Because the water bears were easy to see under a classroom microscope, other classes became interested. Tardegrades can be found on lichen. First grade students examine water bears under a microscope and draw their observations. Students scrape lichen from brick wall to take back to the classroom. This is a water bear under a classroom microscope.
Students count the claws on the feet as a part of their observations.
A student extracts concentrated tardegrades in order to prepare a slide. Water bears are re-hydrated and placed in funnels in order to concentrate them. This is a typical view of a water bear through a classroom microscope.