Microscope Experiment Ideas for Summer Vacation (Part 1 – Beach Day!)

Microscope experiment ideas for Summer?

Kids learning on their break?

Unheard of!

At least, back in my day it was–more and more I’m hearing from parents and sometimes children (with parent supervision) that they are interested in scientific inquiry, and want microscope experiment ideas to do together. Well, we’re now sitting here at the beginning of July, and kids are all out for their favorite time of the school year–summer break!

I’m sure as a parent or educator (or both), the break is welcome from the constant barrage of homework our educational system is throwing at the kids, however, why not take some time to both have fun with the kids and continue their education into the world around us? Here are some microscope experiment ideas perfect for summer vacation that your kids will love!

Note, that this is part one of a weekly updated set–that way, you’ll always have something to do with the kids through summer!

Microscope Experiment Ideas for Summer Vacation (Part 1)

For your convenience, each idea will have a list of recommended equipment including a microscope recommendation. If you need any or all of the parts, feel free to click the link for that item, and get it on order!

1. Beach Day!

What better way to celebrate summer than by a visit to the beach? Now, I know I’m lucky to be a Southern California resident where I can do that, but I understand not everyone can make it to the coast. If you can’t, you can likely get the same or similar results from a visit to the nearest lake or river.

summer microscope experiment ideas
Who doesn’t love a fun day under the sun, clear skies, and warm waters?

There’s a number of samples available in nature that can easily be collected and viewed later, but besides the water itself, there isn’t much that can be viewed with a compound microscope. This section will be mostly dedicated to stereo microscope experiments, due to having the most flexibility in viewing samples.

– Sand (Stereo)

Recommended Microscope Options:

Recommended Equipment:

Microscope Experiment Process: Sand is an opaque object that must be viewed using a stereo microscope, as that has a light at the top that shines down onto the sample, reflects off of it, and back up into the lenses. A compound microscope has a light at the bottom that shines straight through the sample, so something solid like sand will reflect the light back down, instead of passing through it, preventing it from creating any kind of image. So for this microscope experiment be sure to have a stereo microscope to have the right tool for the job.

Using the scoop, collect small batches of sand from multiple areas of the beach. I recommend at least 4 spots for this microscope experiment–by the parking lot or road, closer to the shore but before the tide wets the sand, the sand wet by the tide, and sand from just under the water in the shallow point of the shoreline.

The reason we collect multiple types in this microscope experiment is that the sand itself may appear different from other locations due to being treated differently by the environment. For example, we would expect to see larger pieces from the point closest to the road, as they have not been pulverized by the water and by crashing against one another with the tide, compared to the likely finer sand from closer to the water.

If your beach is any like mine out here, you may have other elements in the beach–even seaweed presence and oil presence may discolor or change the appearance of the sand, so collect those two if you have it!

After collection is complete, label each and seal, unless you have a cordless microscope and took it to the beach for your microscope experiment. Be careful of sand–sand is a microscope’s worst enemy!

When viewing, you’ll want to first shake each petri dish side to side to level the sand out as much as possible. The thinner the layer, the more you’ll be able to see a unique piece of sand. Once thinned out, place it under the microscope’s lens and remove the lid. Turn the microscope’s top light on, and we can begin the viewing part of the microscope experiment.

summer microscope ideas
Sand particles from the Gobi Desert under a microscope. Source: http://www.wikimedia.org

Put your eyes to the microscope–it’s likely going to be blurry. No worries, your microscope isn’t broken, nor is the sample bad, it just needs to be focused. Lenses have a specific “range” where the image is clear, called the focal distance, or working distance. The more magnification one is using for their microscope experiment, the more curved the lens is, and thus, the closer the focal point is to the lens. With this in mind, adjust your microscope until the image becomes clear. This will usually be farther away if you just pulled your microscope out of the box (as they put it as closer to the stage in order to fit it into smaller packing materials), but it will take a little playing with to get it right.

Once in focus, view the particles of sand. Once done, switch to the next. I recommend going from high point to low point on the beach samples, so you can see their change (even if the wet sand has dried up by the time you get home, it should still be different).

What did you see? What trends did you notice? Inquire as to what your child sees, as well as what you see, and compare. Why do you think the sand samples are different depending on where you collected them from the beach? This microscope experiment segues into further research inquiries, however, it’s a great start!

For more, try comparing sand to dirt. What looks different? Why do you think the differences exist?

