Janeway Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 14 yr old says he hates science. We are doing biology right now. I have someone I can purchase a used microscope from. It seems like the cost of a microscope is so high, as is the cost of slides and everything. It feels like there is so little use compared to the costs. On the other hand, I would like my son to start enjoying science. So I worry doing "video labs" might be taking from the science. I am only planning the video labs for biology, I am planning to do everything lab wise with the rest of the sciences. It just feels like when I think back to using a microscope, it was just so anti-climatic. I have considered asking a friend to let us come over and let the kids look through a microscope to see what it is like. Am I short changing my child by so much that I should just obtain the microscope? Also, if I do need to get one, does it matter if it is second hand? Because..the mom I would buy from has one that she likely got 10 yrs ago. I do not know if it was used then. And I have another more than 12 yrs in which I will need it. The baby won't be in 9th grade for another 13 yrs! And who knows if he will want to take more biology stuff after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 (edited) No, you don't need a microscope. The microscope my dd will be using (briefly) is my dad's, the same one I used when I was a kid and that he used when he was in college. If we didn't have access to that one, I wouldn't be going out to purchase one. There are tons of websites at which you can look at tons of awesome microscope images. I'm sure there are people who think learning to physically manipulate a microscope is vital, but I have not used a microscope since high school except for the few times I have used one with my kids. If your kid is not interested in science, I don't think learning to use a microscope is essential. He can learn how later if he needs one for college. If it's important to you that your kid uses a microscope, I'd say either see if your friend will let you come over and use hers or see if your library has one you can use. Edited July 20, 2016 by Haiku Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I had the same thought when I used a microscope in school too. They showed us how to make slides (not difficult at all). And we looked at a few things that I mostly couldn't tell what it was I was looking at exactly. That said, I bought a nice one for xmas. We tinker with it from time to time. I know there are some very decent pocket scopes that I sometimes see recommended to get through any lab work basics (if you want to). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I wish I could give you mine. I bought a $$ amscope one, even got the extra oil lens (I laugh at myself otherwise I'd cry), and I am here to confess it has never been really used. I mean, I cannot work it. I don't know what I am looking at. And now moving--don't want to throw it away and why keep pretending we will use it? He has to study the sciences, even though he leans liberal arts like me, so I did spend $$ on landry science intensives, and he is going to an actual high school, so don't ban me from the boards just yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 What surprises me is I figured these days in schools they'd have far better microscopes than we did when I was a high school student. I only have one anecdotal story about this, but we went to a presentation at a tech high school nearby. The topic was microscopes and cells (parts, function, etc.). This is a special high school that is all about STEM and they have lots and lots of extra equipment not found in most high schools. So I thought oh great they'll have some good stuff. The microscopes weren't any better than the one I have. Maybe they just get too prohibitively expensive beyond that. But ultimately, they were nothing special. All that to say you probably don't need anything too exciting (if at all) for high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 You need to borrow that microscope rather than buy it! If he loves it and it makes science more fun - then it might be worth buying, but there is no guarantee that will be the case. Everything you look at through a microscope in biology, you can find a picture of exactly what you should see and even labeled on the internet. It takes a few minutes with a microscope to figure out microscope use. If he doesn't learn now and needs to know later, it won't be a big deal. If you lived near me, I'd let you borrow mine. We did use it. Quite a lot actually. But I still don't think it was essential and my kids were never in love with using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I borrowed a microscope from a friend... the light source had issues and we never managed to get it working properly....So... We went to the library and used their scopes for some things (the prepared slide set I had purchased), we found videos and photos of specific items we wanted to see and used them as virtual labs... and we used a hand scope for others (when we dissected mushrooms and wanted to look more closely). