and one of corduroy. You can even get your kids involved in a project of collecting and comparing various samples of fabric.
Live insects
While it is true that microscopes are often used for dissection, there can be much excitement in watching live insects and noticing various details about them. Use some bug boxes to catch a few insects and examine them through a transparent lid. As they move under the lid, you will be able to observe them to your heart’s content.
Just make sure to release the bugs and caterpillars caught this way back into the wild once you finish examining them. As long as they are not a subject for dissection, they should return where they belong, and that’s another valuable lesson to teach your kids.
The internal mechanisms of a clock
Nothing can be as fascinating as the little gears that make a clock work. There is no wonder that people who make clock repairs usually use a special magnifying glass. The parts inside a clock are so tiny that it would be impossible to observe all the intricate details without a proper tool.
As you can see, microscopes are not only for people interested in biology. You can get your kids interested in other domains, such as engineering, by encouraging them to look at everything around them through a microscope.
Parts of plants
Not only insects but also plants and pieces of them can be examined through the lenses of a microscope. You can discover new things by observing things at a microscopic level, and your kids will love it, too. Anything that’s alive and can be looked at in this manner will undoubtedly make an excellent topic for a science project, or for merely stimulating your children’s natural curiosity.
Snowflakes
You must have heard the already-old adage that no two snowflakes are the same. You can put that to the test by getting a bit of snow and placing it under the microscope. You will be surprised by the fantastic structures that make a single snowflake.
If you want to get your kids interested in science, this is undoubtedly the right way. By looking at snow through the microscope, they will learn more about the surrounding world, and they will start looking at the things around them with different eyes.
Food
Of course, not everything might be convenient to go under the microscope, and you certainly don’t want to make a mess on the table that should be used for the kids’ science projects. However, you and your children can discover a lot of new things about the food we’re all eating every day.
Be it a small piece of bread, or a bit of fruit, you will notice that each will look different under the microscope. And you might even have more luck with getting your children to eat the broccoli on their plates after they see how interesting the cruciferous vegetable looks under the magnifying lenses of the microscope.
Water
Now some may say that it is crucial to tell what type of water to use, but we would say that anything goes. Even a droplet of water from the tap will reveal an entire world of microorganisms. But, of course, it would be much more interesting to examine a bit of seawater or water taken from a pond.
The abundance of living things in the water of any kind will surprise you. But since water is most of what we and our planet are, it is a great exercise to learn more about this precious element without which we would not be able to survive.
Fish skin
It is amazing how many new things we can learn from everything surrounding us. Even a tiny piece of fish skin can reveal a plethora of information. Depending on the species of fish examined, you will notice very different structures that make the skin, and you will learn more about life in general.
