Immunity

The next anatomy unit is the lymphatic system and immunity.  (This seems appropriate for March. I often wish I could spray a nice, sanitizing mist over my students.)   HHMI has the Immune System Interactive.  HHMI resources are informative—but dense.  I find this Overview to be a good outline of immunity.  Start with the Interactive.  Page through to see the videos, timelines, and topics.  See what I mean by dense?  The interactive is a good way to show teens the overall picture of related topics in the immune system, organs, and processes.  Vaccine Makers has a series about Adaptive Immunity. Vaccines can be a controversial topic.  Make it a project or a debate.  Should families vaccinate their children?  Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

What about younger students?  Your kiddos may enjoy The Immune System Game.  You do need a crowd to play.  Spread of Infection uses a base, NaOH, sodium hydroxide, with phenolphthalein (PHTH)   Bases turn pink in phenolphthalein, a base indicator.  You put a few drops of the base in one cup.. The class exchanges water with one another.  Lastly, the leader squirts PHTH into each cup to trace the path of infection.  Usually, the bright, pink, water cup belongs to the kid with the NaOH, the source of infection.

Your kiddos could spend the afternoon washing their hands.  Germs, as a topic, has a host of activities simulating germs or experimenting: Cinnamon and Oil Handwashing, Glitter Germs, Glo-Germ Handwashing, Pepper Germs, Germs Can Travel, and Potato Germs. The last two are more of experiments.   I’m always surprised how much kiddos like hand-washing activities.  Be sure to tell the group that all the germs are fake germs.  I’ve seen five year olds cry during Glo-Germ experiments when they thought we were infecting them.  Mayo Clinic has good hand-washing tips.  BTW unless I’m using a Port-a-Potty I’m not a big fan of using hand sanitizer.  Here are pros and cons of hand-sanitizer.  I am a big fan of soap and water!

Finally, look at Herd Immunity with LEGOs.