There haven’t been all that many opportunities for us to go out walking these past few weeks, what with the bad weather and me not taking to the first three months of pregnancy very well. So as soon as the weather perked up a little bit last week and I started to feel more human, we set off out into the woods. The focus of the walk was to see how many different types of fungus we could find.

The boys took a small sample of the fungi they liked best and brought it home to have a closer look using the pocket microscope. It would’ve been fine to take with them on the walk but they decided that it’d be warmer to investigate at home! In fact, the pocket microscope is as small as an average sized pen.

Microscope 6

The pocket microscope retails at £9.99 and inside the box you’ll find:

  • Illuminated pocket microscope
  • Sample slide with grasshopper body parts
  • Sample slide with textiles
  • 3 x blank microscope slides
  • 12 x transparent sample covers
  • 12 x labels for samples
  • 4 x storage jars for samples
  • Tweezers
  • Colour instruction booklet

Microscope 1

 

Microscope 3

The pocket microscope was perfect for such investigative work. They chose to bring home some Turkey Tail, to give it its proper name, Trametes Versicolor. The small storage jars were perfect for keeping their sample safe, and they won’t forget what it is because Daddy labelled it using the sticky labels included in the box.

Once home, the boys had a good look through the microscope and were amazed at the clarity of what they could see. Although the top of the mushroom didn’t look too different, the underneath took them by surprise as using the microscope meant they could see the pores in terrific detail. I only wish I could have photographed it!

Microscope 7
Trametes Versicolor in our field guide

If your children don’t share the enthusiasm of mine when it comes to mushrooms growing in the wild (and I imagine not many do!) the microscope is also great for looking closely at all sorts of things. Within the pocket microscope set are two sample slides for children to look at. One has textiles in it and the other contains grasshopper parts. A great way to get kids interested in using the microscope before you head outside to find more things to investigate.

Pocket microscope samples

The manual is also really helpful, giving full and simple instructions on how to use the microscope and also giving ideas on where to use it.

This will be a permanent addition to our outdoor investigation kit because it takes up next to no space and is really useful. We have tried out quite a few products in this range and as a family who love the outdoors we have found them to be a lot of fun and very educational too. Have a look at our other reviews here.

 

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