Meet the Microbes All Around You!

If you’re looking to get out of the house and have some scientific fun, Camp Edvotek has you covered! This experiment will introduce campers to the techniques of characterizing microorganisms while investigating water and air quality. Edvo-kit S-30 provides all the materials you need to introduce campers to the basics of microbiology in a fun and interactive way! So before you break out the petri dishes and get active, let’s talk about microorganisms. 

Microorganisms or “microbes” are tiny organisms that are found all around us and even in our bodies. While microbes are often thought of as harmful, most microbes are far more beneficial than they are dangerous. Not only do microbes play an important role in keeping our bodies healthy, but humans have been utilizing microbes to improve our lives for thousands of years. From helping us make delicious food to major scientific breakthroughs such as the discovery of antibiotics, DNA, genetic engineering and so much more. Microbes are incredibly useful for research but, in terms of human health and diet, there are helpful and harmful microbes. Thus, characterizing microbes is important for many reasons.

In order to visualize microorganisms, scientists must culture their microbial sample. Culturing is a process used to multiply microorganisms by placing them in environments that promote growth. There are many ways to culture and visualize microbes but a common technique is to add microbes to a petri dish containing nutrient agar that promotes growth. After some time has passed, visible masses of cells known as colonies will appear. Colonies are formed from a single microbe replicating to form a visible clump of cells of that specific microbe. Different species of microbes have unique colony morphologies which provides a useful tool for preliminary identification of microorganisms.

With Edvo-Kit S-30, campers get to study the microbes right around them! If you’re interested in an activity outdoors, campers can visit a local creek or any body of water to collect water samples. Alternatively, teachers or camp counselors can collect water samples beforehand. Make sure you follow the laboratory safety guide in the S-30 manual when working with microorganisms! The water samples will be cultured on nutrient agar plates and within one to three days campers will be able to see the colonies that form. The kit also includes a sterile water sample to demonstrate the importance of water treatment facilities to campers. Microbes in the air will be analyzed by comparing microbial growth on covered plates versus uncovered plates exposed to air. 

Here are some ideas to further explore microbiology using this kit: 

• Try different water sources! How does the microbial composition vary between a creek, a lake, a puddle or even tap water? 
• Try placing your air plates in different locations! How would you explain the difference in microbial growth based on where the plates were placed? 
• Try growing the same samples at different temperatures. Do some microbes grow faster than others depending on temperature? 

Looking for other kits to further explore microbial culturing? Check out these kits below: 

If you try this kit out please share your results with us! Tag us on social media, or you can contact us at curriculum@edvotek.com. Stay tuned for more Camp Edvotek activities all summer long!