I agree re: microscopes. The other place to look for one is in university surplus sales and the labware 'E-bay' site (blanking on the name at the moment).
features to look for in a microscope for a student at the middle and high school level? In particular, what's the minimum maximum magnification you'd recommend?
Well, it really isn't strictly about the magnification or the field of view-- but it IS, ultimately, about both of those things. High quality optics, basically. Those are what cost more, and they are unquestionably worth the price in most cases. A microscope buyer needs to consider many of the same things that a camera buyer does. Most "student" microscopes are frustratingly dim and narrow-field, making them difficult to use, to say the least.
Re: McGraw-Hill science books.
This is what my daughter used for science from grades 4-8. I would say that they were decent in terms of coverage, though hardly at the kind of pace or detail that gifted middle schoolers need. I'd certainly recommend them for PG 5-8 yo.
The 'experiments' were frequently nothing to write home about, though a competent adult 'guide' could easily make adjustments to make them educationally worthwhile even when things went wrong. There were quite a few embedded experiments, most intended for regular classroom use. They may need to be adapted for home use, but most do not require any special equipment or materials.
I still have a copy of the "red" book, which I believe was a 5th grade one. It has nice general coverage, about a third biological sciences, about half physics/chemistry, and the remainder earth science and astronomy (very basic, btw).
Coupled with a hand-held magnifier (I like the little telescoping pocket one from Lee Valley, myself), a basic rock kit, and some miscellaneous household devices, it's a pretty good textbook.
Recommended (as a science educator myself):
a BOUND composition book, preferably a journal style, for recording observations and making illustrations/schematics.
a starting discussion (the one shortcoming of the McGraw-Hill middle school series) of the scientific method and a bit of history there, with some emphasis and thought experiments on dependent/independent variables and good experimental design.
HTH!
