Is your son or daughter a budding scientist? If that’s so, you might want to consider getting him or her a microscope. In this article, we are going to tell you some of the benefits of owning and using a microscope as a kid and what it can do for them on an educational level. We’re also going to address the matter of how complicated it is for parents to choose the right model, and not just because of the age of the child.
One of the coolest things about a microscope is that it can develop a kid’s curiosity and make them strive for more knowledge. Some of the devices that are used in classrooms might be a tad too complicated for them to wrap their mind around, but there are many products that can properly speak to their needs.
Depending on the model that you will end up choosing, the device can be used for outdoor exploration, looking at coins, leaves, and jewelry pieces, or can even be employed for almost scientific purposes. Investing in a good microscope can bring forth a plethora of benefits, and one of them is that it will help the child to understand the world around them a bit better.
The problem is that there are many options out there and a parent can end up feeling a bit baffled as to which one they are supposed to choose. One of the first tips we can give you in this sense is to avoid getting a magnifier made from plastic. USB microscopes, also known as microscopic magnifiers, have become rather popular during recent years, and that’s because they are very cheap in comparison to their full-size counterparts.
The trouble with choosing such a product is that their components aren’t going to last over time. You know how kids can be clumsy from time to time, so unless you get a model that comes with a frame made out of metal, you might witness the untimely demise of the device you’ve just bought.
When it comes to choosing between a compound and a stereo microscope, there’s roughly one way of going about it. The first thing you need to understand is whether the child would be interested in seeing something more intricate like tissue samples, cells, and even bacteria. If that is the case, what you are in need of is a compound microscope.
On the other hand, if your child hasn’t reached that level and science hasn’t piqued their interest just yet, perhaps a dissecting microscope is more of a good idea. With this kind of model, you can look at larger items such as those we were mentioning earlier on, like coins, jewelry pieces, and electronics components.
Something you might want to know is that kids have close set eyes compared to adults. That’s why it’s recommended to go for a monocular model instead of a binocular one, unless there is a way to adjust the interpupillary distance on the latter.