From bugs to body parts, children are always fascinated at seeing objects magnified. The problem is that they all want to look at the same time! The Intel Play QX3 Computer Microscope (74.95) provides a fantastic way for children to examine magnified objects on a screen together. If your school received a computer microscope as part of the science year initiative then prise it out of the Key Stage 2 science co-ordinator's hands!
The kit consists of a stand with two light sources and focus knobs, and a detachable microscope with a magnification ring for enlargements of 10x, 60x and 200x, and a capture button. It also comes with sample jars, containment dishes, plastic tweezers, an eye dropper and prepared slides, including bug parts, textile fibres, pollens, spores and plant sections.
The PC software allows the user to examine small objects at different magnifications and also to capture pictures and movies. You can even make a time-lapse movie, so the children could watch a flower opening, a seed germinating or material decaying (see 'Switch on to ICT' in Nursery World next month on 11 July). Images are viewed directly on your computer screen via a USB connection, making group discussion much easier. Captured images and movies can be saved and printed, exported, e-mailed, made into a slide show and 'enhanced' with special effects using music, paint tools, stamps and text.
If you have never used a microscope, positioning objects under magnification may take some getting used to. Focusing also takes some practice - there may be a delay between moving the knob and the image changing on the screen.
Suppliers: Tag Developments (tel 01474 357 350), Commotion (tel 01732 773399).
