Hands on Germs

My favorite lessons to teach are the ones that kids can really get excited about.  Let's face it, grammar isn't always that much fun.  And math has its un-fun moments too.  But science?  That's usually a shoe-in for a good time.  And a good time means that my little friends will remember it.  And if they remember it, they just might learn something.

We still haven't received our science kits from the district, and it may be a while, so for now I'm on my own.  I decided to start with a lesson to introduce and then reinforce the scientific process.  Funny graphics on a PowerPoint got me started, but the real fun began when students got to the hands on part.

Basically, kids are investigating what removes germs from their hands best:  Nothing at all, water, soap and water, or hand sanitizer.  My friends were to clean their hands (or not) and then handle a raw potato slice for 1 minute before placing it in a plastic baggie.  We then observe the potatoes for a few days and then confirm or revise our hypothesis.

The kids with the unwashed hands assignments were totally cracking me up.  While other kids were washing  or sanitizing, these kids (totally unprompted!) tried to get their hands as dirty as possible.  Some rubbed their hands all over the carpet.  Others rubbed their hands all over the bottoms of their shoes.

Today was an observation day, 2 days past "treating" the potatoes.  It was awesome!  The kids were so excited to see their potatoes and just couldn't get over the difference in how many of the slices looked compared to others.  They were also fairly grossed out!  Anyway, totally fun little investigation, and the kids are learning so much.  Now this is my type of lesson!