Learning Fun with a Microscope
Finding a good gift for a birthday party or holiday can be hard when the recipient is an elementary or middle school aged child. Ideally, a good gift will be used by the child for several years and have some educational value. Unfortunately, many of the toys, games, and clothing marketed for this age group only capture a child’s attention for a few days, and seem to teach very little beyond how to shop.
If you’re trying to find the right gift, why not consider a microscope? Microscopes can be inexpensive, durable enough to last for several years, and many can be adjusted or added to so that they can grow with the child. In addition, microscopes are great for kids who are interested in science, or for children who are just curious about the world around them. Finally, microscopes can be good toys for kids who like to be independent when they play.
Years ago, microscopes were expensive pieces of lab equipment that were only owned by schools and laboratories. As the technology behind making lenses has advanced, however, the price of microscopes has dropped considerably. Today, several well-known, good quality brands of microscopes can be purchased for less than $100, and “starter kits” with upgradable lenses can be purchased for less than $40. For many children, these starter kits make ideal gifts. Young children can learn about how to make slides and care for their microscope while still learning from lenses that magnify between 5x and 25x (note: some kits include more powerful lenses, but these kits will cost more).
As the child becomes more interested in other things that they can use to make slides, additional “blank” slides and covers can be purchased. As the child grows, separate lenses can be purchased for these microscopes, allowing the toy to grow with the child, and saving you the hassle of figuring out what to buy for his or her next birthday. Furthermore, many of these kits have microscopes that are designed to be fairly durable. Lenses are often scratch resistant and the body of the microscope is made of materials that are not prone to breaking. Plastic slides and covers prevent young children from injuring themselves on sharp edges. This means that young kids can take the microscope with them on family trips or while exploring on their own. Many of these child-friendly microscopes are designed so that common mistakes such as grinding the lens too close to the slide (thereby scratching the lens) cannot occur. As the child grows older and learns not to make these mistakes, some simple adjustment with a screwdriver can allow the microscope to focus more closely on the slides.
Once a kid has a microscope, there are all kinds of thing he or she can explore with it. A child who is interested in nature can makes slides of leaves, grass, and/or bugs that he or she finds in his or her own backyard or while on family trips. Kids who like human biology can make slides of their own hair and skin. Even young kids who are just curious about the world can make slides of water from different areas such as local ponds or the ocean, then compare what they see to slides of water from their kitchen sink. Once kids start looking at things in the world around them, there’s really no limit to the things they can look at. Even making slides from things like bread or old clothes can teach a lot about microscopic life or how materials are constructed.
The best thing about playing with a microscope is that is teaches independence. Because a kid can choose what he or she wants to look at, how they play with the toy and what they explore is entirely up to them. On their own, kids think of things that adults never would; expect the child in your life to make slides out of things that most adults would never be interested in. While other toys and activities for this age group really focus on getting parents involved and/or having parents direct the activity, a microscope allows a child to play independently. For many adult scientists, the ability to explore on their own is one of the key factors that attracted them to the field in the first place.
Microscopes can make excellent gifts for the elementary and middle school age group. There is simply no better way to get a kid interested in science.
