National Geographic Dual LED Kids Microscope - 50+ pc Science Kit with 10 Prepared Slides & 10 DIY Blank Slides, Biology Experiment Activity, Microscope Kit for Kids 8-12 (Amazon Exclusive)

The National Geographic Kids Microscope Science Kit is a fantastic way to introduce children to the wonders of science. The dual LED lights and 20x/50x magnification work well for exploring the included prepared slides and other objects around the house. The set is packed with accessories—slides, tools, and even a geode—which makes the whole experience feel complete and hands-on. While the magnification isn’t high enough to see deep cellular detail, it’s more than enough to excite curiosity and encourage exploration. The build quality feels solid, and it’s simple enough for older kids to use on their own, though younger ones might need a bit of help. Great for gifting or as a fun educational tool at home.

Very pleased and satisfied with this microscope. It is a difficult product category to find good quality and good durability while providing an excellent learning experience. I have purchased this item several times along with separate slide kits. I give these to my nieces and nephews right after the 4th of July to give them something fun and educational to invest their free summertime in. They all have enjoyed it; some wanting to go even deeper into the science. In all cases, it gives them an advantage in their STEM classes.

This to me is a great scope for kids getting into science. It has both top and bottom lighting (allowing lots of objects to be viewed without putting them on slides.) The bottom lens is far away from the object (This keeps the children from cracking the lens into the object and breaking it) and it is portable (so you can take it with you outside if the kids adventure into outdoor discovery). The one suggestion I would make is to have the eyepieces lock into the scope. If someone picks this up to carry it from the back, the eye pieces can fall out easily. The included slides are a great entry into the world of the small, and the ability to throw a rock, or a leaf, or any other object under the scope to zoom in is great for kids without having to prep a slide. The brine shrimp are a wonderful way to get kids into thinking about looking at small things in greater detail, and the clear box allows them to throw insects into the box and look at them in detail. Overall, I would definitely buy this again.

This little microscope would be great for beginners. The booklet that comes with it is mostly about viewing slides, but it really is better at the 20X magnification with top lighting for viewing solid objects. I put a stem of Coleus flowers under it, and I could see the pollen in the anthers and the pollen stuck to the stigma lobes. You can examine tiny flowers whole or parts of larger flowers. Small insects and leaf margins are other good specimens. I think it would work well for looking at algae and some pondwater organisms. It will not show you much detail on protozoa, but there could be a lot to see. NOTE: The directions give no warning that the diffuser glass at the base is not fastened down or that it needs to be placed with the frosted side down. There is no direction to remove the objective lenses before you turn it upside down to put in the batteries, but there should be. The objectives can fall out during this operation. To view slides, you need to change the objectives. This microscope is marginal for viewing slides mainly because its magnification is limited to 50X. The onion skin slide that comes with it was good, but the cells in many of the others are too small to see. Some of the slides have debris as well as the specimen, but they are much better than the pretend slides that come with toy microscopes. I compared the slides from this kit to my collection of slides purchased through a major educational supplier. All in all, it is quite worthwhile for use at the 20X magnification. It is plastic so it will have to be treated with care.

We use this to look at SO much stuff. We even put hair strands to compare the thickness. We could even see dirt within our fingerprint that is not visible from the Just looking at our hands normally. It functions perfect! It was worth the money for sure. Its not heavy to move around. Its small enough to keep in a small space. All of plastic and metal and glass are durable! Battery lasts a long time.

This comes exactly as advertised and I couldn't be happier with it. My 8 year old loves science but is still at an age where a bit of clumsiness is be expected. This device is simple and sturdy enough to meet the challenges of his age range, yet still provides a "Wow, cool!" level of magnification that will keep a kid interested. You get enough magnification to clearly see plant cell walls and motes of pollen. It comes with glass plates and clips, as well as a bunch of pre-loaded plate samples like onion skin and earthworm bisection... but just as importantly, you can easily stick a quarter or a leaf under the lens with no fuss. That's crucial for kids who aren't yet ready for delicate, time-consuming procedures. For older kids, the plates come with clear instructions and are easy to assemble. I can't lie... I've played with this as much as the kids have. It's just that much fun to look at everyday things under the lens. Strongly recommend for a school-aged kid's microscope, or even for an adult who just needs a quick and easy magnifier for small details on things like coins or jewels.

Works great for a kid interested in bugs and stuff. My nephew loved it.

National Geographic Dual Microscope has surprisingly clear lens for an inexpensive microscope. The microscope has 10x and 25x lens that are easy to exchange. You simply pull to remove the lens and the next lens slides in. The distance between the two heads is adjustable, but this does not have a Diopter adjustment. You do have the Coarse Focus knob to adjust the distance from the specimen you're viewing. You have two different light sources, one from above your field of view and one below the stage that shines through the condenser lens (glass circular piece). The condenser lens comes out easily, so make sure to be careful when unboxing. Depending on what you are viewing the light source from below may still be too bright to see details. We found that if you take a small piece of wax paper and place under the glass piece it diffuses the light more and makes the specimen easier to see. There are many slides that come in a plastic case and most are already setup for viewing. (Examples: onion skin, fungi, earthworm cross section, etc.) The earthworm slide is one I would recommend diffusing more with the wax paper to see the individual layers of intestine and epidermis. This set also comes with a vile of Brine Shrimp eggs and a hatchery. The instructions to hatch the eggs are in the instruction manual. It's quite simple to make the saltwater using bottled water and salt without iodine. The eggs are supposed to hatch 24-48hrs later, but we were unable to see any hatch after waiting four full days. After research, there are many factors that could cause the eggs to not hatch, such as water was too cold, too many eggs, etc. You are instructed to place the hatchery in a window sill and it has been cold outside. With the shallow water for the eggs I fear the water may have gotten too cold. I will start the hatching process over very soon. The microscope is battery-operated and requires 2 AA batteries that are not included. Otherwise, this is a near complete starter kit for a teenager who is interested in science. I have a 7 and 6 yr old that enjoy looking through the microscope with our help. They love to find things when outside and bring in to get a closer look! Thanks for watching!