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.

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.

Works really well, better than I was expecting. Image is clear and glass lenses seem to be good quality. Only issue like others have stated was the bottom led light is too bright, but I used white coffee filter paper over it to reduce and diffuse the light, it worked perfectly. Comes with a few prepared slides and blanks to make your own, but its more fun to look at random stuff you can find. For the money I think it works really well, my kids loved it and so did I. Comes with some brine shrimp eggs to hatch and look at too, haven't tried it, but hopefully it will work. Looked at some flower blossoms from my yard, they had insect eggs all over them, along with some unidentified tiny mite, a new discovery, it was neat. I also looked at a stingless bee trapped in amber I've had for over 10 years when I used to have access to a professional microscope similar to this style, it looked just as clear with this as I remember from the laboratory. So, again I was very pleased with this versatile microscope.

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.

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.

Holy crap I love this! I bought for my 10 year old son for Christmas and I may love it more then him, and he loves it! The detail is phenomenal, way better than a "toy". We've looked at so many things. Even used this to identify between a very small tick or a scab on my son (was a scam luckily). I looked through many microscopes before I settled on this one and I'm so glad I did. I highly recommend this product. I wouldn't recommend for a very young child as this could be easily broken but for an older child this is perfect!