Student Bacteria Experiment Kit

Students can conduct their own bacteria tests with this hands-on, easy-to-use kit.  Taking control of the procedure, students melt the media in a microwave, pour their own media plates, and test for growth in four popular experiments. The experiments are sure to be memorable because they investigate the levels and importance of bacteria in everyday situations.

Student Bacteria Experiment Kit

Experiments include:

• Testing common use items such as bathroom handles, door knobs, and water fountains
• Determine how much bacteria soap eliminates when dirty hands are cleaned
• Determine how much bacteria in the mouth is eliminated when mouthwash is used
• Compare bacteria levels in a human's mouth to a dog's mouth

The agar is shipped in a gel form - to make it ready for experiments the gel is heated in a microwave, poured into petri dishes, and allowed to harden for approximately 24 hours.  Experiment growth results take approximately 48 hours to completely develop after swabbed samples are applied to the hardened agar. 

Kit contains two 200mL bottles of Prepared Nutrient Agar, 20 Gamma Radiated Sterile Petri Dishes, 10 sterile swabs, and four detailed Experiment instruction sheets. The kit can be used for individual experiments, or is sufficient for use by four groups of up to 6 students.  Bottles of Agar have a shelf life of approximately one year if kept in a cool location.

Recommended for grades 5 to 12.