Cosmic Blobs Protozoa Animation Project

Long before I was a science teacher, I loved to culture and identify protozoa. It's been a lifelong hobby and one that I find fascinating. Perhaps my fascination began when I realized just how complex these 'simple one celled animals' really are!

Even though they are young, my granddaughters have also been fascinated with microscopes and the small world. But, there is one question that most teachers and parents face when working with children and microscopes. Is the child actually seeing the right things when they look through the scope. In this short animation project (Under 3 minutes) we show you how a student might demonstrate what they've seen by creating some blobs that behave like protozoa in pond water.

First, let's look at the real thing... a 'Backyard Infusion' taken through a microscope with a digital camera

Play Actual Video of Protozoa

Now let's look at the Cosmic Blobs animation. I was pleasantly surprised to find just how quickly and realistically the behaviour of protozoa could be simulated in Cosmic Blobs.

Play Project #3 - Simulating Protozoa in Pond Water

This one combined 2 loves-- Cosmic Blobs and Microscopy. I hope it helps to stimulate some educational applications for 3D modeling in your own home or classroom. Enjoy!