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 an exercise with balls of different weights, as if you were in different gravitational conditions, to strengthen …
Your Mission: Discover the fat content of a meal and formulate a balanced meal using fat content information. As astronauts …
Your mission: Frozen water on the moon This resource was created by Space Expo in collaboration with NSO, The Netherlands …
During a spacewalks, astronauts need some serious dexterity and hand-eye coordination to carefully complete tasks, all while wearing bulky gloves …
Did you know that jumping might be a key activity in keeping astronauts healthy in space? Try some jump rope …
Your mission: Learn the basics of martial arts (karate) to defend yourself against simple attacks and, in case of emergency, …
Your Mission: Investigate the relationship between microorganisms and many every day products. Microbes live everywhere, including outer space! Scientists have …
Your Mission: Perform body-weight squats and push-ups to develop upper and lower body strength in muscles and bones. Astronauts must …
Your Mission: Perform the “bear crawl” and “crab walk” to increase muscular strength and improve upper and lower body coordination. …
Your Mission: Complete an agility course as quickly and as accurately as possible to improve agility, coordination and speed. When …