Bacteria Growing Kit - Petri Dishes
One of our most popular science fair project kits.
Usually ships out the next day.
Recommend for 6 years & up with adult supervision.
Deal of the Day
You can smell a good science project a block away. In this case, multiply the fun by six and you have one of our most popular science fair project kits. You'll get six large Petri dishes, 10 cm (4 in) in diameter, a microwave safe plastic beaker, cotton swabs and the highest quality nutrient agar. This is the same nutrient agar used by microbiologists to grow really funky stuff in the lab. The instructions give you great suggestions for collecting samples and ways to gross out your parents. Recommended for children ages 6 and up.
What's included?
- 6 large, 10 cm (4 in) diameter Petri dishes
- 6 cotton swabs
- 5 grams of Nutrient Agar
- 1 600 mL plastic beaker
- 1 activity guide
What does it teach?
Bacteria Growing Kit - Get ready to get grossed out! With this kit you have all the makings to see the unseen bacteria all around you!
How to make the Bacteria Growing Kit into a science fair project:
Examples of Independent Variables: (choose only ONE independent variable to test)
- Door Knobs -
- Start up question - Which door knob has the most bacteria?
- Variations to the independent variable: bathroom door knob, your bedroom door knob, your front door knob
- Mouths -
- Start up question - Which mouth is the cleanest?
- Variations to the independent variable: your mouth, your mom’s mouth, your teacher’s mouth, your dog’s mouth
- Dental Care -
- Start up question - How clean does my mouth really get?
- Variations to the independent variable: no brushing, brushing, brushing and mouth wash OR test different toothpastes - before brushing/after brushing with Colgate, before brushing/brushing with Crest, before brushing/brushing with Arm & Hammer, etc.
- Experiments - Growing Bacteria in Agar Petri Dishes
Product FAQ
- Is it dangerous?
It is growing bacteria and bacteria is not something that you really want around. Always keep your lids on. You don’t want the spores to get everywhere and grow places where you don’t want them to. Also, throw the petri dishes away, or at least dispose of the agar if you want to wash the dishes. You don’t want to keep it because you are creating an environment for bacteria to grow and you don’t want for it to get out of hand.
- How long does it take to grow?
Our little scientists were seeing results in about a week. Your results will be dependent on the environment.
- Is there a test for the type of bacteria?
No. The lesson here is to not really be able to identify which type you are growing but instead to record that there is growth.
- Is your agar made from seaweed?
Yes and no. By definition agar is a seaweed derivitive. However, our nutrient agar also contains beef nutrients to help facilitate bacteria growth.
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Double Dip Chip Science Fair Project
December 13th, 2009 -
Bacteria Growing Challenge
January 26th, 2009
Click the thumbnail below to see the video.
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Science Project_2011
Devers - January 7, 2012
We ordered the petri dishes for using in a science fair project. My daughter had a great time using the dishes and bringing the project together. Her friends had a great time watching the germs grow. |
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Superb customer service!
RK - December 29, 2011
We have not used this product yet, but I did email customer service to verify if I had indeed purchased the correct product for my daughter's planned science project. My question was answered very quickly! Thank you. |
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Great Project
Marcia - October 13, 2011
My 7 Year old son and I had a great time testing the doorknobs at my office and used it as a great reminder to wash our hands before we eat or touch food. Happy Experimenting!!!! |
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Love it!
Linda Klasse - October 11, 2011
This is our second time to order your bacteria growing petri dish kit. We use them for science fair projects and they work |
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Who's mouth is cleaner- a Dog or Humans?
Sarah - August 2, 2011
I purchased this kit for my science project, Who's mouth is cleaner- a dog or humans? It was so fun. Everything you need is included in the kit and it's very affordable. I will definately be coming to this site again for my next science project. |
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Bacteria growing kit
Colleen Morris - May 3, 2011
We are using this kit for a Science Fair project for my 4th grader. He and I think that it's really cool. We made and poured the Agar last night and can't wait until we see some growth. Very pleased with this kit and your company. About 10 minutes ago, I emailed a question and got an immediate response-you can't beat that kind of customer service! I plan to order some other experiments etc. and have Science Night once a week during the summer. Thanks, |
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Which grows more bacteria- a high schooler's mouth or the toilet?
Kathy Patterson - March 16, 2011
If this question has you yearning for an answer, you'll want to be sure and buy the Bacteria Growing Kit and find out for yourself. Our elementary students chose this question for their Science Fair project. Since there are enough materials to take 6 different samples, we also took samples from the water cooler, door knob, computer mouse, and stair railing. We grew bacteria in a variety of shapes and colors. My only caution is this ended up being a stinky project. We took pictures instead of displaying the actual Petri dishes. If your students love seeing gross things, however, this kit will certainly be a hit! |
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Awesome! Buy now!
James Bonilla - March 15, 2011
I've bought this kit last year for my science fair project and it was pretty interesting. I did my project on what is the dirtiest objects and some everyday objects. (steering wheel, doorknob of the front house ...etc.... I loved the results and It has really fun! I would totally recommend it! |
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Fabulous product
Marci Steed - February 21, 2011
We had a ball with this project! It was easy and informative as well as fun. The only thing lacking was finding out what each bacteria was afterwards. How could we do that? |
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Great for Third Grade Science Project!!!!
