Busy Little Scientists

Remember how I used petri dishes for one of the Icky Sticky Fingers experiments? I loved them because they got my kids really excited about the experiment. Yesterday I opened the freezer to find one of the shelves covered in petri dishes that contained an assortment of materials. My 3 year old son came running around the corner frantically telling me to close the freezer. I asked him what he was doing and he replied, "I'm doing really cool experiments, Momma!" Needless to say, I am one happy "Momma" right now as I watch my kids explore the world around them. I'm a big advocate for getting science equipment into the classrooms because kids get so excited about it and what they are going to learn with it. Let me know how I can help you do this!

Charlie's experiment consisted of seeing what would happen to water, sand, rocks, leaves, water with paint in it, and grass if he put them in the freezer. 

Icky Sticky Fingers-Final Thoughts

We ran the Icky Sticky Fingers experiment 4 times using 4 different mediums (regular ol' wheat bread, preservative free wheat bread, homemade nutrient agar, and cheap ol' white bread). The results were somewhat surprising and as an added bonus, I now have a 2 year old and a 3 year old who are very good at washing their hands...no more nagging from me!

Let's go over the results, shall we?

Icky Sticky #1

Plain ol' wheat bread...nothing special, except that IT NEVER MOLDED! Well, at least not in the 17 days I had it out in the garage. This stuff has some serious shelf life! I wouldn't try this one in the classroom because of the time needed. Even though kids are learning about patience, theirs might just run out (and yours too) during this experiment with this type of bread.

Icky Sticky #2

Preservative free wheat bread. It got moldy really fast (about 3 days), which is great in terms of classroom time, however the results weren't very reliable. My control (which was not touched) grew the most mold and Charlie's clean bread sample grew more mold than his dirty bread sample. This experiment might yield better results if the kids had washed their hands better (but let's face it, sometimes getting a 2 and 3 year old wash their hands at all is a major feat in itself). 

Icky Sticky #3

This was, by far, my favorite experiment. The nutrient agar turned out great and it introduced the kids to equipment and terms used by scientists in the field. The petri dishes sat in our laundry room for about a week (~78 degrees Fahrenheit) and produced some of the best results. Did I mention that there was no odor? The kids were very excited about this experiment and when it was all done, they were a cinch to clean up (yes!). 

I'll post the nutrient agar recipe below with a list of supplies and where they can be purchased. I would highly recommend this experiment for your students! It's cheap, easy, and yields great results. You can't ask for more than that!

Nutrient agar recipe: click HERE

Materials needed for nutrient agar: 

• Beef broth (bullion cubes, canned, or granules), water (unless using canned, prepared broth as I did), unflavored gelatin, and sugar.

Petri dishes (size 100 x 15mm): 

• Amazon: $9.95/20 petri dishes (click HERE)  
• Seargent Welch (accepts P.O.'s): $8.95/20 petri dishes (click HERE)

Possible alternative petri dishes: foil cupcake cups placed them in a zippered baggie for storage during the incubation time. I've never done this before, but I'd love to hear how it worked out for you.

Each student will need two petri dishes (one clean and one dirty), however, it is possible to have students do this in pairs where they both touch one petri dish with their dirty hands and then both touch a second petri dish with their clean hands. It's a cheaper alternative. :)

Icky Sticky #4

This was another great experiment that yielded some really good results in a short amount of time. Additionally, it was cheap, which is always a plus for teachers. I would definitely recommend this one for a classroom.

Icky Sticky Fingers Mini Unit: Almost done! Keep checking back if you're interested in it!

Icky Sticky #4 UPDATE

WooHoo! It worked! The experiment done on a cheap loaf of white bread worked the best (well, at least out of the experiments that were done on bread). I got pretty good results within a week, which is also good in terms of having an experiment performed within a reasonable amount of time in a classroom setting (we don't want those kiddos getting bored!).

What helped get the results we were after? 

