Summer SAVY 2016 (Session 1, Day 3) – The Unseen World of Microorganisms

Posted by hallep on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 in Grade K, SAVY.

Today, was a busy day in our SAVY class! Your kindergartner learned that there are tiny microorganisms that live on virtually every surface of the human body. Ask them about the mites that live in human eyelashes, or about Strep (Streptococcus) that stick to their teeth, floss and toothbrushes. Your SAVY kid will probably talk about Amoeba that can live on your eyes, what waterbears look like, pollen and underwear bugs (bacteria that like to live in places where your undergarments cover-Lactobacillus). We also took a look at red blood cells (they look like donuts!), bone (it looks like a web!), and chromosomes. Your SAVY kid knows how DNA is the instruction manual to make YOU! Talk to them about your family’s genetics (dark hair, blue eyes, tall, short, athletic, etc.). Lastly, we spent some time looking under the microscope at bugs found in the environment (ECOLOGY!!!!). Your SAVY kid saw fungus (it’s very hairy) and bacterial colonies (on a blood agar plate) and we spent a lot of time talking about “good bugs” (the microbes that keep you healthy) and where you get them (from good foods, from mom and dad, from pets, from playing outside in the dirt, from visiting a farm). Your SAVY child went outdoors to collect ecological items last class and we cultured from soil or a body part. We took a look at these plates and also looked at these samples under the microscope together! Your student made microbes out of Play-Doh today for their art module. I was amazed at how creative your child is, and how excited they are about learning microbiology. Take a quiet moment, and break out some paper and drawing tools and ask your SAVY kid to show you what their favorite microbes look like.

Tomorrow, we will be taking a look at the microbes that are associated with our FOOD. Send your SAVY kid in with a moldy strawberry or piece of bread or cheese if you have some tucked away in your refrigerator (mold always looks SO COOL under the microscope). I’ll be bringing in some moldy fruit that I’ve been saving up just for this occasion!!!!