As a teacher and a parent, I love anything which encourages a love of learning. Children are so interested in the natural world that they will love the My First Microscope from Learning Resources. It is a brilliant microscope for children aged 3-7 who are interested in exploring the world around them.
This microscope looks just like a grown-up version and is fully functional. Children love to role play and would love to dress up as scientists, but at the same time can use the microscope for real. The colours are bright and attractive and appealing for boys and girls with contrasting greens, blues and oranges.
I would definitely use these in my Reception class as well as at home. The design is really chunky and easy to manipulate for small hands and feels very sturdy. It doesn’t rock or fall over easily so it won’t get broken.
The best thing about the design is that it has two eye holes, other than the usual one. This is clever as young children can look through both eyes at once – which will make it so much easier for them.
My first Microscope is really easy to work. It has a chunky knob to turn to focus, which even young children will be able to use. The microscope has an LED light which makes what you are looking at much clearer. This needs batteries which aren’t included.
When we were testing the microscope we had lots of snow. The girls were fascinated with looking through the microscope and seeing the tiny snowflakes. There is 8x magnification which is brilliant for looking at flowers or minibeasts. The only thing I would improve would be to have even greater magnification. I’m not sure if this would mean the controls would have to be more complicated though.
This is a brilliant first microscope which will enhance your children’s understanding of the natural world and will make them feel like real scientists. It costs only £19.80, which means it is an inexpensive addition to a classroom or a toy room.
Disclaimer: We were sent the microscope for the purposes of this review.