Germ it UP!
This weeks theme is all about the microbes that surround us. Invisible but incredibly consequential, germs shape our lives in many ways we can and cannot see. Try these activities with you kids to help them better understand what germs are and how they impact our world.
Also, check out our general tips for doing science at home!
Scroll down for your age group
Pre/K Activities
Every parent knows from personal experience that tiny hands are germ magnets. A little negligent washing after the toilet and a few days later, your little one is running around with a light fever and you're lying on the bathroom floor hurling every 5 minutesl. Stomach flu (norovirus) anyone?
Research from the Japanese introduction and elimination of mandatory flu vaccinations shows just how deadly our offspring can be for the elderly and immune compromised.
These activities are designed to help our youngest germ vectors learn more about the germs around us, why hand washing is so important, and how to do it well.
How Germs Spread
Activity
This activity will help reinforce how important it is to wash hands really well. The full activity can be found online here.
Understanding germs is a pretty abstract activity for preschool aged kids. The littlest among us experience the world through all their senses, particularly touch. Simply telling them, “Don’t touch that!” isn’t going to cut the mustard with a curious tot. This activity helps your little ones visualize how germs get spread, and how important it is to wash your hands.
What you’ll need:
Hand soap or lotion
Small particulate (ice cream sprinkles, sesame seeds, sand, etc)
Clean Hands!
This will show your kids how germs move from place to place easily and quickly.
What to do!
Squirt the soap or lotion into your child’s hand
Add the sand/sprinkles/seeds on top of the lotion
Have the child rub their hands together to get a nice distribution
Now have the child shake hands with others, and touch stuff thy normally use, handles, remotes, chairs, etc.
If possible, have the other kid/adult in the house then shake hands with the remaining members and touch items they normally use.
This will show your kids how germs move from place to place easily and quickly.
Expanding the fun:
Have kids try different types of handshakes, fist bumps, patty cake,
Bacteria and viruses have different shapes – are long colored sprinkles easier to spread or the sugar cube style.
Try different soaps to wash stuff off! Water, water + dish soap, hand soap, laundry detergent!!
Wash Away Germs
Activity
This activity shows your little ones how important it is to wash hands thoroughly. The full activity can be found here.
Variations
Do you have a kid who loves drawing on themselves? Use washable markers or paint. Have them make hand prints on paper or cardboard (Great quarantine art for gifts later), have then wash when they can’t make anymore prints.
Even clay will work for this, have them touch paper or something where the hand prints will stay, then wash hands and touch the item again.
Microbe Crafting
Craft Activity
Use what you have handy (felt, construction, cereal boxes) to craft your own germs. Craft these 5 common household germs while learning where they come from about how to avoid each one:
Staphylococcus aureus (staph) - [info] [reference image]
Candida (yeast) - [info] [reference image]
Stachybotrys chartarum (toxic mold) - [info] [reference image]
Salmonella, - [info] [reference image]
E. coli. - [info] [reference image]
More Stuff
Germ Activity Round up - A bunch of fun activities and resources for kids about germs.
Germs! with Sid the Science Kid - educational video from the creators of the Muppets.
Tardigrades are awesome!
Want your own stuffed microbes? Check out Giant Microbes. You can even get your own plush Coronavirus. SPICE is not receiving anything for promoting these adorable parasites. We just think they are really cool.
Elementary Activities
Sometimes it's hard to take germs seriously when we cannot see them. These activities help your elementary student learn more about the tiny creatures living on and around us.
Bread Germ Factory
Activity
This activity takes advantage for readily available kitchen items to demonstrate how many germs live on and around us. Check out the full instructions here.
Extending the activity: Try different types of bread. Try different surfaces. Put your phone on the bread! Try storing the bread in different locations!
Stuffed Animal Surgery
Activity
Everyone has an old toy that makes sounds or lights up lying around. Teach your child how doctors keep surgical patients safe by performing surgery on an old toy. Bonus - save the battery and LEDs for the Squishy Circuits activity coming in a latter newsletter.
What you will need:
A stuffed animal with an internal battery (lights, sounds, movement)
Scissors
Masks
Gloves
Table or other surface
“Lab Coats” or “Gowns”
Have fun with this one. Spend some time with your kiddo crafting masks and gowns or lab coats out of old clothes or scrap cloth. See the CDC page on how to make your own masks. Use any old gloves you have - latex is great, but we’re just practicing so use knit winter gloves or kitchen gloves, whatever you’ve got lying around.
Wash - have all participants wash their hands thoroughly. Here’s a video on how surgeons wash.
Sterilize the Operating Surface - feel free to get creative. Use real cleaners or just spray some water and scrub well so kids get the idea.
Prepare the patient! - Place the patient on the operating surface and make sure they are comfortable.
