Microbiology Deep Dive
Looking for more Microbiology Activities?
Below you will find additional microbiology resources that you can use in your afterschool space.
Build an ecosystem for microbes to see how they separate into their own habitats. With just a few cupfuls of mud and other simple ingredients, you can create an entire ecosystem for bacteria called a Winogradsky column. In this sealed system, microbes reuse and recycle nutrients continuously. Over time, different species separate into visible layers depending on how they use—or don’t use—oxygen, light, and nutrients such as carbon or sulfur. Each bacterial species finds its habitat according to its needs—much like in your digestive tract.
Sourdough is a type of bread that can only be made if bacteria and yeast work together. We need the yeast to eat the flour and produce gas which will put air into your bread and make it rise. We need the bacteria to eat the bread flour and to produce lots of special chemicals to give the bread a slightly sour taste.When you buy whole wheat flour the bacteria and yeast are already there, but they can’t grow. In a way, it is like they sleeping. To wake them up we need to give them water and a warm place to start eating the flour. When we do this over the course of a week, the microbes will grow and multiply. At the end of the week, you will have so many that you can make sourdough bread.
Welcome to The Fungus Files: An Educator’s Guide to Fungi K-6 (Second Edition), where the oft overlooked Kingdom of Fungi is used to promote an incredibly accessible model of interdisciplinary ecological education. The Fungus Files is packed with dynamic and diverse activities designed to be easily adaptable to students of all ages, learning styles and ability levels.