I would be grateful if one of your members could suggest a
science book for simple experiments
for my grand daughter who is 10 yrs old and getting her first microscope for Christmas. Perhaps a teacher with some print outs could help. Many thanks browtal
A book would be a good idea -- others may have tips.
But you could also try Googling "things to do with a microscope" -- lots of interesting ideas there. (Obviously you don't want a ten year old to be doing that unsupervised, but an adult could print out some of the ideas).
If it's a decent microscope capable of showing up some cell structure, you could try something more advanced. Have a look at larger plant cells, e.g. onion cells. You can pull a microscopically thin layer off the surface of an onion, whereas other plant preparations involve the use of razor blades. Cells show up dramatically better when stained -- different stains for different parts of the cell. You can home make your own stains using aquarium supplies and iodine -- details here. Again, this is definitely not something a ten year old should be doing unsupervised.
For super-advanced, prepare and stain some meristem of a grass shoot, and you can actually catch the cells in the process of reproduction. Requires an advanced microscope and a very advanced ten year old.
These have been purchased a few times for various family members over the years and they ended up in a corner never to be used again. If you are getting one, get a good one as their magnifying capability can be very poor.
Many thanks for your replies.
I spent €110 on the microscope, please let me know if that is likely to be a decent one?
I would value your opinion as I know nothing about them but my granddaughter started science this year in school and loves the subject with a passion.
Many thanks Browtal