Adult supervision required for this activity
This lesson teaches students about bacteria using an experiment to detect bacteria in their environment. Students model methods that scientists use in this experiment that can be monitored for up to one week. During this experiment, students will learn to prepare a bacterial culture and learn to compare the presence of potentially harmful bacteria before and after washing hands. The lesson also showcases how proper hand washing removes the presence of potentially harmful bacteria.
Themes: Research, Bacteria, Water Quality, Combine Sewer Overflows
Age: 10-14
Prep Time: 10 min
Activity Time: 30 min, then 10 min/day for up to 7 days
Resources: Draw Your Results Worksheet