In this activity, learners use Styrofoam to collect organisms from a pond, estuary or marine environment and then examine what they have caught with a microscope. The tiny spaces in Styrofoam peanuts and blocks of polyurethane foam can be colonized by microorganisms and can be used to fish bacteria and protists out of marine and freshwater environments. Use this activity to learn about species characterization or to compare the organisms that live in different habitats.