• I got Charlie's hands *really* dirty out in our planter beds. 
• I put the bread in the garage to incubate. It was pretty warm out there (around 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit). Typical classroom temperatures should work well too.

Almost Done!

As I've mentioned before in an earlier post, my mom and I have been working on the Icky Sticky Fingers mini-unit for healthy habits. It's almost done and contains worksheets for several primary grade levels, including both bread and petri dishes experiments, as well as a poem and a craftivity for students to do. I'll have it up on my Teachers Pay Teachers soon, keep checking back for updates!

Icky Sticky Fingers #3 UPDATE

I am seriously excited about this experiment. I love the fact that we used a nutrient agar and petri dishes (it's so sciencey and introduces young kids to the science equipment that scientists use all of the time). I'm also loving this experiment because of the awesome results that I am getting. Check out the collage below!

The top pictures show the clean hand petri dishes, while the bottom pictures show the dirty hand petri dishes. All petri dishes, except for the control, have bacterial growth on them, but the dirty hand petri dishes have much more. I could look at those petri dishes forever; they are absolutely fascinating. The dirty ones have formed this film on the top that resembles plastic wrap. All of the agar is now liquified (except for the control) due to bacterial growth (and what's even better, there is no smell). This is such a great turn out, especially after the trouble I experienced in the beginning (all I had to do was move them inside to a slightly cooler spot, yet warm enough for bacterial growth). Total amount of time needed for this type of bacterial growth: 3 DAYS!!! Fast, cheap, and great results...three elements of a successful classroom experiment. 

Icky Sticky Fingers #4

Alright, here we go again, for a fourth time. This time I am going to run the same exact experiment with plain ol' cheap white bread. I also made sure that Charlie went and got his hands good and dirty in our planters. We'll see how long this one takes. Updates coming soon!

Icky Sticky Fingers #3 UPDATE

Icky Sticky Fingers #3: I ran into a couple of problems with this version, however I think I can adjust a few things to make it work. The issues I ran into are summarized below:
While the nutrient agar firmed up beautifully in the refrigerator, it melted when I put it out in the garage. I think the agar could use a little more gelatin so that it remains firm at warmer temperatures.

• Since bacteria grow well at body temperature (~98 degrees), I thought putting it in the garage would be the best place in the house (~100 degrees). It was way too warm in there and the gelatin melted. I decided to put it in the laundry room (much cooler, but the warmest place in our house...about 80 degrees). Most of the petri dishes firmed back up nicely.

Results: So far, I am noticing some really nice bacterial growth on all of the dishes, except for the control (yay!). If you look carefully at the top two photos, you'll notice the the dirty hands petri dishes have the most bacterial growth (you can't see the paper towel pattern through the media). While both clean hand petri dishes have bacterial growth, it is much less than the dirty hand petri dishes. The control petri dish was not touched at all and has no growth at all. WooHoo! Success! And such a cheap and easy experiment!

Icky Sticky Fingers Part 3!

Why not start another version of this experiment??? This time, I'm going to run the Icky Sticky Fingers experiment using petri dishes and homemade nutrient agar. I was excited to run across this very simple, very cheap recipe for nutrient agar on the internet as it could prove useful in my life science classes this year. All you need is some unflavored gelatin, a little bit of sugar, and some beef broth. You can find the recipe for nutrient agar HERE. They turned out beautifully, we'll see how they hold up over time.

Disposable petri dishes: $5.00/20 (these can be reused, sterilized in a solution of bleach water).

Gelatin: $2.50 for 4 packets.

Broth: I used prepared broth as opposed to bouillon cubes. The cost was about $1.00 per can. Each can of broth will make about 12 petri dishes.

Icky Sticky Fingers #1 and #2 UPDATES!

It's update time!

Icky Sticky Fingers Part 1: It's been 15 days and there is still no mold growth. This bread has some serious shelf life! I'm really glad we decided to try out a different type of bread with slightly different incubation temperatures due to the location (it's a lot warmer here than it was in Tahoe). I wonder how long it will take for this bread to show a little mold growth? Only time will tell...

