About
this Daily Classroom Special:
Science to Go provides easy yet meaningful
science activities for grades k-8. Science to Go was written
by Barbara Smith, Magnet Coordinator at Harvard Elementary, Houston
(TX) and former Teachers Network web mentor.
Hand Soap Effectiveness
Objectives
Measurement, comparison, making observations, inferences, and
conclusions.
Materials
Paper, vegetable oil, eyedropper, pencil or pen, water source,
hand soaps.
Activity
Obtain a small amount of several different handsoaps. Have students
make hypothesis about which brand will remove the most vegetable
oil from their hands (a real-life application). As a class, determine
hand motions to distribute oil and soap over their hands, rinsing
procedure, and amount of rinsing time. Give each student 5 drops
of vegetable oil to smear over their hands. Then, give each 2 drops
of a handsoap to distribute over their oily hands.
Rinse hands using pre-determined procedure. Press one hand on
a sheet of white or brown paper, and label it with the student's
name and soap brand. After the papers dry, hold them up to the light
to compare the amount of oil absorbed by the paper. Older students
may also determine area of the oily spot.
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