– Seashells (Stereo)

seashell microscope experiment idea
She sells seashells by the seashore! But if you collect your own, you won’t have to pay a dime!

Recommended Microscope Options:

Recommended Equipment:

Microscope Experiment Process: This experiment is much similar to the sand experiment in terms of the process, however the collection and data analysis is a bit different.

A stereo microscope is needed for this kind of comparative microscope experiment idea because, as before, seashells are large opaque samples that light cannot pass through. So, you have to reflect light off of the surface of the shell and back up into the objective lens to see anything. A stereo microscope with a top light is perfect for this type of microscope experiment, so I recommend one. A compound with a bottom light will not work, and a compound with a top light isn’t really meant for something like this due to the magnification being too high.

So, first, collection! This is the tedious but adventurous part of this microscope experiment that the kids will love! Next beach trip, be sure to pack the sifter and bag, as these are perforated to allow sand to filter through but keep the shells. Sure beats spending time sifting through sand by hand! Although, if you kids have way too much energy, that would be a great way to help tire them out! 🙂

Feel free to collect as many or as few as you’d like! There’s no limit to the number of types of seashells you can collect for your stereo microscope experiment. The more you get, the more exploration you can do!

seashell microscope experiment idea
How many shells did you collect? Do any look like these?

Once collected and stored in the bag, I recommend holding onto them until you get home. There’s tons to do at the beach–enjoy the sunshine and the water! The seashells can wait until you’re back home where you have a power source and a room without a lot of ambient light (light from other light sources than the microscope, which can make your image look unclear or show reflections in an odd manner).

From here, the microscope experiment is pretty simple! Place each seashell on the stage of the microscope, under the lens. Look into the microscope. It’s likely not going to be in focus–don’t worry, nothing’s wrong with your microscope. Adjust the large focusing knob to move the microscope head closer/farther from the sample. The higher the magnification value you’re using, the closer you need to be to the shell to focus. The opposite holds true as well–the lower the magnification, the farther away you need to be.

Adjust the height while periodically looking into the microscope to check to see if it’s getting better or worse. Alternatively, you can  look in the microscope constantly while adjusting. This is what most people do, however some have complained that it isn’t comfortable to do so–so it’s really up to your personal preference. Once the image becomes clear, your sample is focused, and you can view it or move the shell to view a different area. Since seashells are varied in size, color, and shape, you will likely need to refocus when you change between seashells.

Using the book, what kinds of seashells can you identify with this microscope experiment? For added critical thinking and creative skill exercises, you can have your children draw what they see in the microscope, and compare their image to the book to see if they can identify the type of seashell it is!

– Seaweed (Compound / Stereo)

Recommended Microscope:

Recommended Equipment:

Microscope Experiment Process (Stereo): If you opt for the stereo microscope option, you’ll be inspecting the surface of the seaweed, and will need larger pieces cut to give you a larger area of inspection.

As with other microscope experiment ideas listed here, begin by collecting samples. Samples can be collected from both the shallow ocean (the shoals) or from the beach itself, however, for this microscope experiment, I prefer to keep the samples a little wet so they’ll be livelier when you go to view them under the microscope. A storage container that is water tight is recommended to avoid spilling between the beach and home. You can collect as many samples as you’d like, however, one or two larger pieces is probably all you need. If you need to cut them down to size to fit into the container, feel free to do so.

seaweed microscope experiment idea
Seaweed on the beach in the drying process.

Once collected and stored with some water to keep it hydrated, go enjoy the day! Play in the sun and the sand, frolic in the ocean water! The experiment can wait, as all that needs to be done at the beach is the collection, so the rest of the day is yours!

Once home, cut the seaweed into 1″ x 1″ squares, or larger if you prefer a larger sample. I like to lay down a sheet of plastic wrap on the microscope base itself to protect it from any water entering an electric component if you have a unit with a base light as well as a top light, however a petri dish will work as well.

Turn the top light on after placing your sample centered under the microscope’s objective lens. Take a look in the microscope–your image is likely unclear. No worries, your microscope isn’t broken or defective, it just needs to be focused. Grab the focusing knobs, which are usually the large knobs near the pillar of the microscope, and adjust them closer/farther from your sample as needed until the image in the microscope becomes clear. Higher microscope magnification will mean you need to be closer to the sample to focus, while lower magnification values will have you farther away from the sample to focus.

