In the last couple weeks, we’ve been blown away by LaMotte’s creative kits and apps for use with dipslides. But of course, they’re working on yet another line of activity kits to continue to enhance science education. Today, we’re diving into their new line of Microbe Hunter Activities to find out what’s available and what’s coming soon.
STEM
STEM is common terminology these days, and it’s an important factor for teachers choosing what products and activities they’re going to pursue during the school year. LaMotte offers STEM-based activities in many different areas of their Science Education catalog, including BioPaddles®.
The Microbe Hunter activities guide junior high and high school level students through culturing and presumptive identification of common microbes on BioPaddles®. Students apply science, technology, engineering and math concepts to the exploration of microbes that they encounter every day. The activities develop critical thinking skills and emphasize engineering as a key component.
So what are these activities?
Currently, they have the Milk & Surface Microbe Hunter Activity available, and rumor has it, they’re also working on Food, Air, Soil and Water Microbe Hunter Activities.
Milk Microbe Hunter Activity
With Milk Microbe Hunter, students explore and identify microbes that they have cultured from popular dairy products like milk, yogurt, and Kefir. Activities and topics in this Microbe Hunter kit include probiotics, fermentation, pasteurization, and shelf-life.
The kit contains 5 expandable and adaptable activities. Students learn a bit of background information at the start of each activity, so student teams can go on to design their own experiments.
LaMotte has included a CD-ROM with the kit containing Student and Teacher Guides with PowerPoint presentations, ID Guides, resources, links and more. And once again, the LaMotte BioPaddle apps can be used with this activity.
Surface Microbe Hunter Activity
In Surface Microbe Hunter, students discover factors that influence the growth and removal of surface microbes, design and evaluate cleaning protocols, and compare the effectiveness of antimicrobial materials. Activities and topics include surface characteristics, microbial diversity, biofilms, surface microbe identification, sanitizers and disinfectants.
Microbe Hunters Coming Soon
The upcoming Microbe Hunter kits will follow a similar format as Milk & Surface Microbe Hunters.
Food Microbe Hunter:
Students will design a colony counting sampling method to test for microbial contamination of food surfaces. They’ll identify food-borne microbes, learn about the kinds of microbes living on fruits and vegetables, what happens if certain foods are left out without refrigeration and more.
Soil Microbe Hunter:
Students will design a monitoring method for soil sampling using the BioPaddle that compares the density of ‘open soil microbes’ to those near plant root systems. They’ll identify soil microbes, learn about microbe populations in different types of soil and more.
Air Microbe Hunter:
Students will design an indoor air monitoring method to achieve a consistent way of counting airborne fungi and bacterial cells. They’ll identify airborne molds, conditions at home that support mold growth, estimate mold levels by sampling air and more.
By testing their everyday surroundings, students will begin to learn about some of the microbes they come in contact with every day. It’s obvious the Microbe Hunter Activities are going to be a hit with both students and teachers. We already love the Milk Microbe kit, and we can’t wait to see what else the upcoming kits have to offer.
Visit www.lamotte.com for more information on BioPaddles®, and have fun culturing those microbes!
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