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Animal Hair Microscope Slides

12/6/2017

6 Comments

 
How to make your own prepared microscope slides
Ordering class sets of prepared slides can be pricey. Want a fun and free way to make your own? All you need are some slides, clear tape, and some animal hair samples. Put a few pieces of hair on a slide and carefully cover it with clear tape. A couple tips:
  • Don't use scotch tape that has a matte finish or you won't see it very well under the microscope. Make sure it is clear cellophane tape. 
  • Be careful to not leave fingerprints on the tape when handling. 
  • Lighter hair samples are easier to see under the microscope than darker hair samples. If you have the option, go lighter. 
  • With the taped slides, you will get small air bubbles. Make sure to warn the students first, so they don't end up drawing air bubbles on their lab paper instead of hair (because you know a few will!)
  • I have read online that instead of using tape you can use a cover slip and a dab of super glue or clear nail polish. For me tape was easier, so that's what I went with. 
When you look at the hair under the microscope you will see that different species have varying medulla patterns in the center of the hair.  I gave my students a couple of samples to look at- human, dog, and cat, and then gave them an "unknown" slide and had them figure out which type of hair they were looking at. If you have students with some fun pets at home (such as a rabbit, ferret, or guinea pig) ask them to bring in a few hairs as well.
(Below: Left image is human hair, Right image is cat hair)
Human hair under the microscope
Cat hair under the microscope
Another way to get some unusual hair samples is by checking with your local game and fish department. In Arizona our Game and Fish department has skull and pelt boxes that they loan to schools for free. I had borrowed the skull box for my ecology unit and had my students compare skulls of different animals. While I had the box, I also plucked a hair or two off the pelts and made prepared slides. It was fun to look at mountain lion, bear, and coyote hair in addition to the everyday pets.  
Use a rabbit pelt to make microscope slides
Make your own animal hair microscope slides
Have you made prepared slides for specimens other than hair? I'd love to hear about it! Leave it in the comments!

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6 Comments
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12/26/2017 01:17:37 am


useful information on topics that plenty are interested on for this wonderful post.Admiring the time and effort you put into your b!..

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irene
5/30/2018 08:11:21 am

hi, so interesting I will do it with my learners this Friday.

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Becca
6/1/2018 10:43:13 pm

Good luck! I hope they enjoy it!

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10/29/2018 12:18:09 pm

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Christa
8/4/2019 12:13:30 pm

I haven't tried the tape but love that idea for students to create their own. Had heard the super glue would turn yellow over time so I used the clear nail polish and it has lasted many years. Didn't have access to many pelts but sent a request for fur samples to all staff in the building. Many brought in fur from pets; some even got it off roadkill. The response was overwhelming and now I have enough fur samples to last a lifetime.

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9/10/2019 03:37:20 am

I am so grateful for your blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.

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    Becca 
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    I'm a teacher, blogger, and curriculum writer.
    I've been teaching science for 12 years at both the middle and high school levels.

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