Once focused, take note of what you can see using the top light. You may see a little glare from the water, but the image will be visible. What can you see? Can you see plant fibers? You won’t see plant cells with the stereo microscope, nor bacteria, but can you see any other critters or tiny organisms moving around?

Can you identify what kind of seaweed you’ve collected from your local beach? Are there any differences between the different samples?

For further viewing, you can allow them to dry out and view the samples again!

Microscope Experiment Process (Compound): If you opt for the compound microscope option, you’ll be inspecting the cellular structure of the seaweed, and will need smaller pieces, so one or two large pieces of seaweed will be enough for collection purposes. I recommend getting them from multiple locations on the beach for comparison purposes.

seaweed microscope experiment
Differing types of seaweed exist, so be sure to do some research on what you have after viewing!

As with other microscope experiment ideas listed here, begin by collecting samples. Samples can be collected from both the shallow ocean (the shoals) or from the beach itself, however, I prefer to keep the samples a little wet so they’ll be livelier when you go to view them under the microscope. A storage container that is water tight is recommended to avoid spilling between the beach and home. You can collect as many samples as you’d like, however, one or two larger pieces is probably all you need. If you need to cut them down to size to fit into the container, feel free to do so.

Once collected and stored with some water to keep it hydrated, go enjoy the day! The experiment can wait, as all that needs to be done at the beach is the collection, so the rest of the day is yours! Plus, compound microscopes are extremely sensitive to dust and other particles, so sand doesn’t play well with them.

When you get back home and rested from the sun draining your energy, the microscope experiment can officially begin!

First thing to do is to prepare our sample on a slide. To do this, adult supervision is recommended, as we need to use the scalpel to take a very fine/thin cut of the seaweed. Light has to penetrate the sample, so the thinner the better. Professionals use specialized tools to create larger, flatter samples, as well as special stains/dyes and preservatives, so don’t worry about all that. Just do the best you can at home with the tools you got for this microscope experiment.

From there, place the thin cut sample onto the slide with a little drop of water to keep it constituted. Using the scalpel, place a cover slip (thin piece of plastic or preferably glass) perpendicular to the slide, and guide it down into place with the scalpel. Once on, press down to secure it to the slide.

From here, you can view the slide by placing it onto the microscope stage and centering it into the path of light as best as possible. Change to the lowest power objective (usually the 4x, the shortest objective lens) by rotating it on the turret of your microscope. When you view through the eyepieces, your image won’t be clear–that’s normal for all microscope experiments. You just need to adjust the height of the stage to the correct distance away from the lens to focus the sample. Grab the knobs and adjust the stage higher or lower as needed–the more magnification being used, the closer one needs to be.

Once focused, view the sample. Make note of what you see, as we’re going to need that information to compare to other parts of the seaweed sample, as well as other seaweed samples if you collected more than one. When ready, you can change up to the next higher objective (usually the 10x), and refocus to view. You can repeat this process all the way up to any power lower than 100x. With a 100x lens, the process changes slightly due to the physics behind the lens.

When you hit 100x, the hole in the objective lens (called the aperture) gets so small that not enough light enters it through air as the medium for the light to travel through. We use a process called oil immersion to get enough light into the aperture. Air molecules scatter light much faster than cedarwood oil, so we use a drop of that on top of the cover slip, then immerse the 100x lens into the oil. The 100x lens is specially designed to be sealed, so we don’t need to worry about damaging the objective, however do not let the immersion oil dry on the lens, as that can damage it. When done viewing, wipe all oil clean, and you can switch slides to another sample.

Repeat the process for as many samples as you’d like to compare. Be constantly thinking about why things appear as they do, and what you’re looking at. The tempering and teaching of thought process and analysis process involved with critical thinking is what we’re ultimately after, besides learning about bacterial cells themselves as well.

If you cannot see clearly, your sample may be too thick, or the cells may be too translucent. You can use the stain by placing a drop on the side of the cover slip, and placing a paper towel edge on the opposite side. This will draw some of the liquid out of the cover slip, and draw in the stain, thus killing the sample, but making things contrast much more vibrantly.

– Ocean Water (Compound)

Recommended Microscope:

Recommended Equipment:

Microscope Experiment Process:

As with our other microscope experiment ideas, this one too begins with collection. The glass vials are your friend here–head on over to the coast and start filling a many vials as you’d like to have as samples. Personally, I prefer to have some taken from fairly shallow water, as well as deeper water, to see if I can spot any differences in the bacteria floating around, but it’s completely up to you!

