Science X: Smartscope by Ravensburger

Lazy summer days full of exploration in the great outdoors are the perfect setting for Ravensburger's Science X: Smartscope.  Smartscope is an easy-to-use, kid-friendly microscope that you pair with a smart phone or tablet to view and take photos of magnified images. How cool is that?!

When our box arrived, the scope was in need of assembly.  I strongly encourage an adult to help with the initial set-up.  Read through the printed guide and then check out the QR code to view a Ravensburger YouTube demonstration video. What a huge help for assembling!  What a great, visual way for consumers to assemble the product. 

The only difficulty I ran into with assembly was mounting a clear piece that fits into the platform (allowing light to shine up through your specimen).  I was afraid if I pushed too hard, I might snap the disk so I put the disk in the freezer for a few minutes to shrink it a tad. Took it out and it popped right into place.

Included in the kit is a battery operated light source that can be in one of two positions. This allows light to shine from above or below the specimen. Opaque items are better illuminated from above and clear things (like pond or rain water) are better illuminated from below. Specimens can be placed on a plastic slide and covered with the included plastic slide protectors or placed inside the petri dish that comes with the Smartscope.  The platform where the specimen sits can be adjusted up or down and there are two magnification settings. The top of the scope has a cushioned, gripper surface to set a smartphone or tablet. Tablets will require the use of the included cardboard support to extend the platform.

Once your device is on the platform, make sure to line up the camera lens on device with the lens on the Smartscope. Your device serves to not only magnify the image but you can also take pictures of what you've seen.  What a great way for kids to document their scientific discoveries! They can also easily share them with friends and family.  When you are done using the scope, there is a handy little carrying bag.  

My kids and I had a great time finding things inside and outside our house to examine in more detail. Inside we looked at a piece of newspaper, fabric, food items, and Legos. From outside, we took a tiny grasshopper (actual size of our critter was than 1/4 inch about half a centimeter) and placed it in the Petri dish for examination. He was pretty active so we kept having to move around the dish to keep him in sight. [Don’t worry, after looking at him, we promptly released him back outside.] We also examined a twig, leaf and flower petal. It was a fabulous way to learn more about nature.

Butterfly wing

Flower petal

Paper fiber from torn edge of paper

Magnified print

Itty bitty grasshopper

Lego head close-up

Small 2x2 stud brick!

 

Plant leaf (low mag)

Plant leaf (high mag)

The Science X:Smartscope by Ravensburger would make an excellent activity for a learning station in a classroom, as a complement to home science studies for homeschoolers or as a great learning activity for any family!  Here's my 21 year old working on getting a specimen situated just so:

Great for all ages!

I love that Smartscope is a product that is very easy for a child to use but can be enjoyed by people of all ages. My visiting adult son even had fun checking things out with the Smartscope.  I really love that kids can use technology to learn and discover more about the real world around them.

In summary, this awesome product features:

·        Two levels of magnification

·        Lighting from above or below

·        Petri dish to hold live specimens

·        Plastic slide and slide covers

·        Tweezers

·        Pipette for gathering liquid specimens (e.g. pond water)

·        Cardboard extender to hold larger tablet

·        Carrying bag

·        Poster with ideas of things to examine with Smartscope

Grab a Smartscope for a young person in your life and help encourage a love for learning and exploring!

Disclaimer: I was provided a Science X: Smartscope product from Ravensburger for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.