Nature Microscope for Young Scientists

I bought this for my son at 2 years or so and he LOVED IT! It’s perfect for bugs, butterfly wings, bones, mushrooms...anything really.We loved it so much we bought another one for his kindergarten classroom!I don’t know how to get a new bulb however. We just use it in a sunny window though. The bulb lasted three years!!

My kids really enjoy looking at stuff under this microphone. It's very age appropriate. It doesn't magnify a whole lot but it's perfect for the eyes on a preschooler. It's very durable. My son loves the dig sets (shark teeth, Dino bones) and then he looks at them under the microscope

Let's get over the unfair comments posted by 1 and 2 star reviews.The magnifying power of this microscope is 2xIt is most definitely NOT a toy - it's a genuine microscope of the type which lets you look AT not through objects. (ie: no slides)So why have I awarded it 5 stars?I bought it for our granddaughters, the eldest of whom (just turned 5) has been showing a real interest in the natural world and the how and why of plants, seeds, insects etc. She has used a magnifying glass and thoroughly enjoyed that - but just as recorders don't naturally move on to any other instrument such as reed instruments, so magnifying glasses don't, of themselves, move on to anything other than larger magnifying glasses.A main point about this GeoSafari microscope is that it IS a microscope.It has the traditional knurled wheel which lifts and lowers the barrels.It works in EXACTLY the same way as a traditional stereo microscope which lets you look AT objects, rather than THROUGH them (such as when using slides).When in use, even when looking at a small insect in a small container, you can concentrate on looking as opposed to when you use a magnifying glass and have to also concentrate on keeping it still and steady.The GeoSafari leads on naturally to the use of more advanced microscopes, whether stereoscopic or slide-based. Examples of which areThe Apex Examiner MicroscopeThe New Apex Learner MicroscopeThere are also pocket microscopes such as the type associated with the Natural History Museum but I've yet to give this a thorough test.Natural History Museum Pocket MicroscopeI'm attaching a few photos of our granddaughter using the GeoSafari for the first time.She ended up scouring the house and garden for things to study and even began to dissect flower-heads to see what they looked like inside. This COULD have been done with a magnifying glass, but when using the microscope she could use both her hands to carefully move the object to and fro on the viewing platform.I have nothing against magnifying glasses - they're very useful and they have their uses, but the GeoSafari is a fantastic introduction to the world of a microscopy.

My 3 year old is very inquisitive and I thought this toy would be a fun way to expose her to science. She loved it immediately and ran around the backyard looking for things to examine. She enjoys being able to use the knob to view the items closely and has no trouble seeing due to the double eye holes. She likes using the light feature as well.Honestly, I didn't expect much out of this toy. I figured she would like it, but I didn't think it would hold her attention for too long. I was obviously mistaken. It has become one of her favorite new toys and she wants to play with it daily. It's easy to use and she gets to explore her environment in a fun way. I love that she can play with it independently (no difficult settings or tiny buttons to mess with) and I truly appreciate how sturdy it is. Her 1 year old brother is pretty rough on toys and despite his best efforts to mess it up, the microscope still looks new. This microscope is a home run in our house!I was sent a sample of this product in exchange for an honest review.

I originally bought this microscope for my 5-year-old son for Christmas. After inspection I realized it was WAY too juvenile for him. You can't view slides with this microscope. I didn't pay close attention while reading the information about this microscope. So I kept this to give to my 2.5-year-old son and I bought another one for my older boy that uses slides. It's PERFECT! Now they both get a microscope that is suitable for their ages. I can not wait for them to open these on Christmas morning!