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 (edited) And we looked at a few things that I mostly couldn't tell what it was I was looking at exactly. I know, right?? The illustration in the textbook is all neat and clear, and then you look through the microscope and it's just this weird fuzzy blobby stuff that looks like weird fuzzy blobby stuff. Using microscopes in school actually taught me not to enjoy using a microscope. When I was in 8th grade, we had to do science experiments. I decided to see whether the pH of a host medium affected how much bacteria grew in it. To make a long story short, when I looked at the stuff through the microscope, I saw absolutely nothing. I talked to my teacher about it, and she was completely unhelpful. She basically said that if I didn't have results to present, I'd flunk the project. So I did what any grade-conscious student would do: I faked the results. That's exactly the kind of stuff I try to avoid in teaching my kids science. If we spend a lot of time on something just to spend time on it but we get little or nothing from it, to me that's time wasted. If we can look at neatly labeled images online and my kids learn, or we can look at fuzzy blurry blobs through a microscope and my kids are scratching their heads, I'll go with the online pictures every time. Edited July 20, 2016 by Haiku 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I know, right?? The illustration in the textbook is all neat and clear, and then you look through the microscope and it's just this weird fuzzy blobby stuff that looks like weird fuzzy blobby stuff. Using microscopes in school actually taught me not to enjoy using a microscope. When I was in 8th grade, we had to do science experiments. I decided to see whether the pH of a host medium affected how much bacteria grew in it. To make a long story short, when I looked at the stuff through the microscope, I saw absolutely nothing. I talked to my teacher about it, and she was completely unhelpful. She basically said that if I didn't have results to present, I'd flunk the project. So I did what any grade-conscious student would do: I faked the results. That's exactly the kind of stuff I try to avoid in teaching my kids science. If we spend a lot of time on something just to spend time on it but we get little or nothing from it, to me that's time wasted. If we can look at neatly labeled images online and my kids learn, or we can look at fuzzy blurry blobs through a microscope and my kids are scratching their heads, I'll go with the online pictures every time. Yeah they'd ask us to draw and label stuff. Hah! But on top of that I have some weird vision issue and I could never see through a scope properly. So for the first year they just didn't have me do that part. Then the following year they got some special type of scope that had a large screen and that helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Another vote for not buying one. Unless one of your dc is really into science and wants to use it all the time, it will sit collecting dust and taking up space. Visit a friend when your dc needs to learn how to use one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 (edited) https://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Guide-Home-Biology-Experiments/dp/1449396593/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X4XBYG92MCKDNX8FEAFM Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments I have the book, but have to confess I have not used it yet. Author discusses scopes in detail, but the majority of experiments do not require scopes. Large parts (all?) of the book is downloadable at authors website. I would love to have a microscope -- for myself, lol. But, after I looked into them, I realized that I would not want an Amscope clone, so $$$. Then I would want a stereoscope. And slides. And live specimens (protist type things) to look at.... If you give a mouse a cookie.... I would not buy a scope for a 14 year old boy, unless he was super passionate about biology. Both my DC took bio in high school, one honors, one basic. Very little use of microscopes. Edited July 20, 2016 by Alessandra 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 https://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Guide-Home-Biology-Experiments/dp/1449396593/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X4XBYG92MCKDNX8FEAFM Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments I have the book, but have to confess I have not used it yet. Author discusses scopes in detail, but the majority of experiments do not require scopes. Large parts (all?) of the book is downloadable at authors website. I would love to have a microscope -- for myself, lol. But, after I looked into them, I realized that I would not want an Amscope clone, so $$$. Then I would want a stereoscope. And slides. And live specimens (protist type things) to look at.... If you give a mouse a cookie.... I would not buy a scope for a 14 year old boy, unless he was super passionate about biology. Both my DC took bio in high school, one honors, one basic. Very little use of microscopes. I'm considering that one. Let me know how it is! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Not a need but it would be nice if you could borrow one. My kids use the ones at the national parks and research centers as these places have free outreach programs. They have used from the portable Brock magiscope to the higher end bulkier linked to computer ones. I would love to have a microscope -- for myself, lol. But, after I looked into them, I realized that I would not want an Amscope clone, so $$$. I am looking at getting a less than $200 low end one for my younger who enjoys microscope and have a low end digital handheld one. My older would happily dismantle and reassemble it like a physics lab. This is the one I am looking at as it is well recommended on this board https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005TJ5CEG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 My opinion is that the only labs worth doing for high school biology involve a microscope. I'm biased. That said, the hands on piece is not going to be what gets your son interested in science. Laboratory work in science is slow and tedious and dull. Seriously. What is going to get him interested in science is reading about interesting stuff going on in science (which you mostly won't find in a textbook) and/or watching documentaries. