Microscope Question

[cmzaha]

:wave: Hi everyone, we are needing a few suggestions of what type and where she can purchase a microscope for my granddaughter (7). This girl loves bugs, raises butterflys, and praying mantis, loves looking under microscopes and we would like to get a a nice setup, not a toy, with slides and the whole nine yards without floating a loan and one that might last her through school. Last weekend she went to the Natural Museum in LA and went crazy with all the slides of bugs. LOL, hate the dinosaurs, kept having to return to the bugs. She is a kid that already loves math, but really dislikes reading, and I have to keep on her to get all her reading homework done, she is usually with me after school, I try to stress to her she needs her reading skills just as much.
My sis is a school teacher and I am wondering if anyone know of a scientific supply where a teacher might get a discount? We have been looking but a few suggestions would be appreciated. Autumn is also a child that takes care of her possessions

 

[not_ally]

No useful advice, C, but she sounds like an awesomely smart kid. One that it will be really fun to watch grow ...

 

[Momsta5]

If you are in the Los Angeles area there is a lakeshore Learning center on Venice Blvd.

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/ge...oreLocations.jsp?selectedstores=all&store=002

We purchased a kit for our oldest from them one year and it still being used by our youngest. Great place and I think you can order online? Here is the one similar to what we purchased...

http://products.lakeshorelearning.com/learning/Microscope

They do provide discounts for teachers and homeschoolers.

 

[Arthur Dent]

Look up the Microbe Hunter Forum and ask there. Great bunch of microscope enthusiasts.

 

[Saponista]

I used to work as a taxonomist and you need a stereo microscope if you want to her to be able to look at bugs as you want to see them in three dimensions. Microscopes that you use with slides have much higher magnification which would not really be suitable as they are for flat things in one plane like slices of tissue or very small things like bacteria.

I have only used the expensive commercial ones which cost hundreds of pounds so I can't comment on the quality of cheaper ones but something like this may be ok. She could then go out and find all sorts of bugs and plants and things from the garden or the beach, an endless world of things to look at rather than just a set of slides which are always the same.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005C6O8KA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[snappyllama]

One present I can suggest (not a microscope) is an encyclopedia type book that doesn't look too childish. My youngest adored/poured over the "Illustrated World" series as well as the Smithsonian Handbooks. We all defer to her when it comes to critter identification.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0754819094/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0789493926/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

She also loved reading (cover to cover) field guides to birds.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0679451218/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[cmzaha]

Look up the Microbe Hunter Forum and ask there. Great bunch of microscope enthusiasts.

Thankyou I will check

I used to work as a taxonomist and you need a stereo microscope if you want to her to be able to look at bugs as you want to see them in three dimensions. Microscopes that you use with slides have much higher magnification which would not really be suitable as they are for flat things in one plane like slices of tissue or very small things like bacteria.

I have only used the expensive commercial ones which cost hundreds of pounds so I can't comment on the quality of cheaper ones but something like this may be ok. She could then go out and find all sorts of bugs and plants and things from the garden or the beach, an endless world of things to look at rather than just a set of slides which are always the same.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005C6O8KA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

That sounds like what we would like for her. She loves to garden, grow all type of plants and as I said, loves bugs

One present I can suggest (not a microscope) is an encyclopedia type book that doesn't look too childish. My youngest adored/poured over the "Illustrated World" series as well as the Smithsonian Handbooks. We all defer to her when it comes to critter identification.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0754819094/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0789493926/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

She also loved reading (cover to cover) field guides to birds.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0679451218/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

She has lots of illustrated books. Neat kid and I think her name Autumn is perfect for her. Great Grandma named her!