“We chose this experiment because we had been learning about decaying leaves and mold and flu season was approaching,” Jaralee Metcalf told. “We decided it would be an awesome mold experiment to learn about germs by using moldy bread!”
Together, they put five slices of bread in separate bags. One slice was inserted untouched, another one was touched by kids with unwashed hands, one was touched by kids who washed with soap and water, and one was touched by kids who used hand sanitizer. Finally, they added a slice that they rubbed on the classroom Chromebooks.
Mold started forming on some of the slices in just a couple of days.
The mold that formed from the Chromebooks
Here’s the untouched slice of bread
The one that was touched by kids with dirty hands
The slice that was touched by washed hands
And the one that was touched by kids who used hand sanitizer
And it worked. “The students were very involved, they usually are with hands-on experiments!” Metcalf said. “Since the results were so shocking, the students and staff have taken a very serious turn toward better hygiene. Students from different classrooms in the entire school have come to our class to look at the moldy bread and learn about handwashing.”
Metcalf also wanted to use the opportunity to tell all the parents that hand washing isn’t always enough. “If you send your child to school when they are sick, they put everyone at risk. Including teachers and our families! I’d like to urge parents to keep their sick children at home!”
Metcalf described the experiment in a Facebook post, and it instantly went viral
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I never had fewer colds; I've actually had more of them over my lifetime, and for longer, than most people do. No amount of washing before eating, after working/being in the gym/handling things other people had handled ever made any difference.
But I have burnt, painful, useless hands. Take from this what you will.