Not long ago Nurse Irina came to speak with 2R about hygiene and germs. We learned that there were germs that were helpful and germs that could cause problems. We learned that it was important to get dirty sometimes and that being exposed to some germs helped strengthen our immune system. But, we really needed to remember to wash our hands before touching our mouths, eyes and nose. We also learned how easy it is to pass germs to each other, particularly through things we touch.
But we had questions! Where could we find germs? If we had a microscope, could we see them?
We thought that Mr. Lorimer, a high school science teacher (who had helped us learn about air pressure earlier in the year), may have microscopes to lend us. So we wrote him an email. He answered that if we wanted to see germs, a microscope wouldn’t help much. He suggested we collect samples from places where we expected to find a lot of germs and seal them into plates with a special germ food to create “germ cultures”.
Then, we did some brainstorming… Based on what we knew about germs, where were some places we might find them? Each student chose a place and sampled it by brushing it with a cotton bud, then brushing the same cotton bud on the “germ food” gel, then sealing the plate. We learned about the importance of sterility and having a control in the scientific process. We labeled our tests and Mr. Lorimer took them up to the science lab.
Six days later, we were invited up to check. Students made predictions. They predicted the shapes, sizes, distribution and colours we might see. In the lab we were excited to look carefully at our plates with hand lenses, and see each others tests too! Mr Lorimer suggested we might like to check back a few days later and see what changes we might notice.
We’re well on our way to answering our question… Where are some places we might find germs?
Please take a look at the images below for more!
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