At the auction on Saturday they had several kinds of microscope, and I mentioned in passing to Lloyd that I wouldn’t mind having one for my home laboratory use classroom. I needed one with very few bells and whistles, and that would be pretty much indestructible. I pointed out a whole table chock full of microscopes that looked like they were as sturdy as horseshoes for a plow team. “Some of those, if they go cheap.”
Turns out I had him bid on the Brock Magiscope, an practically indestructible classroom microscope. This thing is amazing! It has a Lumarod – a bent acrylic tube that funnels light. No need for bulbs, batteries or plug-in power – just light! It’s built like a tank, and has only one moving part – the eyepiece goes up and down, that’s it. Plus, the lens is safely shrouded by a collar on the bottom so it’s practically impossible to break.
I was writing this post and decided to link to their website, and I found out these things sell for over a hundred dollars new! (It’s worth reading the story of the inventor, if you have time.) I’m so happy we bought three – one for the school agers, one for the preschoolers….. and yes, one for home.
Preschoolers, we are gonna have some fun.