The Science Fair Project

Hand Washing – Does it matter how long you wash for? 

Tyson got a microscope for Christmas and wanted to “grow stuff” to see.  I found a kit online that was a test about soaps.  You cultured bacteria from hands (nasty) and then tested different types of soaps on the bacteria.  This was going to make a sweet science fair project and show my kids how nasty  their dirty hands are!  Unfortunately, you can’t culture bacteria for the science fair.  Well, not easily, at least. I still want to do it, but that’s a mess for another day. 

In finding a science fair project for my third grader, I wanted to stay on the hand washing theme, because it can be fun to gross kids out about germs.  My mom did it to us when she was in nursing school.  We were all terrified to walk out of a public bathroom without grabbing the door know with a paper towel. 

In my search, I found “GloGerm” and Tyson’s SF project. 

We put the GloGerm on our hands and examined them under a black light (our small kit came with one, but it was too tiny, so I ordered a bigger one).  These aren’t real germs, but just gel to simulate germs, but it was still pretty gross.

 

  Hands freshly “germed.” 

Then we washed hands in 5-second increments (scrubbed with soap for five seconds and then rinse only and dry with paper towels).

 

(hands partially through the wash cycle).

We then examined the hands again and again until the hands had been washed for a total of 20 seconds with soap. 

     

(Hands after 20 seconds of washing)

What we discovered is that it really does matter how long you wash your hand for and that you don’t just rinse them, but scrub them.  There were still places that the germs stuck to, like fingernails, dry skin areas, and in between fingers.  Only dad’s hands were perfect, because he used a nail brush and he’s a germaphobe! 

That my friends, was the easy part.  The fun part.  The part EVERYONE wanted to help with.  Unfortunately, that was the smallest part of the SF project.  Next came the research, the typing, the organizing, etc.  The stuff no one wanted to do. 

I helped Tyson out, but made him do as much as he could do. Here’s the finished result: 

 

 

I found those cute little germy guys at the “Henry the Hand” website.  We put them on his board.  They were a type of germ you could pick up on your hands and what it could do to you.

And…..We Tyson won!  Or he gets to move on to the district level with his project.  (In his mind, it’s as good as “winning the science fair.”)

He was so proud.  So excited.  He said it was the best day of the year so far!  Really, he told me earlier in the year that his goal for the year was to win something in the science fair!  Way to go Tyson!