Wet Ones Healthy Hands Zone Germ Experiments by Bill Nye the Science Guy

Over the past couple of months, I have posted several times about Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes and the fact that they've teamed up with Bill Nye the Science Guy to teach children about the importance of clean, germ free hands. Not only is this the time of year when sickness seems to be on the rise, but Kaelyn is at an age where she is becoming more and more independent and she needs to see why washing her hands is so important.

Although she knows she needs to, having the opportunity to do four fun germ experiments really has helped her see why it's important. She didn't know a whole lot about germs before we began, but with each experiment I see her understanding more and more. We were sent a Wet Ones Healthy Hands Zone kit with all the necessary supplies to conduct each experiment.

With the first experiment, we discussed how germs get around and the second experiment touched on how quickly they multiply. Over the past couple of weeks we have been working on the last two experiments, discussing the spread of germs from the things we touch.

The Bread Can Be Food for You, or for Germs experiment designed by Bill Nye the Science Guy required the use of paper towels, water, 3 sandwich bags, 3 slices of bread, dirt and Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes.

We tore a paper towel into three pieces, dipped each in water and placed them in a plastic sandwich bag. We then did a touch test with three slices of bread. For the first Kaelyn touched the bread after rubbing her hands in dirt. The second she touched the dirt, washed her hands with soap and water and then touched the bread. And, the third she touched the dirt, wiped her hands with Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes and then touched the bread. Each slice was placed in a labeled bag, sealed shut and placed in a dark, warm place for about a week.

The Grow Your Own Germs experiment required the use of one bouillon cube, powdered sugar, gelatin, muffin cups and muffin pan, saucepan, water, foil and antibacterial hand wipes. In a saucepan we mixed the bouillon, sugar, water and gelatin and brought it to a boil. We then divided the mixture evenly among the five foil muffin cups and covered with foil, placed in refrigerator and let cool. Once it was cool, Kaelyn touched different surfaces and then touched the gelatin cups. The first, she touched the cup with her fingers. The next three she touched different surfaces (door knob, car door handle, toilet handle) and then touched the gelatin cups. For the final cup, she wiped her hands with Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes and then touched it. We labeled each cup, placed them in a warm dark place for about a week and then examined them.

The following video shows the results from each of these fun experiments.


As you can see, the results were pretty obvious. With the bread we could see mold growing on the piece of bread that we touched after playing in the dirt. The other pieces of bread (soap & water and Wet Ones) had very little growth. This is because keeping hands clean is the best way to keep them free of germs.

With the gelatin cups, we also saw the importance of keeping our hands clean. There was a lot less growth in the cup that we used Antibacterial Hand Wipes before touching. These experiments were not only a great way to show Kaelyn the importance of washing her hands, but was also a good reminder for me as well. Neither one of us liked seeing the mold and growth on the bread and gelatin cups which has helped encourage us even more to wash our hands frequently throughout the day. Thankfully, even though we're on the go a lot...we know we can count on Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes to help keep our hands clean and kill 99.99% of germs.
For more information about fight germs and Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes...be sure to visit the Wet Ones Healthy Hands Zone. It's full of great information and video demos of the germ experiments by Bill Nye. I've enjoyed browsing around and have really learned a lot. It's easy to navigate a site I'd recommend to anyone with children.

Be sure to check back, as I'll be posting about the other two experiments and how they went very soon.

**Energizer Personal Care provided the supplies and Flip UltraHD video camera for this review at no cost to me. This review is not being administered or sponsored in any way by Playtex or its affiliates, but solely by A Mom's Balancing Act. Any questions or comments regarding this review must be sent o me at A Mom's Balancing Act and not to Energizer Personal Care.**