Let's talk microscopes

[greensummervillian]

I don't know what we want in a microscope. We're doing biology next year with a 4th and 6th grader. I like the idea of the Sonlight microscope because it looks like great quality, real science equipment that will last until they graduate.

On the other hand, money is a real issue. What's the Brock Magiscope like? Will I regret buying a cheaper scope?

 

How about the Blister microscope? Rainbow Resources says this: Some have a blister-like depression and grooved cover slide, making it possible to capture, observe, and maintain small to medium sized insects, spiders, worms, etc. (Their brochure states that “the author was able to maintain a crab spider for two years and four months in a grooved Blister slide”, providing food and water, of course). Snap-back Blisters can be left in strips and are useful for studying minerals, seeds, small insects, etc. Peel-back slides are good for mounting small dead insects and other dry specimens. Another type of blister slide has a covered well for liquids - useful for observing small organisms in pond water, for example.

 

That sounds like something that would be of more practical use and interest to us than a traditional scope. Plus, it's the least expensive of the three options. However, the optics aren't as good.

 

I would love to hear everyone's opinion and experience with their microscopes.

Edited July 8, 2010 by greensummervillian

[2cents]

:bigear:

[greensummervillian]

bump

[Teachin'Mine]

Personally, if I knew I'd be home schooling high school, I'd get a microscope that would work for those courses as well. In other words, I'd spend the money and let them get a few years of enjoyment out of a good microscope. If you do a search, there's a few fairly recent threads on microscopes. :)

[PineFarmMom]

Personally' date=' if I knew I'd be home schooling high school, I'd get a microscope that would work for those courses as well. In other words, I'd spend the money and let them get a few years of enjoyment out of a good microscope. If you do a search, there's a few fairly recent threads on microscopes. :)[/quote']

 

What she said!! :D Also, when you hit high school, curriculum and miscellaneous get QUITE a bit more expensive. If you could knock out a high-ticket item in advance, you would be grateful later, imo. If you aren't intending to homeschool in high school, something less expensive would probably be a good plan.

[Jeanne in MN]

I would do a search-esp. on the K-8 curriculum board.

 

We have a Brock Magiscope and I adore it. I had taken a class on invertebrates and we used both an electric scope and the Brock. I fell in love with the Brock because it can be taken in the field-no electricity needed, it's easy for kids to use and it's very sturdy. No fancy parts one needs to worry about breaking or replacing. It also didn't fry our bug specimens like the electric one did. I believe other Brock owners have said it is good enough for high school. My kids are still upper elementary so I'm not even sure of what magnification they'd need for high school, but we've dyed onion skins, looked at the scales of butterfly wings, hair shafts and follicles, loads of aquatic insect species, etc. and it does a beautiful job. I think all Brock users agree to get package III. Pm me if you have more questions!

 

Otherwise, the Sonlight microscope is another highly recommended one.

[2cents]

Personally' date=' if I knew I'd be hopenme schooling high school, I'd get a microscope that would work for those courses as well. In other words, I'd spend the money and let them get a few years of enjoyment out of a good microscope. If you do a search, there's a few fairly recent threads on microscopes. :)[/quote']

 

This!!! We had the Brock Magiscope and the children outgrew it almost immediately. I wish I had just spent the extra back then and gotten a good HS scope. Now I'm shopping for one now. :(

[greensummervillian]

From what I remember about my childhood microscope, the object I was viewing had to be thin enough for light to pass through it. (I never used a microscope in school even though I took 4 sciences in high school.) I see the description on the magiscope says you can look at anything from slides to rocks. Rocks clearly aren't translucent. Is the magiscope not a regular miscroscope? Am I not remembering the right way a microscope works?

[Jeanne in MN]

I'm not an expert with microscopes, but from my limited experience with electric microscopes and the Brock, the Brock works very nicely-it is a microscope. You should be able to view any dimensional object with a regular or Brock microscope-as long as it fits under the scope. :) It doesn't need to be flat or translucent. I would say, since the light comes from underneath the display area (on both a regular microscope and the Brock) that if you look at a rock, you won't get the illumination that you would if it were a smaller, clearer or flatter object, but I'd think that would be the same no matter which microscope you used? It's so hard trying to make a big decision without being able to see things for yourself isn't it. :( And trying to go on other people's opinions. Good luck!

 

 

From what I remember about my childhood microscope, the object I was viewing had to be thin enough for light to pass through it. (I never used a microscope in school even though I took 4 sciences in high school.) I see the description on the magiscope says you can look at anything from slides to rocks. Rocks clearly aren't translucent. Is the magiscope not a regular miscroscope? Am I not remembering the right way a microscope works?

[spradlin02]

If you're viewing large scale like insects, get a good stereo zoom microscope. You can get great 3-dimensional resolution. I'm a firm believer in getting the best you can afford, it makes a big difference. If you look around you can get good deals on used microscopes. I don't know much about high magnification scopes (haven't researched them yet), but I can't say how much we like using our good stereo microscope. I think ours is a labomed.

 

Just one place

http://www.nyscopes.com/category.aspx?id=8

[Teachin'Mine]

I would think a good magnifying glass would work well for the larger items to see them in more detail. :)