Germ Fight!
You will need:
red construction paper (rolled into a tube)
red, white, and other colors of play dough
Q-tips broken in half
small pom-poms.
Project #1: A Giant Virus
This easy activity is a realistic depiction of what a virus looks like. The protein spikes (Q-tips) are what germs use to stick and break in to cells. Once inside, viruses can replicate. This is how they multiply and spread.
Show your child some photographs of viruses. Then she can make a virus from play dough and Q-tips.
Why we like it:
This virus model looks real.
While your child makes it, you can teach her how a virus works.
Make a cell model out of play dough and have the Q-tip virus attack it!
You can also teach about and make models of bacteria, which exist in different shapes:
Project #2: Battle Inside a Giant’s Bloodstream
To demonstrate one way our bodies fight germs, you can make a model of what goes on in a blood vessel.
Show your child a photo of blood cells, like the following:
She can form red blood cells by rolling red play dough into small balls and pressing a dent into the center of each with her finger.
Now make some white blood cells, which are more spherical, with no dents.
Dump out a bunch of miniature pom-poms – germ invasion! Show your child how the white blood cells swallow up the “germs”.
When she has conquered the germs, have her place her cells and perhaps some more germs into a giant blood vessel (your red tube of construction paper)
.Why we like it: Again, we like the realistic models in this activity. It’s easy and tons of fun for kids to wage war against the evil viruses.
The following idea is an extension of this activity:
Project #3: White Blood Cell Cookies
Sound appetizing? Our taste testers thought they were delicious.
First, mix up some dough for Surprise Cookies. (You will need basic ingredients and jelly beans).
Help your child form 1 inch balls out of the dough. These are the white blood cells. Bring out a package of jelly beans – these are the germs. Have your child pretend that each white blood cell is eating up a germ, just like in Project #2 (wrap the dough completely around the jelly bean).
Bake according to instructions.
Yum!