CHEEK CELLS

A kid’s favorite! There is nothing like engaging a child by viewing their own body
tissue and a cheek cell is a good way to start. Cheek cells are called Squamous
Epithelium cells and they are also a good first use of a microscope stain, in this
case Methylene Blue.
Materials Needed

 Plain glass microscope slide

 Slide cover slip
 Methylene blue stain
 Q tip or flat toothpick
Instructions

Scrape the inside of your cheek with the Q-tip and wipe it on to the center of the
slide. Hold the coverslip or another slide with one end flush on the slide and
gently wipe the edge of the coverslip over the scrapings. This is called a smear
and it makes a specimen layer thin enough to view clearly. Leave the cells to
dry. When dry, add a drop of Methylene Blue stain. This helps add contrast to the
nuclei of animal cells, making them easier to view. Lower the cover slip, mount
on your microscope and view starting with the lowest power objective.

ONION CELLS
This is another good experiment that kids relate well to - and the raw material is
in the refrigerator!

Materials

 Onion
 Plain glass microscope slide
 Slide cover slip
 Microtome, sharp knife or razor blade
 Tweezers
Instructions

Peel the onion and cut a small section from the inside layers of the onion. Use a
pair of tweezers to peel away the transparent membrane that you will find on the
inside layers. Create a wet mount and add a drop of Eosin Y stain. Eosin Y helps
highlight vegetable proteins. Mount on your microscope and view starting with
the lowest power objective lens.