Location, Location, Location!

When it comes to the laboratory room the following rule as stated in the following is set in stone: Eating, drinking, gum chewing, applying cosmetics, manipulating contact lenses, and other ... See More

When it comes to the laboratory room the following rule as stated in the following is set in stone: Eating, drinking, gum chewing, applying cosmetics, manipulating contact lenses, and other unsafe activities are not permitted in the laboratory. With this said you colleagues are still doing the Oreo cookie and still letting students eat the cookies when they are done as a reward. Are food labs out? No, but they must be done in some other location than a laboratory room or a room used as a laboratory. Every teacher should be required to read this article.

Food For thought, Not for Eating

Food has always been a staple of any school laboratory investigations. Here are some examples of popular food-based questions that students can explore: • Does the color of popcorn kernels... See More

Food has always been a staple of any school laboratory investigations. Here are some examples of popular food-based questions that students can explore: • Does the color of popcorn kernels affect how many will pop when heated? • What conditions affect the browning of apple slices? • What test can you use to determine the difference between samples of diet and regular soda? • How much salt do you need to add to water so that an egg will float in it? • Does the vitamin C level of a fruit drop with heating? • How does temperature affect the amount cookies will rise during baking? This is a good article because it is filled with suggestions on how to be safe in your lab and remind students not to eat what they have been working on. It is very important to remind your students that the lab is not their mama’s kitchen. This article was a good reminder to me to think of everything when writing rules for my future lab. Do not be afraid to use food in your experiments, just be cautious and include in your rules No eating experimental food.