following recent items about microscopes I would offer the following observation based on recent museum experience. If you can get 35mm slides of the subject you want to view then they can be explored by the younger kids who do gain some benefit from a magnification experince by making use of an old microfiche reader. Many of these are being scrapped and the ones which read a postcard sized sheet work really well. A couple of extra words of advice: add a little timer circuit to the unit so that say 2 minutes after being "pressed" into service the unit switches off, a good bulb and power saver. Have fun Peter Millward Manager, Education & Visitor Services Melbourne Museum PO Box 666E, Melbourne, VIC 3000 ph 61 3 9651 8162 fax 61 3 9651 6378 mobile 61 418 326 667 email [log in to unmask]