Microscope for 8 Year Old

[BrooklineBiker]

Hi,
My daughter just turned 8 years old and is very interested in medical matters. She has asked for a microscope.
1. Can anyone recommend a model she can make her own slides with?
2. Also, my wife claims children at age 8 can't mentally/visually process images seen through a microscope. Is this true? Can this problem be resolved by using a "stereo" view microscope (like binoculars) or is a "mono" view (like a telescope) ok for her?

[BZB]

I recommend purchasing a real microscope from an educational supply company that specializes in STEM materials. Nasco and Carolina Biological Supply sell student microscopes, but there are many other companies. Don't bother with one of the toy kid's microscopes out there - it will be an exercise in frustration. Another option for purchasing a good quality scope would be to check if your local state research university has a surplus warehouse open to the public, although during this pandemic that may not be so easy. You can get decommissioned lab equipment at auction.

I don't know brands of a microscope you'd buy for a kid. When I worked in the lab we used Zeiss and Olympus, but those were bought with research grant money.

I don't know the research about kid's ability to process images seen through a microscope at that age. I had a cheap low-powered microscope at that age and thought it was the coolest thing ever, and I understood what I was looking at.

Thank you for encouraging your daughter's interest in science!

[la Condessa]

My kids have had great fun making microscope slides.  For a kid that age, the Brock Magiscope is perfect.  Different available lenses and eyepieces provide a great range of magnification.  Also super durable and doesn’t need a power source.  You can even toss it in a backpack and take it with hiking to examine things you find out in nature.

[BrooklineBiker]

My kids have had great fun making microscope slides.  For a kid that age, the Brock Magiscope is perfect.  Different available lenses and eyepieces provide a great range of magnification.  Also super durable and doesn’t need a power source.  You can even toss it in a backpack and take it with hiking to examine things you find out in nature.

That sounds really cool, thanks.

[BrooklineBiker]

I recommend purchasing a real microscope from an educational supply company that specializes in STEM materials. Nasco and Carolina Biological Supply sell student microscopes, but there are many other companies. Don't bother with one of the toy kid's microscopes out there - it will be an exercise in frustration. Another option for purchasing a good quality scope would be to check if your local state research university has a surplus warehouse open to the public, although during this pandemic that may not be so easy. You can get decommissioned lab equipment at auction.

I don't know brands of a microscope you'd buy for a kid. When I worked in the lab we used Zeiss and Olympus, but those were bought with research grant money.

I don't know the research about kid's ability to process images seen through a microscope at that age. I had a cheap low-powered microscope at that age and thought it was the coolest thing ever, and I understood what I was looking at.

Thank you for encouraging your daughter's interest in science!

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll check out your ideas. Maybe eBay might have microscopes too.

[Laserjet3051]

Binocular vision develops very early in life, of course an 8 year old has stereoscopic ability. Labx.com sells used "real" microscopes, dial down the max price to what you are willing to spend. It's a great reseller site. For slide supplies carolina biological is a good source. Your child will need direction; slide prep/analysis is not intuitive.

[woopwoop]

We've gotten three different microscopes (varying quality and magnification) at the local thrift store for less than $5 each. Worth a shot if you haven't checked yet.

[ericrugiero]

We have an electrical "microscope" that is basically a camera designed to take close up views and display them via USB onto a computer screen.  It actually works really well and is easy to use.  The whole family can see what you are looking at.  The good thing is you can see little tiny details without learning how to use a microscope.  The down side is you don't learn how to use a microscope.  Search for a USB digital microscope and you can see what I'm talking about. 

[YttriumNitrate]

A while back I got a Plugable USB microscope for about $35.

I used it to take a few pictures for work a couple months ago, and after sending out the images a PhD electrical engineer asked me where I got the SEM images.

[Just Joe]

We bought a few things for our kids over the years that were just a passing interest. Basketball, goal, and a jersey. That flame went out about two weeks in. Same with model cars, skateboards come and go, slacklines, telescopes, drones, etc.

If there is any chance that your child is like this, I recommend a pocket microscope. If the fascination endures, then upgrade. The pocket microscopes can be very inexpensive and make good elementary school child birthday gifts. 

[nereo]

Hi,
My daughter just turned 8 years old and is very interested in medical matters. She has asked for a microscope.
1. Can anyone recommend a model she can make her own slides with?
2. Also, my wife claims children at age 8 can't mentally/visually process images seen through a microscope. Is this true? Can this problem be resolved by using a "stereo" view microscope (like binoculars) or is a "mono" view (like a telescope) ok for her?

1)  Most scientific labs have entire shelves filled with older microscopes that are no longer used (more modern microscopes have a port for attaching a digital camera or supplimental display.  These were rare to non-existent 25 years ago, so even very good scopes from the 90s are now largely shelved.
IF you know of anyone in a STEM field I'd ask them.  You might just be given one (we gave ~50 away to local school kids a couple years  ago).

2) understand that stereoscopes (aka "dissecting scopes" ) are typically limited to 40x-50x magnification.  That's plenty to be able to see a fly's eye close up or observe a flea, but it won't allow you to see organelles inside a cell.  Compound microscopes will have a rotating set of objectives, and often have magnification levels of something like 25x, 100x, 400x and 1,000x.  Higher magnification requires imersion oil due to refraction (don't worry, it's cheap).  They are great for observing sub-cellular subjects, but require everything to be slide-mounted and are ineffective at 3-d objects.

Most kids like stereoscopes more than compound scopes -- but it depends on what you want to view.