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Keep Eyes Wide Open for Microscope Activities Right at Home.

The school year has been cancelled but it doesn’t mean that learning has to stop. The shift to the new normal does not only affect adults like you but also kids from around the world. For parents and guardians, the sudden change in the school calendar and setting might sound daunting with the amount of spare time kids now have with nothing to do, given that most parks and playgrounds are still closed and social distancing in other public places is mandatory.

Some may feel overwhelmed with just the thought of homeschooling kids or having them attend online classes but it does not have to be this way all the time. There are actually a lot of fun and at the same time educational activities easily accessible that can keep kids busy and entertained while staying safe at home.

Microscope.com is fully committed to honing young microscoposists and future scientists, raising kids’ awareness and fueling their curiosity of the world around them. In line with this, we started sending out monthly recommendations on experiments and activities that can be done with little padawans using Kids Microscopes that you can get for your own or gift to others. Check out our recommended activities for June 2020 below. 

Creating Microscopic Slides - Fun Kids Science Experiments | iNsAnE!ScienceTV Episode 3

Watch as your favorite iNsAnE! Scientists discover some pretty cool things under a slide.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpPPbcZi0TY

Check out this month’s featured microscope:

Omano JuniorScope, Ultimate Kids Microscope

Omano JuniorScope, The Ultimate Kids Microscope

  • A Real Compound Microscope Designed for Kids 8+
  • High-Grade Precision Glass Optics
  • Magnification Levels: 40x, 100x, 400x
  • Includes Slide Kit w/ Everything You Need To Get Started
 

Your projects do not have to be too complicated.

You can start with this:

Simple Microscope Experiments

SIMPLE MICROSCOPE EXPERIMENTS

While certain microscopes are remarkably complex machines that require advanced training to operate, many microscopes are easy to use and allow you to perform simple, yet fascinating experiments. With a standard compound light microscope you can observe microorganisms and the smallest components of objects without having to undergo any type of training.

Yogurt Bacteria Bloom

Opening a container of plain yogurt that has active cultures. Scoop a very small amount of yogurt from the container and place it on the center of a clean slide. Add one drop of distilled water to the yogurt and cover it with a coverslip. Set the microscope at low power and look for a place in the sample where the yogurt is thin. Switch to high power and observe the bacteria. Record what you find with descriptions and drawings. Then, set the container in a warm, dark place for 24 hours. Afterward, repeat the process and see which new kinds of bacteria have arrived. Record your findings and compare them to your results from the previous day.

Pond Water Habitats

Collect samples of pond water. You can take samples from different parts of one pond -- i.e. near the bank and out in deeper water -- or from different ponds. Prepare a chamber on a clean slide: Place one to three layers of electricians tape on a slide, and then score a one centimeter by one centimeter square from the center of the tape. This chamber will keep any microorganisms from getting crushed. Place a drop of water from one sample into the chamber and cover it with a coverslip. Observe it on several power settings and record what you observe. Then, prepare a new chambered slide for each additional sample and observe those. Afterward, you can compare your results.

Why Feathers Fly

Cut off a small portion from a feather that includes a piece of its central stem. Place the sample onto a clean slide, and fix the coverslip to the slide by taping the edges. This dry mount will give you a clearer image of the feather than if you used a wet mount. Start with 25 percent magnification and observe that the branches or barbs attached to the main stem have little branches themselves. Increase the magnification and observe that these smaller barbules extend and overlap with barbules on adjacent barbs, which prevents large amounts of air from passing through the feather. This overlap allows feathers to contain air for flight.

Onion Skin Osmosis

Slice a very thin piece of skin from an onion and place it on the center of a clean slide. Add one drop of water and the coverslip and then observe the onion on each level of magnification. Then, prepare a mixture of salt water. Carefully use a pair of tweezers to remove the onion from the slide and place it in the salt water for 15 to 20 minutes. Once again, mount the onion onto a clean slide. You won't need to add water because the onion is already wet. Apply a coverslip and observe the onion at different levels of magnification. Note any changes in its appearance after absorbing salt water.

Source: https://sciencing.com/glass-slide-biology-5139884.html

Already have a microscope at home?

Make experiments more exciting with this:

Omano Microbiology Kit with Starter Slide Kit & Book

Omano Microbiology Kit with Starter Slide Kit & Book

    • Popular and comprehensive slide kit
    • 5 Professionally prepared slides included
    • Everything needed to grow bacteria cultures
 

Start them young. Turn little padawans into future scientists by:

Setting Up A Home Lab

SETTING UP A HOME LABORATORY FOR MICROSCOPY

Why a home lab?

For someone who wants to observe ready-made permanent slides or an occasional pond water sample, a fully equipped home laboratory may not be necessary and somewhat of an overkill. In this case it is sufficient to find a reasonably dust-free place to store and operate the microscope. The microscope can then be unpacked as required. For someone wants to prepare slides, perform microtoming and staining procedures, the issue may be somewhat different and space as well as equipment requirements are higher. As so often the case, it depends very much on the type of work that needs to be done.

The advantages of a dedicated lab can be summarized in a few points:

      • Safe working environment – You need to protect family members, furniture and your own health from the chemicals that you use.
      • Convenience and comfort – A dedicated work place does not require you to pack and unpack the chemicals and equipment that you use.
      • Equipment safety – Microscopes should not be moved around too much – there is the danger that you drop them on your toes. This may hurt your microscope
      • Specimen quality – A proper work place makes it easier to produce (nearly) dust-free specimens. There is also less hassle.
      • Fun – It’s simply more fun to work in an environment which has been designed accordingly. After all, it’s a hobby.

