I know it is winter, but if you have access to a pond, pond water is teaming with lots of little critters swimming around. The dirtier the better. He can place a drop of the pond water on the slide and watch them swim. That is what I did eons ago when I got my microscope for Christmas. Fish tank water would also work. Methylene blue would stain them too and can be diluted very weak and will still work. Find insects and leaves and just place parts of them them in water under a coverslip. That way the coverslip can be reused.Crush salt and sugar crystals into smaller bits and look at them dry.Have him experiment with different stains around the house like food coloring, iodine, etc.Watch different liquids dry and see what kind of crystals they form.We tend to just think of tissue since that is what we work with. Paula Pierce, HTL(ASCP)HTExcalibur Pathology, Inc. 630 N. Broadway Moore, OK 73160 405-570-6679 405-759-3953 contact@excaliburpathology.com
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