Best Microscopes for Homeschooling 

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Microscopes can be wonderful tools for homeschooling, allowing students a fascinating, hands-on experience with science. But unless you happen to know a lot about them, choosing the right microscope for homeschool use can be daunting. There are many options on the market, ranging from flimsy kids’ toys to very advanced (and very expensive) options. Before you choose a microscope for your homeschool, it is important to think about how you want to use the instrument with your student so that you can avoid buying one that is overly expensive, doesn’t fit with your curriculum, or is too difficult for your child to use. In this article, we’ll discuss what microscopes are and how they work, the two main types of microscopes, and what to look for when it comes to magnification and other features. Our top choices are listed below. Continue reading the article to find out how these made the list.

Our picks for the best microscopes for homeschooling:

What Are Microscopes? 

On a basic level, all microscopes are simply optical instruments that use lenses to make objects appear larger. All microscopes have both an objective lens and an eyepiece lens. The objective lens is the one at the bottom of the instrument, closest to the sample being studied. It is similar to a strong magnifying glass, focusing light from the sample to produce an enlarged image. The eyepiece lens sits closer to the viewer’s eye and also helps magnify and focus the image. Most microscopes also include some type of lamp or other light source to make the sample easier to see.  

Types of Microscopes

There are two basic types of microscopes. Both have the same basic optical components, but they look different and have different applications. The first type is called a compound microscope. Compound microscopes are typically used to study objects mounted on small glass microscope slides. The slide is placed on a viewing platform, or stage, and a strong light source – sometimes a mirror but more often a bright lamp – directs light through it. In a homeschool setting, sample objects viewed on slides might include plant material, animal tissue fragments, pond water creatures, or insect body parts. You can mount such materials on blank slides yourself, or you can purchase prepared slides with a variety of samples already mounted on them. 

The second type of microscope is called a stereo microscope (or a dissecting microscope). Stereo microscopes use moderate magnification to view thicker, solid objects. The objects are generally illuminated by reflected light from a lamp within the microscope. Although stereo microscopes can also view samples mounted on slides, they are best used for viewing thicker, three-dimensional objects. In a homeschool setting, one could use a stereo microscope to study items like coins, insects, rocks, fish scales, moth wings, skin, small living creatures, or many other things. The applications are limitless!  

Magnification 

When it comes to choosing a microscope for homeschool use, one of the most important things to understand is that you do NOT need to purchase one with extremely high magnification. Viewing magnification is generally determined by multiplying the magnification of the objective lens by the magnification of the eyepiece lens. In other words, a microscope with a 10x objective lens and a 10x eyepiece lens gives a viewing magnification of 100x. However, it is really only the objective lens that matters when it comes to seeing highly-detailed resolution in the magnified image.

There are student microscopes on the market that have inexpensive lenses sometimes producing magnifications as high as 1000x, but in reality these are impractical for home use because the high magnifications only produce highly-magnified fuzzy images. Such high magnifications on cheap lenses are not useful and do not add to the learning experience. For actual student use, microscopes with low power objectives (5x, 10x, or 20x) that give total magnifications up to 200x for compound microscopes or 50x for stereo microscopes are more than sufficient. While most options on the market will boast higher magnifications than these, you’ll find the lower magnifications to be the most useful in the homeschool setting. 

Other Features 

Besides magnification, there are a few other features you may want to look for when choosing a microscope for homeschool use. Ideally, the microscope should have binocular optics, which basically means it is designed to be looked through with both eyes. You might also want to consider what types of illumination the instrument includes. In general, the brightest lighting is most useful for higher magnifications when using compound microscopes. Light sources that use batteries are fine, especially if they have bright LED lamps. The brightest light sources are halogen lamps, but you may want to avoid these if you have younger children, as they can become very hot. 

If you want to be able to capture a digital image of the viewed object, attachments are available to do this (such as this one, which allows you to capture these images with your smartphone – link to one). They are generally not too expensive, and they can greatly increase the usefulness of the microscope for teaching and learning. Additionally, blank and prepared microscope slides (link here) can be purchased. It’s best to buy the standard 1×3 inch sizes, as these are easiest for kids to handle and fit in standard slide storage boxes. 