Once you’ve collected the samples for your microscope experiment, set them aside in a cool place away from the sun. Since the bacteria are heat sensitive, having the smaller sized vials out in the sun may overheat and kill the bacteria that you want to see. If possible, you can do collection towards the end of the day rather than the beginning–just don’t forget while you’ve having all that fun in the sun!

Once you get home and rest up from the heat, it’s time to begin! First thing’s first–you have to prepare a slide in order to view these kinds of samples in this microscope experiment. Slides are glass rectangles that are translucent, which allows you to store a sample over the hole on the stage of the microscope, and allows light to travel through your sample and into the lens.

The basic procedure you will want to do is to place the slide on the table, being sure not to put any fingerprints on the large, flat surface of the slide. Take the pipette, and get a sample of the ocean water from the vial. Place a drop on the center of the slide.

To continue this microscope experiment, we need to affix a cover slip to the slide. A cover slip is a very thin piece of glass (or plastic, although glass is preferred) that serves to both even out the fluid on the slide so we have a nice, flat sample, and protects the liquid from coming into contact with the sensitive objective lens of the microscope. Furthermore, if using a 100x objective, it provides a barrier between the immersion oil that goes on top of it and the sample fluid. More on that later. For now, place the cover slip perpendicular to the slide (so it forms an upside down ‘T” shape), and allow the cover slip to gently fall down onto the glass sample by guiding it with the scalpel. Using the scalpel’s flat side, gently press down on the cover slip so that the fluid flattens out as evenly as possible. Avoid placing a finger on the slip to prevent leaving oils that may distort your image.

From here, you have two options. You may either place the slide on the stage of the microscope and attempt to view your sample without staining it. The advantage of doing so is that your sample may still be alive, so you’ll see movement. The disadvantage of viewing now is that many bacterial cells are translucent, especially in water, so it may be difficult to see much at all.

If you’d prefer to stain them, the advantage you’ll receive by doing so for this microscope experiment is that your samples will be much easier to see, as they will be contrasted. The disadvantage is that the stain will kill your sample, so you will not be able to see much movement if any. If you wish to stain it, the easiest way to do so is to place a drop of stain on the edge of the cover slip but on the glass slide portion. Take a paper towel, and place a small edge near the opposite side of the cover slip. The paper towel will absorb some water, which will pull the stain into the sample. You could alternatively place a drop on the sample before putting the cover slip on, but it gets messy that way. The typical method of doing so here is as described above.

Either way, place the sample on the stage of the microscope and turn the light on. Center the sample into the path of light as best as possible. Rotate the objective turret to your lowest magnification setting (usually the 4x lens, which is the shortest) as for this microscope experiment, it gives you the largest area to look at for a given magnification. Looking into the microscope will likely provide you with an unclear image. This is normal–the microscope has to be focused. The more magnification you use, the closer your lens needs to be to achieve focus. Move the microscope’s focusing knobs to adjust the height of the stage higher or lower until your image comes into clear view. If you’d like to achieve greater levels of detail, from this point, you would switch to the next higher power objective (usually the 10x), and refocus. You can do this all the way up to any power lower than 100x to get as much detail as you’d like.

When you hit 100x, the hole in the objective lens (called the aperture) gets so small that not enough light enters it through air as the medium for the light to travel through. We use a process called oil immersion to get enough light into the aperture. Air molecules scatter light much faster than cedarwood oil, so we use a drop of that on top of the cover slip, then immerse the 100x lens into the oil. The 100x lens is specially designed to be sealed, so we don’t need to worry about damaging the objective, however do not let the immersion oil dry on the lens, as that can damage it. When done viewing, wipe all oil clean, and you can switch slides to another sample.

Once you’ve compared a few samples, what differences could you see in this microscope experiment? Could you differentiate different kinds of bacteria (even if identifying the specific bacteria is a bit difficult, one can surely tell a few differences between varying samples)? Try to cognitively explain potential differences in structure or shape, as far as asking your child to draw conclusions about what they’re seeing–are they alive and moving, or stationary?

Stay tuned for more updates and ideas to keep your children having fun while learning about the world around them! If you have any questions, or have any comments on these microscope experiment ideas, please feel free to leave me a comment or fill out a contact form!