MAGIC MICROBES
Microorganisms are everywhere, in the air, in soil and water, as well as living inside you and on you. We need microorganisms to keep ourselves and our environment healthy. Although some microorganisms can make us sick, many are also used to make medicines, such as antibiotics, and of course we use them to make food, such as yoghurt, bread, vinegar and cheese.
The magic microbes pages will give some ideas on activities which can be done in the class room to bring alive this fascinating area of science.
Download a powerpoint presentation on microbes (155k)
Activity 1 - Create-a-bug
 
Using this booklet, pupils can create their own microorganism, give it a name and decide on where and how it is going to live. The pupils can do their own research using books and web sites. They plan their microorganism first, using the sheet  provided. Then they can make a picture or a 3-D model of their organism. Models can be made using clay, or using modrock wrapped around balloons.
This is an excellent activity, which combines science and art and which teaches the pupils about microbial diversity.
To download the booklet and planning sheet click on the links below
Creating a Bug Booklet (PDF 646k) & Creating a Bug Worksheet (PDF 16k)
Excellent web site for ‘bug’ research - The Microbial Zoo (http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/)
Activity 2 - The importance of handwashing and the spread of disease
 
Pupils learn that simply washing your hands, does not remove all the microorganisms from them. Thumbs are placed onto nutrient agar plates before and after washing. The microorganisms are grown at 37 oC, and the plates photographed and the pictures returned for the pupils to keep.
Glitterbug (Brevis Corporation http://www.brevis.com/), a lotion containing U.V particles which fluoresce under long wave U.V light is used to demonstrate how microorganisms can spread.
To gain full benefit from this activity, you may need to link with a scientist at your local college or University. You can buy nutrient agar plates from Oxoid. (http://www.oxoid.com/UK/blue/prod_detail/prod_detail.asp?pr=PO0155&cat=&sec=2&c=UK&lang=EN)
Download the “Bacteria on my hands” instruction sheet (PDF 29k)
Activity 3 - Aerial Contamination
The aim of this activity is to show pupils that microorganisms are everywhere, by exposing Petri dishes full of agar in different areas of the school for different lengths of time.
In this activity pupils get the chance to design their own experiment. The pupils work in pairs and each pair is given 5 nutrient agar plates. They can choose where in the school they want to expose the Petri dishes, and the time intervals for exposure. It is recommended that they do not expose dishes in the toilets.
 
 Plates are incubated at 30 oC and photographed. The pupils can count the number of colonies on each plate, and see if there is an increasing colony count with increasing exposure time. They can also see if there are different numbers of microorganisms in different areas of the school.
Download instruction sheets for the aerial contamination experiment (PDF 21k)
Activity 4 - Isolation of Rhizobium leguminosarum from clover root nodules
 
(left Rhizobium leguminosarum isolated from clover nodules, right a clover root nodule examined under a digital microscope).
The bacterium Rhizobium leguminosarum can live in a symbiotic relationship with leguminous plants such as peas and clover. The bacterium causes the roots of the plants to swell, forming nodules (as can been seen in the picture above on the right). The Rhizobium lives inside these nodules and can take atmospheric nitrogen and convert it to ammonia, the plant convert the ammonia to nitrate which it uses for growth.
If you pull up clover from the ground, with the roots still attached and wash off the excess soil, you will easily be able to see the pink coloured root nodules.
Download the instruction sheet for isolating Rhizobium leguminosarum from clover root nodules (PDF 22k)
The root nodule pictures were taken with a QX3 Digital Blue Microscope, which are available to buy from Amazon. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002HLKI2/qid=1146221798/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/203-4214203-7582314)
Activity 5 Microorganisms and us
This activity makes pupils aware of how microorganisms touch our everyday lives. It will require different products to be bought together on a display table, such as bread, vinegar and toothpaste. Pupils are asked to decide if they think that micoorganisms had anything to do with making any of the products on the table. A booklet is provided with the answer and a comprehensive explanation.
Download work sheet and booklet (PDF 326k)
Excellent Web site produced by the Society for Microbiology you may wish to visit, to give you further ideas and information on doing microbiology in schools. http://www.microbiologyonline.org.uk/
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