Grades 6-9
26 activities – 158 pages

Observation is the foundation of all science. Magnificent Microworld Adventures provides the opportunity for students to make direct observations, first with their eyes, then with the use of hand lenses and microscopes. Each activity has students illustrate what they see, which encourages them to take more notice of details.

Students will look at mealworms and night crawlers (they are surprised to see the bristles on earthworms). They look at plant and animal cells, comparing sizes and shapes. There are several activities where they observe protozoa such as daphnia, cyclops, paramecium, amoeba, stentors, blepharisma and euglena. By making a Pickle Jar Aquarium, students can keep a fresh water ecosystem thriving for the entire year!

Included in this book are short, historical biographies on scientists Antony van Leeuwenhoek, Robert Hooke, and Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann. There are also different venues for content reading, including basic information pages, diagrams, and small, foldable rubber-band books.

Teachers will appreciate how this book works to hone observation skills, something that high school biology teachers often say students are lacking. Other abilities learned include correctly using simple and compound microscopes, recording accurate notes along with drawings of observations, and developing a curiosity and appreciation for the microscopic world.