Learning Resources MicroProElite Manual download pdf (Page 11)

PROJECT #6: Pond Water

You will need: microscope

a pail or bucket

an empty jar

pipette

clean, blank slides

slide covers

Get a sample of water from a pond in a wooded area. It is best to get a

sample in the late spring or summer. Dip your pail or bucket in the pond to fill

it. Let it stand still for about a half-hour. Then dip your jar to the bottom of the

pail and try to get some of the sludge that has settled to the bottom. Use your

pipette to place a drop on a blank slide and place a slide cover over it. To do

this, stand the slide cover on end next to the drop. Gently let it fall onto the

drop. Push it lightly with a toothpick, but not hard enough to squash any little

animals. If water has squeezed out around the edges, you can touch a tissue

to it to clean it up. Look through your microscope. Start at 150X and work

upward.

What are all of the small things you see? Are some of them alive? You will

see small bits of dirt and vegetation. If you are lucky, you may see small

creatures moving around. Some of these are tiny baby insect larvae.

Others are very tiny animals that live in the water and feed on the vegetation

and on the insect eggs and larvae. Make careful notes and drawings of what

you see.

Things I saw in pond water:

PROJECT #7: Friendly Bacteria

You will need: microscope

clean, blank slides

slide covers

pipette

yogurt (must say “active cultures” on the label)

water

petri dish

Bacteria are very small life forms that you can only see through a

microscope. Some bacteria make us feel sick. Some bacteria are friendly. Do

you like yogurt? Did you know that friendly bacteria turn milk into yogurt?

Put a drop of natural yogurt on a slide. Mix it with a drop of water and put a

slide cover over it. The sample should be spread very thinly. Look through

your microscope. Scan the area carefully at 450X and 900X. Try to look at

the thinnest areas. You should see small round objects. These are the

friendly bacteria.

Place several drops of yogurt in a petri dish or sample vial. Mix it with several

drops of warm water. Do not cover your sample. Place it somewhere relatively

warm and out of reach. Wait for one day. Using your pipette, place a drop or two

of your sample on a slide and cover it with a slide cover. Look for more bacteria.

You will probably see more bacteria. They were in the air and landed on the

yogurt. There may be different shapes than you saw the day before. Draw

pictures of what you saw.

Wash your hands thoroughly. Place the slide cover in the garbage. Wash the

slide in hot, soapy water with several spoonfuls of liquid bleach added. Ask

your parents to help you because bleach can hurt you, and the bottle is

heavy. Wash your hands again.

Notes:

Friendly Bacteria Other Bacteria

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Learning Resources MicroProElite Manual Page 11

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