Potato Experiment

Our class got together with Mrs. Malrick's fifth grade class to do a science experiment together.  This is always our first experiment of the year, and we focus mainly on observation skills.  

Students then describe what they observe about a peeled potato.  It s explained that these four potatoes were peeled with rubber gloves on, and each were placed directly into their own ziplock bag.  

Then each student passed the potato to one another after listing down an observation of it.  

After this was finished we hung the two potatoes in the classroom.  

Here is what the touched and untouched potatoes looked like at the end of the day.

Here is what the potatoes looked like after two days.

Here is what the potatoes looked like after 1 full week.

This lesson actually focused on hand washing.  We discussed that the untouched potato is virtually unchanged after one full week due to lack of germs and bacteria being put onto the potato my being passed with bare hands.  Now when we go to wash our hands all I need to say is POTATO! They all squeak, groan and wash their hands very well since there is a GROSS visual in their heads as to what happens when you do not wash your hands!