Primary School Request a Microscope Activity Kit
Are you a UK Primary School looking to bring science to your classroom in an innovative way? Request one of our Microscope Activity Kits to borrow for a whole term completely FREE!
The RMS Microscope Activity Kits were launched in April 2011 in response to the declining number of Primary Schools that used microscopes in the classroom. With a focus in the national curriculum on achieving good standards of English and Maths, it is becoming more and more difficult for teachers to find available time to teach science, let alone come up with an exciting lesson plan.
To combat this our Outreach committee, headed by Professor Susan Anderson, created our Microscope Activity Kits, providing resources not often found in Primary Schools, to use for free along with a number of pre-prepared activities. The activities come with the relevant equipment, worksheets for the children and notes for the teachers on how to set-up and run them. The microscopes included in the Kits are RMS-approved microscopes, meaning they fulfil the criteria we feel is necessary for a microscope for use in a classroom.
The RMS-approved microscopes are suitable for KS1 and KS2 children. They are robust and easy to use and allow pupils to obtain clear images with minimum setup or assistance. A digital camera is included so that the discoveries can be shared and described with the class via the interactive whiteboard. We have strived to make this a feature of the boxes and have ensured that it is really straightforward to use.
In no time at all, children will be seeing new things, examining the materials provided and using the teachers notes which map the activities to curriculum targets, they can then move on to making their own slides with samples that they can find and choose.
It’s a great way to encourage children to describe what they see. Whether it is the intricate criss-cross detail of a piece of woven cloth, or the snowy landscape of table-salt, they will want to tell you all about it.
The Microscope Activity Kits are delivered and collected by the RMS and are free to borrow for a whole term. The only thing we ask for in return is your feedback so that we can continue to develop the Kits to ensure they remain an excellent Primary Science resource. There are currently 50 Kits that cover England, Wales and Scotland with an extra 6 in Ireland, as part of the Under the Microscope project.
Home Education Microscope Activity Kits
We do have a couple of smaller Microscope Activity Kits available for primary home school educators. Our Home Education Microscope Activity Kits are available to loan for half terms at a time.
If you are a home educator and would like a Home Education Microscope Activity Kit then please apply by email found on the Home Educators Request a Microscope Activity Kit page.
For more information on School Outreach, including our Kits, please contact Jess Cole.