Bacteria Science Fair Project Ideas

Middle school students can have a lot of amusement working on a science fair project involving a bacteria growth kit. Before the merriment begins though, they must acquire a bacteria test kit. Such kits may be bought from either hobby or educational stores, or can be acquired from various online science sites for around $15. The experiment set should include, at least 6 dishes, cotton swabs, agar (special gelatin used to nurture bacteria), a beaker and a guide or instructions.

When doing a bacteria experiment, a basic bacteria test kit can be used to measure how much bacteria has grown, but not the type of bacteria. Generally, it takes 5-7 days for bacteria to grow, but it can take up to 20 days. For this reason, timing the science fair project is essential. Documentation of the bacteria’s growth should consist of pictures, sketches, and clear descriptions. Keep a few samples for the presentation day, but discard all bacteria afterwards.

Read more: Discovering the Ways Bacteria Help Us: The Benefits of Probiotics

Bacteria Experiments for Science Fair Project (Grades 5-8)

Experimenting with bacteria is enjoyable, captivating and could be fairly nauseating. This could be the reason why microbes and bacteria are a captivating science fair topic. Learners can explore bacteria in amusing and unusual areas or do a serious examination to discover how to keep humans free of germs. Kids can select one of the following concepts or be creative and come up with one of their own.

• Antibacterial soap reduces (or does not reduce) the quantity of bacteria on hands.
• Vinegar is just as effective as antibacterial cleaner at removing bacteria from a cutting board.
• There is more bacteria in a public washroom than a private bathroom.
• There is more bacteria in the first stall of a public bathroom than the last stall.
• When chips are double-dipped (bitten and reinserted) in a dip, it becomes contaminated with bacteria.
• There is more (or less) bacteria in a dog’s mouth than a human’s mouth.
• Compare bacteria growth on several surfaces (cellphone, school keyboard, water fountain, bus hand rail. benches at the mall, play structure at McDonalds). Then write a hypothesis (guess) that you can test.
• Food is more contaminated when it stays on the floor for 5 minutes, than 5 seconds (test the 5 second rule).
• A kitchen sink sponge has more bacteria than a dirty floor mop.
• Water in water bottles gets contaminated from saliva back-wash.
• Mouthwash kills bacteria in a person’s mouth. Test several times on several people. Students can test different brands of mouthwash too.
• A prepared sandwich can be left in the fridge for 3 days without growing bacteria.
• There is more bacteria in a person’s mouth than on his/her hands.
• A public bathroom’s outside doorknob has less bacteria than the inside doorknob. Test several times in several bathrooms.
• The most expensive brand is the most effective at killing bacteria. Test different brands of antibacterial hand washes and find out whether money buys effectiveness.

Read more: Easy and fun biology quizzes for kids

Germs and bacteria are all around us and make a great topic for science projects. Bacteria growth kits are inexpensive and readily available for kids. With a good hypothesis and the correct format, bacteria experiments can make impressive winning science fair projects.