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Foldscope

Know The Activity

Somewhere in India, a child has never seen a microorganism up close. Never watched a drop of water reveal an entire invisible world. Never had access to a microscope because microscopes cost money that their school does not have. The Foldscope changes that. Invented by Manu Prakash at Stanford University, the Foldscope is a fully functional paper microscope that costs a fraction of a conventional one but delivers the same sense of wonder. Your team's challenge is to assemble these remarkable instruments with precision and care, because every Foldscope your team builds goes into the hands of a child who is about to see the world differently. Literally.

Group Size

Up to 100 People

LOCATION

Indoor

Duration

90 to 120 minutes

Why should you choose it?

Connects your team to one of the most innovative and accessible science tools in the world today

Gives participants a direct role in expanding a child’s access to science and curiosity-driven learning

Combines careful hands-on assembly with a purpose that makes every fold feel meaningful

Reflects your organisation’s commitment to education, innovation, and community in one activity

Creates a lasting legacy, every Foldscope your team builds continues to educate long after the day ends

Result

Teams finish the Foldscope challenge having built something deceptively simple and profoundly powerful. The precision required to assemble each microscope demands focus, patience, and genuine collaboration. But what lingers longest is the knowledge that the instrument in your hands will show a child something they have never seen before, and that moment of discovery, sparked by your team’s effort, will stay with that child for life. That is a rare kind of impact for a single afternoon’s work.

Learning Outcome

Purposeful Precision: Understand that attention to detail is not just a professional skill, it is an act of care for the person receiving your work
Collaboration: Work closely as a team to assemble a delicate, detail-driven product that demands everyone's full contribution
Social Awareness: Deepen your team's understanding of the educational inequalities that exist in communities around you
Innovation Appreciation: Engage hands-on with a product that proves world-changing ideas do not always require world-changing budgets
Shared Fulfillment: Experience the quiet satisfaction of building something small that makes an enormous difference

Related Activites

Have any Questions?

The Foldscope is a paper-based folding microscope invented by Dr. Manu Prakash of Stanford University. It is durable, fully functional, and costs a fraction of a conventional microscope, making quality science accessible to communities that would otherwise go without.

The assembly requires care and attention but is accessible to everyone. Teams are guided through the process, and the focus on precision makes it a genuinely engaging and meditative team challenge.

The completed Foldscopes are gifted to children in underprivileged schools and community learning centres, giving young students hands-on access to scientific exploration that their schools cannot otherwise afford.

Most are surprised by how much a piece of folded paper can move them. When they learn what that small instrument will mean to a child who has never had access to a microscope, the act of assembling it takes on a weight that stays with them long after the session ends.