Explore the miniature universe of microscopic animals that live in ponds, puddles, lakes, rivers, and oceans. These organisms may be single-celled protozoa or larger, multi-celled animals like water fleas and brine shrimp. A microscope is your passport to the tiny world that exists in a drop of water.
In this activity, kids will use a microscope to observe and identify different kinds of tiny animals, note how they move around, and which environments they prefer.
1. Important: At least four days in advance, use the Protozoa Culture Kit and instructions to easily grow a variety of tiny, living organisms in a cup.
2. Now you’re ready! Get a slide and coverslip out of the box. These slides are pre-cleaned and ready to use.
3. Use the pipet included in kit to collect a drop of water from the cup, place it on the slide, and gently cover it with the coverslip.
4. Place the slide under the lens of the microscope. Look through the lens while slowly moving the slide until you see something moving.
5. Focus the microscope on the tiny, moving organisms! Use the included identification key to see what type of organisms are on your slide. Draw them in your notebook along with notes about what they’re doing.
Download the activity sheet for a formatted and ready-to-print version of this page.