Icky Sticky Fingers Part 2: It's only been 3 days and I'm seeing some significant mold growth! I'm getting some mixed results using the preservative free whole wheat bread. Paige's results are turning out great with the dirty bread showing more mold growth than the clean bread (see picture #1, upper left hand, top row). Charlie's dirty slice of bread has less mold growth than his clean slice of bread (see pictures #2, center (front of bread) and upper right hand (back of bread), top row). The control has the most mold growth (maybe I touched it too much when taking it out of the bag???). I'll give it a few more days and see what the final results end up being.

Icky Sticky Fingers Update

One of the most frustrating things about science is experiments that don't turn out as expected. It's been 11 days since my mom and I began our Icky Sticky Fingers experiment and I still do not see any type of mold growing on the bread (grrrr!). For a lot of students (and teachers, for that matter), this can be quite an obstacle to overcome ("My experiment failed, what do I do now?" "What do I tell my classmates/students?" "How do I explain the outcomes?" "Should I even spend more time on this?"). 

I have had many experiments turn out differently than I expected in my own classroom. What I have learned over time is that this situation is made a little easier when students come up with an explanation on their own. I have them brainstorm in small groups reasons for the outcomes that were observed. Together as a class, we decide which direction we want to go (this is modeled really good in the TV series, Mythbusters). This works well in the secondary classroom, but can be modified for the elementary classrooms with a little more teacher direction. It's hard though, with time constraints we are constantly dealing with, pacing guides, limited to no classroom budgets, and exhaustion, it is easy to say, "Forget it, let's just move on to the next unit."But you know what? We learn just as much from an experiment turns out differently than we predicted than from the ones that turn out exactly as we thought they would. 

My mom and I brainstormed some of the possible reasons why this didn't work in the time we expected it to. Some of the reasons include:

• The temperatures in Tahoe were fairly cool at night and pleasant during the day resulting in slower mold growth.
• The bread contained more preservatives that we expected (which would account for a longer shelf life).

While we will continue original experiment until we see mold growth on the bread (I'm curious how long it will actually take), today we started another experiment using a preservative free whole wheat bread from Trader Joes. From experience, this bread spoils pretty quickly (which is why I keep it in the refrigerator), so perhaps we'll get better results. Other than the type of bread and the location, the experiment was run exactly the same way as the first one. 

Additional updates coming soon!

Icky Sticky Fingers Part 1

Every year my husband, two kids, and I go camping in Lake Tahoe with my parents during the summer. We soak up the rays, bury our feet in the sand, eat way too many smores, and enjoy our time together.

This year, my mom and I spent some time putting together a healthy habits mini-unit for her first grade classroom (which will be up on my Teacher Pay Teacher shop soon). This mini-unit focuses on the importance of washing your hands in order to minimize the spreading of germs. This experiment will provide her students with a visual model that there are small organisms, commonly known as "germs", (bacteria, fungi, viruses) living on their hands and that certain organisms can make you sick if ingested. Most of the organisms that will grow on the bread will be fungal since bacteria and viruses have specific living requirements. Who knows, maybe she'll have fewer absences throughout the year!

Since we were going to be camping together for almost two weeks, we decided to try it out with my own kids, because when are kids more germy and dirty than when they're camping?

The setup:
We gathered five pieces of whole wheat bread because there aren't as many preservatives as there are in white bread (less preservatives means more mold growth in a shorter amount of time). In addition to bread, we got 5 zipped baggies and a spray bottle of water. Voila! We're ready to run an experiment with two very eager and dirty little munchkins.

The experimental process:

First we rounded up two very dirty little kids.

Ewww!

Next we rubbed their grubby little fingers over both sides of freshly purchased slices of whole wheat bread. 

Then my 3 year old son lightly sprayed one side of each of the bread slices since moisture helps promote mold growth.