Be cautious about growing bacteria

There are several legal issues that you must be aware of if you intend to furnish a “wet” laboratory for microbiological work. If you want to grow (unidentified) bacteria in Petri dishes and culture medium, then you are already working in an elevated Biohazard Level 2 (out of 4 levels). You simply do not know if you are growing a pathogen or not. Even Level 1 laboratories must adhere to certain safety standards and decontamination procedures. Level 2 is even more stringent.

Now, what does this mean for the amateur microscopist? The answer is: do not enrich and grow unidentified bacteria. Even the enrichment and growth of bacteria that belong to the lowest Biohazard Level (level 1), such as E. coli and B. subtilis, may not be permitted, because a home is (legally) not considered a laboratory. And how do you want to obtain these known microorganisms? Cell culture collections such as the DSMZ (Deutsche Sammlung für Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen) in Germany or the ATCC (American Type Culture Collection) may not even send samples to private individuals. Microbiological work may be prohibited even in school laboratories, because they do not possess the appropriate license to conduct microbiological work. They generally also do not possess the appropriate equipment in order to conduct safe work. The legal situation may differ from country to country, naturally, but I would not take the risk. Proper microbiological work also requires you to use a gas Bunsen burner, an additional hazard source.

As a side note: properly observing bacteria requires you to use a phase contrast microscope, something that not all amateur microscopists have available. Personally I also think that there are more interesting samples to observe than bacteria.

Microorganisms to observe

The amateur microscopist should not despair, there are many safe microorganisms, including bacteria that can be observed. My advice: go for microorganisms that can be found growing on fresh food:

      • Joghurt – This is a good source of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus.
      • Cheese – Roquefort cheese, including other blue cheeses, can serve as a source for molds. Camembert cheese is a source for the moulds Penicillium candidum and Penicillium camemberti.
      • Pond water samples and water from a home aquarium – These are good sources for a wide variety of ciliates, water fleas and algae. What about safety? Can you take a swim in the pond? Be aware that keeping pond water samples for extended periods of time in a jar may result in the water to turn foul. Unfriendly microorganisms may start to grow and I would be more cautious.
      • Yeast – Also safe. Can be grown in a petri dish.

The requirements of setting up a microscopy work place

      • Place for the microscope – The scope should have its own place and ideally it should not be necessary to pack and unpack the instrument. The table should be extremely stable to minimize vibrations. It should be easily cleanable with water to remove dust. There should be drawers for storing microscopic tools, slides and mounting media.
      • Place for chemicals – You need a safe place to store the chemicals. You must be able to lock away the substances to protect them from kids. The place should also allow for containment and easy cleaning, in case there are spills. I once dropped a small bottle of iodine solution on our wood floor. The top layer of the wood floor had to be polished away because the solution ate its way into the wood, staining it red.
      • Family friendliness – This one is often overlooked. I once got into trouble with my family because I wanted to store fly maggots and earth worms for dissection in the kitchen refrigerator. I did not even dare to ask if it is OK to modify the living room to accommodate a work bench for the microscope. The living room cupboards are also taboo for chemicals, also due to safety considerations. After all, children might be around.
      • Dust-free environment – Often a difficult thing to achieve. Electronic equipment likes to attract dust due to static electricity. This dust can be quite interesting to observe under the microscope, but in most cases it is a serious nuisance, greatly decreasing the quality of microscopic images.
      • A place for storing water samples – Pond water samples should not be stored in direct sunlight. This may cause overheating and (if there are few algae in the sample) a reduction in oxygen. The water can turn foul.
      • Running water and sink – This is needed for cleaning the equipment and for disposing (permitted) solutions. Note, that some wastes must be collected and disposed separately.
      • Work bench – You need some space for staining and preparing the slides. Some stains can be very aggressive and will irreversibly stain wood and other organic materials. Make sure that the work bench is easily cleanable.
      • Ventilation – You need fresh air if you work with volatile solvents such as alcohol.

Equipment of a microbiology lab

Some amateurs (or teachers) may be interested in growing safe microorganisms such as yeast. It still needs to be mentioned that contaminations of the culture medium can be a health hazard. For people who want to equip a wet lab, the following equipment is necessary. You may also want to read the post: What accessories should be bought?.

      • An autoclave – This is a pressure cooker. Used for sterilizing equipment and nutrient media. It is also used to kill off microorganisms on petri dishes before they are discarded.
      • An incubator – This device allows for the control of the temperature. Petridishes with microorganisms can be placed into the incubator. This one is not always necessary. If the room temperature is too low, microorganisms may simply take longer to grow.
      • Flowing water and a sink – Used for cleaning and washing. This one is pretty self-explanatory.
      • Gas – The gas flame is used for sterilization and to minimize the risk of contamination when making the agar plates. It is also used to heat-fix the microorganisms on the slide.
      • A shaker – This one is only needed if one intends to grow microorganisms in liquid medium. The shaking ensures that the liquid medium is supplied with oxygen from the air.
      • Inoculation loop – For picking up colonies of microorganisms
      • Nutrient media and agar – They supply the food to the microorganisms. The agar is used to solidify the medium.
      • Petridishes – It contains the agar nutrient media.
      • Parafilm – For sealing off the petri dishes.
      • Various stains and reagents – These are used for fixing and staining the specimens.
      • Miscellaneous – Materials such as gloves, alcohol for disinfection etc. are also needed

Source: http://www.microbehunter.com/setting-up-a-home-laboratory-for-microscopy/

Microscope.com believes that learning doesn’t have to be boring and fun doesn’t have to be just playing at the park. Keep kids busy while staying safe at home with Kids Microscopes to use for these enjoyable and educational activities. If you have any product inquiries, feel free to contact us.