|

Engaging Curiosity with Microscope Science in Your Homeschool

ByMary Wilson
Save or Share:

I knew that using a microscope in our homeschool would be a fantastic addition to our science year. I just needed to find the right resource to help me include it in our studies.

Using a microscope in our homeschool as part of microscope science.

This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure.

Using a Microscope for Science

There are many acceptable ways to approach science in your homeschool, but this school year I wanted a break from textbook-based science.  I wanted to try something slightly less structured as we kicked off our school year.

Something simple, yet engaging.

I know that microscopes are a natural way to engage young minds and make them curious about the world around them.

So I began brainstorming.

It occurred to me that we happen to own a fantastic student compound microscope that we occasionally pull out to explore the microscopic world around us, but we have never used it for any type of formal science study.  At least not yet…

Brilliant.

I determined that this microscope was going to be our Fall Science Curiosity Driver. or something like that.

I decided that we would spend the first months of our school year being curious about the world beyond the naked eye.

Finding a Microscope Curriculum

I knew that I would need more than just the microscope so I began to research book titles that would guide us gently, leaving plenty of room for curiosity and questioning.  

I wanted a guide that would encourage both of these things so I began to explore the best science books for homeschooling. There are so many options available and I finally settled on one that focused on the microscope, “The Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope“.

Microscope Science for the Homeschool Family

It was the perfect book to guide us along an educational path with our microscope.

So we began reading.

Implementing Microscope Science

We set up our microscope so that we could all explore the microscopic world together.  

This microscope comes with software for the computer and a special USB port eyepiece so that you can view the images on your computer.  Then I used our HDMI cable to connect my computer to the television.

And it has been perfect.

Simple.  Low preparation, but high enthusiasm.

Microscope science for elementary school

The book has encouraged us to take a look at water, feathers, and various types of paper and cloth materials under our microscope.

I was particularly intrigued by all of the fibers that make up various kinds of paper

Toilet paper.
Paper towels.
Drawing paper.
And colored magazine pages.

Fascinating.

Each of my children brings a composition notebook over to the floor and we simply write the date and draw images of the various objects and materials we view under the microscope.

We have had some frustrations with materials that weren’t easy to view, but we have had a ton of “WOW” moments that have made our experimenting worth it.

I have a feeling that we’ll know when it is time to move on to other subjects.

I hope that the time we are spending with our microscope will make us more confident to use it during all of our science lessons!

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind Review

A Rover’s Story Review

Connect
Latest posts by Mary Wilson (see all)

Save or Share:

Similar Posts

3 Comments

  2. Pingback: 100 Ways To Add Fun To Your Homeschool Day - Rock Your Homeschool

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.