Microbial Box 2: What’s in your Petri?
Your Mission: Sample, grow, and investigate the microorganisms around us.
- formulate and prepare an inquiry-based investigation
- grow and study microbial life
- categorize microbes based on different properties
- think critically
- investigate the relationship of everyday products to microorganisms
- examine the impact of microorganisms on daily life
- discover that microorganisms have the greatest diversity of all living organisms
- explain how microorganisms are beneficial to humans and the environment
- connect healthy living habits from living in space to their schools and homes
- Per class:
- Clear adhesive tape
- Thermometer
- Small desk lamp or light (15–60 watt)
- Small container (such as medicine cup or cough syrup container)
- Anti-bacterial soap
- Incubator, using a hard-sided cooler OR a 10-gallon glass aquarium with heavy weight plastic (laminating plastic) and packing tape (See how to make a classroom incubator and determine other needed materials in Part 2’s pre-lesson instructions section and in Appendix B)
- Per group (4 students per group):
- 2 plastic cups
- ½-cup distilled water
- 2 permanent markers
- ½-cup weak bleach
- solution
- One 1-gallon zipper seal bag (to use at 48-hour observation period)
- Color pencils
- Per student:
- 1 Petri dish (with nutrient agar)
- 1 hand lens
- 1 cotton swab
- Eye protection
- Hand protection
- Copy of What’s in your Petri? Student Section
Explore more Mission X activities!
Your Mission: Perform the “bear crawl” and “crab walk” to increase muscular strength and improve upper and lower body coordination. …
Your mission: Learn the basics of martial arts (karate) to defend yourself against simple attacks and, in case of emergency, …
Your Mission: Identify which plants are suitable for growing in space as a good source of nutrition for astronauts. Food …
Your mission: Just like astronauts who sometimes have to avoid space debris, you will become aware of human-caused pollution in …
Your Mission Playing sports requires teamwork and preparation. Teammates must work together. In space, astronauts also must react to new …
Your Mission: Perform an exercise with balls of different weights, as if you were in different gravitational conditions, to strengthen …
Your Mission: Train with a cycle to improve leg muscles, cardio-vascular fitness and endurance. One exercise device that is regularly …
Your mission: Complete an obstacle course in a wheelchair to develop your coordination and endurance. This resource was created by …
Votre mission: Effectuer un parcours immergé dans l’eau pour préparer pour votre future sortie extravéhiculaire. This resource was created by …
In microgravity, astronauts love to perform spectacular somersaults. Here on Earth it’s not so easy, but it certainly is fun! …
EN 
CZ 
DA 
NL 
ET 
FI 
FR 
DE 
EL 
IT 
JA 
LV 
NO 
PL 
PT 
RO 
ES 
SV 
HU 
SL 
TR