Handwashing Laboratory Activities: Bowl Technique
Source Institutions
-
National Health Museum
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In this lab (Activity #2 on page), learners compare bacteria growth on two petri dishes containing nutrient agar. Learners touch the doors, faucets, etc. in bathroom and then immerse their hands in 100 ml sterile water. They place 0.5 ml of this "dirty" water into one petri dish. They repeat this process again but wash their hands before immersing them in 100 ml sterile water. Learners incubate the plates for 24-48 hours and then score the results based on the bacteria growth they observe. Use this activity to emphasize the importance of hand-washing and the effectiveness of soap to disinfect.
- Under 5 minutes
- 1 to 7 days
- $1 - $5 per group of students
- Ages 8 - 18
- Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
- English
Quick Guide
Materials List (per group of students)
- Two sterilized bowls (wash then rinse out with alcohol and sterile water)
- 100 ml sterile water per bowl
- Two petri plates containing nutrient agar
- Marker for labeling
- Soap
- L-shaped glass rod
- Incubator (optional)
- Paper for recording results
Subjects
- Life Sciences
- Diversity of Life
- Viruses and Bacteria
- Human Body
- Muscles and Skin
- Health and Nutrition
- Diversity of Life
- Mathematics
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Data Analysis
- Data Collection
- Data Analysis and Probability
- The Nature of Science
- The Scientific Process
- Conducting Investigations
- Gathering Data
- Formulating Explanations
- The Scientific Process
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- see color
- read
- be mobile
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Uses STEM to solve real-world problems
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
- Case, Ed.D., Christine L.
Rights:
- All Rights Reserved, Access Excellence @ the National Health Museum, ©2009
