Science Fair Projects - Testing Home for Bacteria

One of the most interesting at home projects you can complete are science fair projects - testing home for bacteria. These biology experiments allow you to take samples from your home and grow your own bacteria cultures. This is a great way to learn about bacteria, home safety and scientific experimentation.

See your world under a Student's Micrscope, all discounted for individuals or cases (for schools, homeschooling groups, science camps).

Using items in your home explore the world of the unseen with a Microbes science fair project.

The first step for your science fair projects - testing home for bacteria is to gather together your equipment. You will need petrie dishes, unflavored gelatin, boiling water, beef or chicken bouillon, latex gloves, tweezers and a notebook. As you gather your equipment, remember to keep a list in your project notebook, you will need this list when writing up your report.

The next step for your science fair projects - testing your home for bacteria is to make your agar for your bacteria culture. To do this you will make a batch of gelatin and add to this the bouillon. Stir in the boullion until it is completely dissolved. This will provide your bacteria with food to eat as it grows. Cover the agar and allow it to set up.

The next step in your microbiology science fair projects is to gather bacteria samples. You can find bacteria everywhere in your house. However, the hotspots are going to be in your kitchen and in your bathroom. To gather samples you will want to use a piece of cotton cloth to wipe a surface. Then place the cloth on the surface of your agar so that the contaminated surface of the cloth is face down in the agar. Cover the dish and allow it to incubate in a warm and dark location.

Each day check your agar dish to see if any bacteria have grown. Make notes in your project's notebook about the growth rate of your bacteria, as well as other general observations. After about a week you can remove your agar covers and examine the bacteria cultures under a microscope. Try to identify the bacteria that is growing in your home.

While these microbiology projects are not suitable for last minute and easy science fair projects, they are fairly simple to complete. The only drawback is that they take time. You can cut down on the amount of work that you have to do, by working with a science project partner. If you work with a partner, make sure that each of you contribute to the project.