Microscope Adventure! Unit Study

An excellent unit to get children acquainted with a microscope - how to use it, and actual investigations with it. The World of the Microscope or the Complete Book of the Microscope (both by Usborne - see index) are highly recommended as basal resource books. Other resource books (list provided) should be obtained and available for reference. The unit requires a minimum of 42-48 days to complete. Activities look extremely interesting and the accompanying lab sheets are excellent - very thoughtfully constructed. Labs begin with the set up, use and clean up of the microscope. The next several labs teach children to make wet mounts, dry mounts, permanent mounts, and well mounts. Successive labs are spent using these skills to study a variety of things under the microscopic, from fibers to insect parts, with cells, plant parts, and simple cell animals in between. The book also contains vocabulary words, science supplier addresses and phone numbers, answers, and additional helpful tips about microscopes. Just looking through the unit makes me enthusiastic about using it - it looks like the best kind of learning - interesting and fun. I would guess that most children would thoroughly enjoy this adventure with a microscope - gaining invaluable skills for higher level science courses in the process. Children in the elementary grades would need some parental support to accomplish the study; older children could use it independently. Look into this one! 92 pgs, pb.