Observing Food Spoilage for Kinder project

[kindermom]

My child is in the middle of an experiment that compares food left in the fridge versus food left out on the counter. It's a Kindergarten project, so we're keeping it simple. We're just observing the food (blueberries, marshmallows, pancakes) in small cups (with lids). The food is now two weeks old, and we've been looking and smelling the food to check its spoilage every day.

So I have a couple of questions. Is it safe to smell pancakes that have been left out for a couple of weeks? (They smell yucky now!) And is there any other measurement of spoilage we could use to complete our experiment (that a Kinder student can easily do?) We're not seeing/smelling a lot of changes in our foods, and we're wondering if we should just stop our experiment now and write up our results.

Thanks for your help!
KinderMom

[SRGT BUBBLES]

hello,

that sounds like a very interesting experiment. first off, to answer your question about smelling the spoiled pancakes, i would advise you to waft. wafting is when you "wave" the scent over to your nose with your hand, that way you are not openly breathing in the scent. and regarding the additional measurements, i think what you are already doing is fine for a kindergarten student. This seems to be more of an observation/response lab to me, so i would continue to note down the color changes and smells. you and your child are on the right track, good luck!

all the best!

[donnahardy2]

Hi KinderMom,

This is a great project for a kindergartener. It sounds like you have had fun doing it.

It would not be particularly unsafe to smell the pancakes unless they are moldy; if you can see dark mold colonies with spores on them, then you should definitely not smell them. However, since the pancakes have spoiled, you can declare the project over and write up the results.

Here are some websites that will help you discuss the science behind this project. The microbes that grew in the pancakes were recycling the elements in the food. You can ask your child why the blueberries and marshmallow did not spoil. You can also discuss the possibility of a future career in microbiology or food technology.

http://resources.schoolscience.co.uk/SGM/sgmspoil1.html

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons. ... &DocID=396

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons. ... &DocID=396


Donna Hardy

[kindermom]

Thanks so much for your info and support, SRGT BUBBLES and Donna!

We did have a lot of fun doing the experiment, and we're looking forward to our very first Science Fair!

KinderMom