On 14.11. the 26th Info Day took place at “das aquarium” in Hamburger Straße, Brunswig.
From 11.00 to 14.00 marine biologist Stephan Moldzio gave a microscopy course for children. A total of 22 children took part in the 40-minute sessions.
At the beginning there was a short introduction on how to use the microscopes.
Switching on the upper or lower light, selecting the magnification, adjusting the interpupillary distance, focusing. Now the little naturalists could hardly be stopped.
From isopods to butterflies, the children were able to examine various dried insects and small animals and practise using the microscope.
Who knew that the dragonfly spends most of its life in water as a predatory larva?
Greatly underestimated: the fly, which we usually see only as an annoying black dot buzzing around. It is fascinating to see that its compound eye is made up of hundreds of individual eyes!
Or the hornet, Europe’s largest wasp: an impressive insect to begin with, but under 20x magnification you almost forget to breathe!
The next step was to look at living marine animals:
Algae are at the bottom of the food chain, followed by micro-organisms and small animals, which are the food base for larger animals:
Crustaceans, snails, bristle worms, small starfish and brittle stars.
Almost all of the children dared to hold the hermit crab in their hands, which at first retreated into its shell in fright, but after a while came out cautiously and even crawled around on their hands! The brittle star also tickled a little….
Corals are colonies of small, flower-shaped coral polyps that form calcareous skeletons and eventually build huge reefs that are home to countless other animals.
Dead coral skeletons could be touched and live corals of different species could be viewed under the microscope.
“Ew” and “yuck” were yesterday’s words. It is important to overcome the fear of contact, because this is the only way to develop understanding and love for nature.
Patient observation and understanding are the order of the day – you can gain a whole new perspective on these small creatures eye to eye!
