Carson Kids BugLoupe 4.5x Pre-Focused Stand Magnifier Loupe for Viewing Insects, Plants, Coins, Stamps, Maps, Fine Print and Wildlife (HU-55), Green, One Size

Safely trap a critter for transporting, and also get the bonus of a decent macro photo! Just put your phone camera lens over the magnifier and center your visitor. Then to remove them back to safety, you can slip a card halfway under, wait for them to crawl onto the card, and then slip it the rest of the way under and lift the card and lens together, escorting the beast to a new and safer location.

I bought this for my kids (ages 6 and 7), who are crazy about bugs. It's great-- they have not only used it for its intended purpose, but they've also used it for basic science exploration (seeing the dot printing in newspapers, examining the weave of fabric, looking at frost crystals on the window, looking at the crystalline structures of salt and sugar, etc.). It provides a solid, moderate level of magnification. I love that the cup holds the lens at its focal distance from the object without any adjustments or expertise necessary; this means kids can use it on their own without getting frustrated. I have explained that they need to be careful with it because it's fragile, but obviously they are only capable of so much care in this respect, and luckily the loupe can take a bit of a beating. I'm very pleased.For a stellar gift for a bug-loving kid, I would recommend combining this with a field guide.

A kid or adult can safely examine an insect and then set it free. No way for captive to breath external air.

This is a very cool tool for children (or adults) to use. We got to view this wolf spider up close. They're beneficial because they'll eat other harmful spiders (i.e. black widows) but do not create a web. I had no intention to kill this one I found in the house, but using this the kids were able to see it's eyes, and the hairs on it's legs. The fangs were huge (has a painful bite, but venom is not medically significant). Would definitely buy it this product again.

bought it for kids to use with coin collecting hobby. Not a very powerful lens or clear focus but will work for fun hobby

Easy for kids to use. Simple - no moving parts. The basic flaw here is it is meant to sit on a flat surface, but the actual focus point is further away than that, so you need to lift the lens off of whatever you are looking at and focus it in hand like a regular magnifying glass. So - why buy this, then?

Like, easy to carry in backpack.

Birthday gift for my budding scientist! Good quality and easy to carry.