Extraction! - Use your tools to remove the electronics from inside the patient. Make sure to save any battery packs, LEDs, and useful bits and bobs. They will come in handy in future lessons.
Close up - Stitch your patient back together and bandage the wound.
Clean up and “sterilize” your tools.
Feel free to put your own spin on the activity. This can be a fun way to repurpose a toy that’s got what we call “creepy toy syndrome” in a creative way. You know, that toy that periodically says, “I love you,” even though no one pushed the button?
Your Microbiome
Video
Not all germs are bad! Learn about your micro-biome from UO researchers Jessica Green and Karen Guillemin. Some useful facts about the human microbiome and a fun research project using belly buttons.
Learn more about the science of microbiology and find learning resources at the American Museum of Natural History.
Middle Activities
Bacteria Sun Catchers
Activity
Use wax paper, crayons, and paper to learn the parts of a single cell bacteria. This tutorial will teach you how to make the sun catcher. You can use this site or this one for information about the parts of a bacteria. This video shows how to draw bacteria for fun. Try making other micro-organisms like brewers yeast, lactobaciliis, and amoeba.
Extended learning:
Where do lactobacillus live on your body? What are they responsible for? (hint: it’s one of the reasons we brush our teeth.)
How does yeast work to make bread fluffy?
SHARE!
Share your bacteria sun catcher with us using #spicescience or email us at spicescience@uoregon.edu and we may post it on social media accounts!!!! Maybe even make a short video about your bacteria and why you choose it!
What makes your bacteria special!
Bacteria vs Virus
Video
What exactly is a virus? How are they different from bacteria? Are viruses alive? Check out this video from the Smithsonian to learn more.
Craft your own Coronoavirus
Activity
Use this fun tutorial to make different single-cell organisms and see how they interact with human blood!
Share your creations with us using #spicecscience or email us at spicescience@uoregon.edu! You may find your creation featured on our social media accounts!
High School Activities
Some items you can use in place of petri dishes. Make sure to seal up your agar to protect from contamination (and keep the stink to a minimum)
Grow your own microbes
Activity
Grow you own Bacteria and Fungus (activity) -learn how to make your own agar plates and grow household germs. Small clear plastic containers (like those ones you get macaroni in at the deli) will work. For the safety of sanitation workers and others, we strongly recommend submersing plates in bleach before discarding.
Notes from SPICE for growing microorganisms:
Containers – anything that will hold jello will work. Use a cupcake pan and line each hole (parchment paper, cupcake holders or aluminum foil) and make in batches. Make sure to thoroughly clean anything you plan to reuse for food later using bleach and/or a sanitizing cycle in your dishwasher.
The agar plates are considered nutrient rich – they will contain all the stuff microorganisms need to grow sugar, protein, heat. You can use liquid broth in place of water in your gelatin recipe to add extra nutrients.
Scientist first grow organisms on nutrient rich plates to get healthy colonies (the spots are colonies of organisms.) Then the scientist grows them on selective media plates to see what the organism really likes. This will also allow the scientist to selectively grow the bacteria or mold they want. Scientists that specialize in this are called Microbiologists.
Extending the Learning
Change the temperature your colonies are growing in. What happens?
What could you add or take away from the media (aka agar mix)?
Got any antibacterial stuff in the house? Spread a colony out on the plate like coloring a big circle really fast with a pencil, add a single drop of the antibacterial or anti-fungal see what grows and what doesn’t
What if you add antifungal to the media itself?!?!?!
Go crazy!!!!!
You can even search your refrigerator for wild cultures growing on stuff. Hint - try dairy products like cheese and yogurt.
Here is some great information to go even further.
How to make agar palates (the professional way). Agar and plates can be bought on amazon, just stay away from media with antibiotics in it. You don’t want to grow something really nasty.
Different recipes for bacterial media.
Sterile technique in a laboratory – you may not be able to do all this at home but it helps if you can do some of it.
Build a Bacterial Phage
Activity
What is a bacterial phage? Look at this video from the National Institutes of Health and then make your own bacterial phage from whatever you have lying around.
Send us pics or videos of your phages and how they work using #spicescience or email us at spicescience@uoregon.edu and we may share them on our social media!
Want more info? Here’s a great episode of the Radio Lab Podcast about giant virus factories that may well have started out as bacteria, reversing some of what we know about how germs evolve!
Curious about how microorganisms can be engineered to edit DNA? Check out this Radio Lab Episode about CRISPR technology. What does this mean for the future of the human race? How could technology like this be used to help or harm?
Virology
Video
Check out this video from Khan Academy about the science of virology.
Also, check out our general tips for doing science at home!
That's all of this week. We’ll be back next week with more lessons. Look for posts with smart tips on doing science at home or snippets of cool science news in the meantime.