To summarize, you should be able to get a good, effective compound or stereo microscope for homeschool use for a reasonable price. Avoid the cheapest, flimsiest options, and also avoid judging the quality and performance of a microscope by its advertised magnification, as these extremely high magnifications can actually produce highly-magnified fuzzy images that will only detract from the learning experience. 

Best Budget Compound Microscope

AmScope 120X-1200X 52-piece Kids’ Beginner Microscope STEM Kit 

If you are looking for a very affordable, basic microscope with plenty of accessories to keep your child busy, we recommend the AmScope 120x-1200x 52-piece Kids’ Beginner Microscope STEM Kit. Of all the inexpensive beginner microscopes on the market, this is by far the best one we’ve come across. Many parents with microscope experience have reported how surprised they are at the quality of the magnification this scope provides. This microscope can be used right out of the box, as it comes with 49 accessories including prepared and blank slides and all the materials necessary to conduct a brine shrimp experiment. Although it is primarily plastic (with a metal base), it is not nearly as flimsy as some of the other inexpensive options on the market. It also comes with a sturdy carrying case that will protect it when not in use.

Parents will appreciate that this kit is user-friendly, with plenty of activities to keep your kids busy for hours. Do note that this is a monocular microscope, meaning that it is designed for viewing with only one eye. Most kids won’t mind this feature, but if you plan on using this microscope extensively, you may want to opt for one that is binocular instead (see our other recommendations on this page). Overall, if you’re looking for an inexpensive, good-quality scope with an accessory kit to get your child started, this instrument is an excellent option.  

Best Budget Stereo Microscope

National Geographic Dual LED Microscope 50+-piece Science Kit 

If you want an affordable beginner microscope that will allow your child to study 3-D objects as well as samples on slides, we recommend the National Geographic Dual LED Microscope 50+-piece Science Kit. It too comes with a variety of accessories to keep your child busy for hours, including blank and prepared slide and a similar brine shrimp experiment. This microscope will cost a bit more than the AmScope Kids’ Beginner Scope, but it is still quite affordable and has two main advantages over that scope: first, it is binocular, meaning it is designed to be viewed with both eyes. This is a bit more comfortable and a feature we recommend, especially if your student plans to use the microscope extensively. Second, this is a stereo microscope, which allows students to look at both samples on slides and 3-dimensional objects such as rocks, coins, and shells. This microscope is made out of a sturdy hard plastic, so it should hold up just fine for student use.  

Best Overall Student Compound Microscope

AmScope M150C-I 40x-1000x All-Metal Optical Glass Lenses Cordless LED Student Biological Compound Microscope 

If you’re interested in an overall great compound microscope for homeschool use, we recommend the AmScope M150C-I 40x-1000x Cordless LED Student Compound Microscope. This scope sits in the same price range as the National Geographic Dual LED scope, but unlike that one, this microscope is completely metal and thus a bit sturdier for extensive student use. We love that this microscope is cordless and that the light source is LED so it won’t get too hot for little hands. This is a compound microscope, so students will only be able to view samples on slides. However, the detail they’ll be able to see on those slides is quite impressive.

If you decide to purchase this microscope, we recommend you also get some prepared slides, such as this set, which includes a variety of samples such as plant fragments, insect parts, and biological tissue. It can also be fun to get some blank slides, upon which your kids can mount anything they find (as long as it is thin enough). Drops of pond water can be especially fun to use with blank slides! 

Best Overall Student Stereo Microscope

AmScope SE306R-PZ Forward Binocular Stereo Microscope 

If you’re looking for a high-quality stereo microscope for homeschool use, we recommend the AmScope SE306R-PZ Forward Binocular Stereo Microscope. As a stereo microscope, this instrument will allow your kids to study both slide samples and 3-dimensional objects like rocks, coins, and shells. This microscope is made of sturdy metal and is binocular, allowing one to view it with both eyes. Detailed viewing is excellent on this microscope. The viewing stage (the piece upon which the slide or sample is placed) can be reversed from black to white – this is a very useful function, as different samples will show up more clearly depending on the background color. This scope also has two high-quality halogen lamps, which together make for a very bright, clear, and detailed image. Halogen lights can get quite hot, so if you plan to use your microscope with young children, you may want to opt for a scope with LED light instead. Overall, this is an excellent student microscope appropriate for most kids, including high schoolers, at a reasonable price point.  

We’d love to hear how you’ve used microscopes in your homeschool. Shoot us a message if you have comments or questions!