uHandy Microscope Teaching Resources ·

How to Observe Pond Life with the uHandy Microscope

How to Observe Pond Life with the uHandy Microscope

Pond life observation is the best microscope activity for students. When looking at a drop of pond water under a microscope, students are always amazed at how much life actually exists. uHandy Microscope set is easy to set up and clean up when you want to take a microscope on the road with you. With the uHandy Microscope, students can take these microscopes wherever they go because they won’t be bound by a power cord when they are exploring!


Items You Will Need

  • The uHandy Microscope
  • A smartphone or tablet
  • A collection kit (Included in the uHandy Pro Kit and the uHandy Lite Kit)
  • Pond water
  • Water and 75% rubbing alcohol
  • Tissue or Kimwipes

 

Observe pond life under the uHandy Microscope Lo-Mag Lens

[SET UP]

  1. Turn on your smart device and the uHandy App, then clip the Lo-Mag Lens onto the camera lens of your smart device. You may need to manually adjust the lens until the white circle is in the center of the screen, the white circle is the visual field of the lens. (If your smart device has a case or cover, please remove it. It will improve the visual field.)
  2. Peel up a piece of Bubble Sampling Sticker(blue), then using the pipette add 1-2 tiny drops of pond water onto the Sample Cap (Mini Petri Dish).
  3. Place the Sampling Sticker back onto the Sample Cap (mini petri dish) to make a perfect seal and keep water from dripping down.
  4. Now you are ready to view pond life under the uHandy Microscope Lo-Mag lens.

  [CLEAN UP]

  1. Remove the Sample Cap (mini-petri dish)
  2. Remove the Bubble Sampling Sticker(blue) from the Sample Cap(mini-petri dish)
  3. Rinse the Sample Cap with water and gently blotted dry with a tissue. If there are watermarks or oil on the Sample Cap, it can be gently washed with soapy water and gently blotted dry with a tissue. Do NOT scrub the cap in order to avoid scratching the surface.

  

Observe pond life under the uHandy Microscope Hi-Mag Pro Lens

[SET UP]

1. Install the Light Stage batteries

      2. Prepare a wet mount of pond water

    (1) Peel up a piece of Bubble Sampling Sticker(blue), then using the pipette add 1-2 tiny drops of pond water onto the Circular Glass Slide. Tiny drops of pond water should be on the same side as the magnets and silicone pad.
    (2) Place the Sampling Sticker back onto the Circular Glass Slide to make a perfect seal and keep water from dripping down.
    (3) Please be sure to center Sampling Stickers on the glass and on the correct side. If placed on the wrong side, samples cannot be viewed and the images will be blurry.
      • Be careful not to press too hard and crack the Circular Glass Slide.
        3. Attach the Hi-Mag Pro Lens
      (1) Turn on your smart device and the uHandy App, then clip the Hi-Mag Pro Lens onto the lens of your smart device. You may need to manually adjust the lens until the white circle is in the center of the screen. The white circle is the visual field of the lens.  (If your smart device has a case or cover, please remove it. It will improve the visual field.)
      (2) Line up the black silicone pad on the Circular Glass Slide with the light switch, they should fit together neatly and our built-in magnets will hold the circular glass slide in place. Once the Circular Glass Slide is in place, the light should turn on automatically.
      (3) After clipping the Hi-Mag Lens to your smart device, the Light Stage can be attached directly underneath it. Our built-in magnets will help hold them together.
        • While holding the Light Stage firmly in the palm of your hand, you can carefully adjust the Hi-Mag Pro Lens while observing the pond life. To find the focus, simply turn the the Light Stage or slide the manual focus bar on the left of your display.

      [CLEAN UP]

      1. Carefully remove the Sampling Sticker from the Circular Glass Slide.
      2. Spray 75% rubbing alcohol on a tissue or Kimwipes (if rubbing alcohol is unavailable, clean water can be a substitute)
      3. Gently wipe the Circular Glass Side with the tissue or Kimwipes. Stubborn oily dirt may require more than one pass, discard the tissue or Kimwipes after each use.
      4. Do NOT scrub the Circular Glass Slide to avoid scratching the surface. Be careful not to dislodge the silicone pad or magnets while cleaning.

      If you have any questions or suggestions about this how-to article, please feel free to contact us at service@loveuhandy.com. We look forward to your feedback.

      Interested in learning more about the uHandy Microscope and how to engage students in science with the uHandy Microscope? Fill out the contact us form or schedule a time slot for a demo session!

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