Now that the first part of the experiment was done, it was time to herd the kiddos into my parents' trailer for a thorough washing of their hands. To make sure that their fingers were really clean, we followed the traditional soap and water regimen with a little hand sanitizer. 

With their clean hands, probably the cleanest they've been since we started camping, we began part two of the experiment.

Look at those cute, clean little paws!

We had the kids rub their clean hands all over both sides of a new slice of whole wheat bread, then we placed the slices of bread in new, labeled zipped baggies. Each baggie got a small spritz of water, just as we did with the dirty slices of bread.

All five samples were placed in a brown paper bag and left to sit in a warm dark place until any mold growth is noticed. 

How long will it take? We have no idea. Don't you just love science?!? We're going to wait until we notice any mold growth and then at that point set certain amount of time, like 5 days or so. It is important that all of the bread have the same amount of time to grow mold so that we can accurately observe and compare the amount of mold growing. Ultimately, we're going to compare the mold growth on the dirty and clean slices of bread to a control; the slice of bread that hasn't been handled. This comparison will help us see how much and how fast the mold grows on bread with varying amount of contamination/handling on it in a certain amount of time.

Now all there is left to do is wait....

Expected Outcome:

If all goes as expected, the dirty slice of bread should grow the most mold in the same amount of time as the clean slice of bread and the control slice of bread because the kids transferred additional "germs" (bacteria, fungi, etc.) to the bread when they touched it with dirty hands. The clean slice of bread and the control slice of bread will grow mold as well, however it should be less because fewer "germs" were transferred to the bread. Only time will tell...

Updates will be coming soon!

Presenting for California Science Project

It was such an honor to be invited to present at California Science Project's Northern Inland Summer Institute, Earth in Balance. I presented my interactive notebooks; the what, the why, the how, as well as student examples. You can check out my PowerPoint at the California Science Project Northern Inland website (HERE). In addition to a PowerPoint presentation, I handed out a bunch of materials that I use in my interactive notebook, of which I will post pictures of on this blog soon.

In addition to presenting, I also got to participate in many wonderful activities. We had many great presentations by various Chico State professors, including Dr. Nichols, Dr. Teasdale, Dr. Maslin, Dr, Kagan, and Dr. Mayor. Each had great activities that can easily by brought back to the classroom, but the presentation that had me itching to get school started up again was the one by Dr. Kagan, a Chico State physics professor. His demonstrations on the physics of balance were great. We found the center of mass on a baseball bat, irregular shapes made of paper, as well as many other objects. He also does a great job of explaining the physics behind baseball with many activities that can be used in the classroom. Check out his website, Major League Physics (HERE), for access to these free resources. I'm already compiling a list of things I want to have my 8th graders do next year!

Welcome!

A couple of great things have happened in the past few months. Let tell you about them...

First...

I wasn't laid off for the first time in 8 years; two retirements in science have made this possible. This means that I will be able to focus on delivering a solid science education to my middle school students, instead of wondering what I will be teaching. Woo Hoo! Over the past 8 years, I  have taught high school health, a 7/8 combination class, 5th grade, middle school science, and middle school intervention classes. I guess you could say that I am a well rounded teacher, and as annoying as it was to be bounced around so much, I feel that I have a pretty good perspective on where our students are coming from (educationally and developmentally) as well as where they are going and how to make sure all kids are learning. That is the silver lining to the past 8 years of unpredictability.

And second...

I got to present my students' interactive notebooks at the California Science Project Northern Inland Summer Symposium. It was my first time presenting and I really enjoyed myself. Not only did I learn some valuable lessons in presenting, but I walked away with a plethora of ideas that I am going to implement this coming year. I already excited for school to start, that's good, right?

One of the reasons I am starting this blog is to document the use of my interactive notebooks as well as the hands-on activities that the kids participate in, and determine the value behind each in terms of student learning. I'm a science teacher after all, and documentation of data and observations is a big part of being one. 

I always appreciate feedback, so feel free to chime in when the feeling strikes you!

Cheers!