ScienceMakers Toolkit Manual - The History Makers

• Glo Germ lotion
• Black light
• Soap
• Paper towels
• Kleenex
• Spray bottles
• Clorox wipes
Set Up
• Set up 25 spaces
- Each space receives an eyedropper, an orange topped test tube, and a purple topped test tube
• Depending on the size of the class, pass out 1-3 orange test tubes with a black dot on the bottom
• At each table, two of the blue topped test tubes should have black dots on the bottom, two should not
- At each space, sprinkle a little germ glo powder and spread it around
• Make sure there is soap and paper towel by each sink
• Put out Virus Sign
• Place on front counter:
- Indicator with large eye dropper(s)
- Water spray bottle and tissues
- Glow germ lotion and black light
- Virus test tubes and large eyedroppers
- Clorox wipes
What are viruses?
• Have you ever had the fl u? Have you ever had a cold? The fl u and colds are caused by viruses.
• Viruses are a type of microbe. Microbe is the scientifi c word for germ
• Microbes (microorganisms) are so small we need a microscope to see them . . .
- They include bacteria, viruses, archaea (bacteria like), fungi, and protists (primitive algae-like
amoebas). We are going to talk about the microbes bacteria and viruses
• Viruses are so small that we can pass them to other people and not even know it!
- If one cell in our body was the size of a baseball stadium, how big would a virus be? The size of a
baseball!
- Viruses take over our cellular machinery and stop our cells from doing their normal jobs. Instead, our \
cells make copies of the virus until the whole cell is fi lled with viruses. The cell then bursts open and
more viruses spread to the rest of our body (like a stadium of baseballs exploding!)
- Made in plant/animal cells
- Simple particles, a couple genes inside protein shells. So small we need a microscope to see them
- Infect host cell (use the host’s metabolic machinery) to grow and reproduce
- Hijack cell’s nucleus (command center) and instruct cells to make copies of the virus instead of what
the cell normally does
- Cell makes so many copies that it bursts open and new viral particles are released
- We get sick because the virus stops our cells from normally functioning (which keeps us healthy)
- There are no naturally good viruses
Spread a virus
• When you shake hands, you exchange microscopic particles including any viruses that might have been
on your hands!
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Life Science