What do we touch that has the most germs? Hmm, not a toilet handle. No, not a car door, not a trash can. Hmmm, what could it be? Ok, what am I holding? (a dollar bill) Where did it come from? Yes, maybe the grocery store! And where did they get it from? Ok, maybe the bank. Where did they get it from? Another person! And where did they get it from? Another person! And where did they get it from? Do you see? What do the most people touch? Dollar bills. Think about it!
Yesterday afternoon, the Little Scientists program facilitated a lesson about germs and sanitation. The teacher takes a group of Troup students from second to fourth grade, and he gets them excited about science. In fact, the one object we touch that is touched by the greatest number of people beforehand is the dollar bill. He has also covered colors, plants, and lungs, among other topics. Last week, the Little Scientists program taught students about respiration. They brought in real lungs: one healthy and one from a smoker that was quite hard and black. The Troup students could see tangible examples of the topics, and they all created a “lung” using a balloon and a soda bottle. By squeezing the bottle, the balloon filled with air, just as our diaphragms push up on our lungs, which fills them with air. These Little Scientist projects teach them how things work and show them that education can be exciting.
