Areas of Learning: Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Creative Development.
Context: Children had read the story of Jasper's Beanstalk. A display of a bean in some soil had appeared on the classroom wall and the children had discussed what the pretend bean would need to grow! The next day the bean had sprouted a short stem and the class had decided to make leaves for the beanstalk. (The children had also looked through different lenses in magnifying glasses and binoculars.)
Learning Intentions:To use a digital microscope to look carefully and make observations. (KUW)
To explore colour and texture in two dimensions. (CD)
Child Speak Targets: I am learning to /can use the digital microscope to look carefully at things.
Key Vocabulary: microscope, lens, cable, bigger, magnify, stalk, leaves, veins, hairs

You will need: An digital microscope connected to the computer.
A selection of plants with different shaped leaves on them. (Smaller leaves work best, because the whole leaf can be seen on the computer screen.)

Revise what happens to things when we look at them through a magnifying glass. Introduce the microscope and tell the children there is a lens inside this microscope just like in a magnifying glass. Ask the children to predict what might happen when they put their finger under the microscope!
Demonstrate this to see if their predictions were correct! ( Keep the setting of the microscope on 10 times magnification.)

Remind the children that they are going to make some leaves for Jasper's Beanstalk and look at some leaves under the microscope. Ask the children to predict what they might see and then show them the leaf and discuss the stem, the veins and the hairs.

Top tip: If this is the first time the children have used the microscope you might want to let them explore placing their fingers under the microscope carefully. They find it fascinating and it will promote much discussion on how their finger can appear on the screen.

In small groups demonstrate how to take a picture of the leaf under the microscope and how to print the picture.


Ask children in turn to choose a leaf, place it under the microscope, take a picture and print it out. Discuss with the children what they can see on the screen and on the print out.

Set up the microscope with a selection of leaves. Let children explore different leaves under the microscope.

When children have had time to observe the leaves, provide the opportunity for them to work creatively to make leaves using collage, pastels, chalks etc.

Ask children to add the leaves to the beanstalk display!

Thinking Questions: What happened when we looked at our fingers under the microscope?
What did we see when we put a leaf under the microscope? How did it look different?
How did we print out a picture of the leaf?
What else would you like to look at under the microscope?
How is your paper leaf the same as the leaf you looked at under the microscope?