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I always aim for cells doing something comprehensible as a process in these demos.  I use Dictyostelium because it can be done at ambient temperature and there are so many behaviors to look at.
1.  Dictyostelium cells crawling randomly or moving in a chemotactic gradient, labeled with a GFP-actin binding protein allows you to see protrusions form as the cells move.  
2.  The cells in #1 will also macropinocytose constitutively, and the actin probe labels the forming macropinosome transiently.  If you put fluorscent dextran or quantum dots in the medium, you can watch uptake, processing and movement of macropinosomes.
3.  If you add yeast, you can watch the cells phagocytose the yeast.  That engulfment/eating is one kids particularly like because they can relate to eating.
4.  Streaming aggregation with GFP labeled cells mixed with unlabeled cells is an easy way to show multicellular behavior.  The pulsatile nature of the movement, the spiral galaxy arms of the aggregation process and the crawling slugs all seem to stimulate interest.  
You can see examples of some of these on my class website: http://homepages.uconn.edu/~mb2225vc/MCB_2225/

On Jan 28, 2011, at 12:10 PM, John Runions wrote:

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> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
> 
> Dear microscopists,
> 
> Each year at our university Science Bazaar we demonstrate our imaging
> 'prowess' and equipment to the community at large (adults and kids).  This
> event is always well received and the biggest attraction of all is usually
> the dissecting microscopes because we let the kids look at their disgusting
> fingernails and they like that.  SEMs work well because we can show head
> lice and rats tongue and... well you are probably starting to see a theme.
> 
> The problem is giving a really good demo with the confocal microscopes - we
> show GFP labelled organelles moving around inside living cells and demos of
> 3D reconstruction but this doesn't really seem to capture the kids
> imaginations.
> 
> Does anybody have a favorite organism or staining technique that is simple
> and effective as a demo in a situation where lots of people are moving
> through fairly quickly.
> 
> I appreciate your suggestions.
> 
> John
> 
> -- 
> John Runions, PhD
> Senior Lecturer in Cell Biology
> Oxford Brookes University
> School of Life Sciences
> Gipsy Lane, Oxford
> OX3 0BP
> UK
> 
> 01865 483 964
> http://www.brookes.ac.uk/lifesci/runions/HTMLpages/index.html!

Dr. David Knecht    
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Co-head Flow Cytometry and Confocal Microscopy Facility
U-3125
91 N. Eagleville Rd.
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269
860-486-2200
860-486-4331 (fax)