Dirty or Not
Human Health and Behavior
Camryn Johnson
- Grade:
- 5
- Teacher:
- Crystal Ortiz
The main idea of my project is to see what object in my community is the dirtiest. I wanted to do this project because I want to see what object in my community is the dirtiest. so I know what is safe and what is not. Results: there was bacterial growth on all of the petri dishes but the payment pin pad had the most bacterial growth. The one with the least amount of growth was the apple.
This is a thoughtful and very relevant project about germs and community health. I really liked how you chose everyday objects like a shopping cart, payment pin pad, dollar bill, toilet seat, floor, and apple to test. Your procedure was clearly explained, and I was impressed that you collected data over multiple days (Day 5, Day 7, and Day 10) and showed both pictures and a graph to compare bacterial growth. It was also great that you were honest when your hypothesis about the shopping cart was proven wrong that’s exactly what real scientists do! Your conclusion shows that you learned something meaningful about hygiene and safety in your community. Keep asking important health-related questions and testing them carefully you are building strong scientific investigation skills!
What a fun project, and interesting results! I will make sure to use hand sanitizer after using the pinpad from now on! Thank you for sharing your science.
This was a fascinating project! I was very impressed by how seriously you took the safety procedures—knowing not to let air contaminate your petri dishes is a key part of microbiology. Your hypothesis was clear, and it showed great scientific integrity when you noted that your results surprised you, especially regarding the shopping cart. Identifying that the payment pin pad showed the most bacterial growth is an important observation for your community. To take this even further next time, you might think about how you could measure the ‘dirtiness’ more precisely perhaps by counting the number of bacterial colonies rather than using a 1-4 scale. Keep asking these great questions
Your project explores an important question about germs in our everyday environment. I like that you tested several different objects and observed bacterial growth over multiple days. Your results clearly showed that some commonly touched objects, like payment pin pads, can have a lot of bacteria. Great job investigating an important health topic!