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mosaicmind Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Not a need but it would be nice if you could borrow one. My kids use the ones at the national parks and research centers as these places have free outreach programs. They have used from the portable Brock magiscope to the higher end bulkier linked to computer ones. I am looking at getting a less than $200 low end one for my younger who enjoys microscope and have a low end digital handheld one. My older would happily dismantle and reassemble it like a physics lab. This is the one I am looking at as it is well recommended on this board https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005TJ5CEG I got one much like that only a few more bells and whistles plus slides etc for less than $140 shipped off of eBay. There's a company there that sells these brand new for hundreds off. My husband is a chemist and not getting a microscope wasn't a choice for us because he believes in hands on. I paid the same amount for that microscope as I would have for a good science program with a CD full of computer experiments. So, my vote would be to buy one because you just can't replicate the hands on lab with watching online. I do know that money has to be considered but I'd pay good money for a graphing calculator for math so why wouldn't I do the same when purchasing a microscope for science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 My opinion is that the only labs worth doing for high school biology involve a microscope. I'm biased. That said, the hands on piece is not going to be what gets your son interested in science. Laboratory work in science is slow and tedious and dull. Seriously. What is going to get him interested in science is reading about interesting stuff going on in science (which you mostly won't find in a textbook) and/or watching documentaries. Reminds me...In high school we had a career shadowing day. So I chose to shadow a biologist. Shortly after I thought I absolutely do not want to be a biologist! It was so boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 (edited) This thread and others about labs in public high schools has made me very thankful for my school. We had excellent microscopes and used them often in advanced biology and some in introductory biology, too. Yes, we saw stuff and it was sharp and clear. We did use an oil immersion lens. Maybe that's why. We did lots of labs with bacteria and various staining techniques in the advanced class. Our chemistry and physics labs were also well stocked. Not quite like my college labs, but still very good. I do plan to buy a microscope for my kids. I'll need one in a year or two for my oldest. They already enjoy our Brock Magiscope. I also plan to stock as many items as I can for chemistry and physics. We have 6 kids so it will all get plenty of use. Edited July 21, 2016 by Lisa in the UP of MI 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 This thread and others about labs in public high schools has made me very thankful for my school. We had excellent microscopes and used them often in advanced biology and some in introductory biology, too. Yes, we saw stuff and it was sharp and clear. We did use an oil immersion lens. Maybe that's what why. We did lots of labs with bacteria and various staining techniques in the advanced class. Our chemistry and physics labs were also well stocked. Not quite like my college labs, but still very good. I do plan to buy a microscope for my kids. I'll need one in a year or two for my oldest. They already enjoy our Brock Magiscope. I also plan to stock as many items as I can for chemistry and physics. We have 6 kids so it will all get plenty of use. Was it a well off district? Average? This has not been my experience. But it has been a long time since I was in a school really so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 (edited) Was it a well off district? Average? This has not been my experience. But it has been a long time since I was in a school really so... We definitely weren't well off, probably average. We lived in a small town and I graduated 15 years ago with a class of about 150 students. Edited July 21, 2016 by Lisa in the UP of MI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 We definitely weren't well off, probably average. We lived in a small town and I graduated 15 years ago with a class of about 150 students. Oh damn I just did the math and I graduated 24 years ago. :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Our biology teacher was friends with some of the professors at a university 30 minutes away and a handful of us got to go there to use an electron microscope. It was definitely one of the highlights of my time in high school. It makes me sad that most kids don't get to have such wonderful experiences. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Our biology teacher was friends with some of the professors at a university 30 minutes away and a handful of us got to go there to use an electron microscope. It was definitely one of the highlights of my time in high school. It makes me sad that most kids don't get to have such wonderful experiences. ohh now that would be awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsbrack Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 I got one much like that only a few more bells and whistles plus slides etc for less than $140 shipped off of eBay. There's a company there that sells these brand new for hundreds off. My husband is a chemist and not getting a microscope wasn't a choice for us because he believes in hands on. I paid the same amount for that microscope as I would have for a good science program with a CD full of computer experiments. So, my vote would be to buy one because you just can't replicate the hands on lab with watching online. I do know that money has to be considered but I'd pay good money for a graphing calculator for math so why wouldn't I do the same when purchasing a microscope for science. I know this is an old thread but any chance you have the name of the seller on Ebay so I can check them out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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