Purchasing a microscope to use at home can be a big investment, one that we want to get right so that we don't waste our homeschooling budgets!
In this post, we are going to look at the pros and cons of three different options for magnifying samples. And once you are armed with this information, you'll be able to choose the best option for your homeschool!
Let's dig in . . .
Technically this is called a currency detection microscope. A palm-sized microscope should:
In other words, you can take this device anywhere to help you look at whatever your heart desires up close.
Pros and Cons
Learn a few more tips for using a palm-sized microscope for science.
This microscope is just like the one you used in school! The standard microscope should have:
The standard microscope is the norm when it comes to options for looking at the microscopic world around us.
Pros and Cons
Listen to episode 27 of our podcast for more tips for choosing a standard compound microscope.
These microscopes are the new kids on the block. An external digital microscope should have:
An external digital microscope is a modern option good for a showing the microscopic work to a group of students.
Pros and Cons
You can add a digital camera lens to a standard compound microscope and achieve some of the same benefits as a digital scope.
What you choose will depend upon two main factors:
Any of the three options above will introduce your students to the world they can't see with their naked eye, so you can't go wrong!
Don't miss the following post to learn how tomake your own slides to view with your standard or digital microscope.
If you still have questions about microscopes, please feel free to leave them in the comments below!
Here are Elemental Science we love science! And we love homeschool!! But how do you know if you are a homeschool scientist? Click "Read More" to take the quiz to find out your homeschool-scientistness.
Hands-on science - what can you use? Why do you have to do this? And how do you actually do experiments at home? Click "Read More" to get the answers.