Kris - February 8, 2011
Our daughter wanted to find out if her mouth, or her dog's mouth was cleaner before we even saw the question posed here. We found the "Bacteria Growing Kit" on line while trying to figure out where to get Petri dishes and Agar. Everything we nneded in one stop! What a success! So easy, and a true scientific process. Our dog is "Eausea" (pronounced OC). See pics here for results after 8 days. The final board looks beautiful with required Hypothesis, Procedure, and photos as well as her drawings(observations) of the "speckles" over time. Highly recommended. |
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Bacteria Growth
Stacey from Arkansas - February 4, 2011
Very easy to use and students were fascinated by the results. Love this product! |
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BACTERIAGROWING KIT
MELINA GROOB - January 26, 2011
AWSOME FUN..AND EASY |
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Bacteria Growing Kit
Darla L. Martin - January 14, 2011
We ordered the Bacteria Growing Kit for my son's science fair project. The instructions were good, and we didn't have any trouble getting the agar to "set up". We started growing bacteria within 3 days, so we were very excited. I would definitely recommend this kit! |
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Be careful with dishes of ager
Candace Ingle - December 15, 2010
In trying to explain our test results, we contacted a university professor who made the following suggestions: (1) wear a mask when you are making the ager so that you don't accidentally breathe micro-organisms onto your ager |
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Petri Dishes
Sheri from Colorado - December 7, 2010
We ordered the Petri dish kit for my 5th grader's science project, Who Would You Rather Kiss, Your Mom or Your Dog?. It worked very well and was easy to use. We will definitely order something from your website next year. |
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Dirty Mouth
ReyAnne Moorehead - December 1, 2010
This Petri Dishes were easy to make! It was a success the 1st time we tried! We used these in a science fair project to see if our dogs' mouths were dirtier than my child's. I am excited to say that he placed 2nd in his 3rd grade division at his elementary school! Thank you for the part that you played in this! |
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Growing Bacteria
Dana - November 29, 2010
We received the kit just days after we ordered it. After following the directions, we tested the bathrooms at my son's school for bacteria. Very disgusting things began to grow within a week and my son has now decided that hand washing is important! His science fair project is due in two days and we are ready! |
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Student
Susan Fischer - November 11, 2010
Very easy to use product. I grew bacteria from different drinking water sources. I was amazed that I had growth within three days. The was used for an University Integrated Science project. |
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Bacteria Growing Kit
Kathy Kruisenga - November 11, 2010
I am not a biology person and had never worked with agar. The directions were simple and very easy. The students loved this activity. They are submitting it as a science fair project. |
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great science project
Nicole Andreno - November 2, 2010
This was easy and fun for my 9yr old sons science project he loved it |
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Bacteria Growing Kit-Petri Dishes works great sometimes
S. Latshaw - May 16, 2010
Bacteria Growing Kit-Petri Dishes was an easy to use kit. However, in some situations I was unable to get any growth to show and at other times there was heavy growth. Since the procedure used was the same I'm uncertain why there was a difference. I would also like to purchase more agar powder without the petri dishes. |
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Bacteria Growing Kit
Kaitie - April 15, 2010
I was so excited that everything worked out perfectly with my project! I gave a lesson on germs and our immune system. I thought it would be interesting and fun for my class to get the opportunity to see where germs lived the most. So my class swabbed away- they swabbed everything from their cell phones, to the stair railings, to our teachers key board. I came back with the results the following week and we found out what not to touch. |
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petri dish kit
Courtney Hocking - April 12, 2010
The kit contained everything that we needed. The only bad thing about the whole thing is that we wanted to do more! This is only the tip of the iceberg! we tested the cleanliness of the school and we found that the dirtiest place was the teacher's lounge! Thank you ! ! ! |
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Good Science Fair Project
Amy - March 4, 2010
I ordered this for my sons 6th grade science fair project. It had clear, easy to follow directions. He enjoyed taking the samples, mixing the auger, and mostly seeing the bacteria growth!! |
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Very Fun!
Robin - February 7, 2010
This was a very fun and interesting experiment! Thanks so much Steve! |
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Nice product, but not enough agar
Bob Lambert St. Peter, MN - January 26, 2010
The directions tell how much agar to use for the six dishes, but you don't provide enough agar. Bob, I'm sorry that you experienced a problem with this kit. We actually provide enough agar for 12 petri dishes, which allows for mistakes, spills, and the like. A customer service team member will contact you to discuss this with you. -- The Steve Spangler Science Web Team |
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Very Cool
Erin Maryland - January 21, 2010
My five year old and I had so much fun testing door knobs, remote controls, dog noses, toilet seats, etc...It was amazing to see after a few days how much bacteria (and different types of bacteria) was growing in the dishes |
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Awesome
Maddy C Missouri - January 11, 2010
Just Awesome |
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An awesomely gross experiment
Debbie Littleton, CO - January 1, 2010
This is a creative and excellent science fair experiment that appeals to kids, asks a good question, performs multiple tests, and eventually comes to some disgusting conclusions. What a great way to demonstrate the scientific method, the use of a variable and a control, and the process of making discoveries/conclusions. Amazing job! |
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No Double Dipping
Janet C. Orlando - December 14, 2009
I can't believe how gross this is. The best part is that I could do it at home with petri dishes and the jello stuff. This is a great science fair project idea for my daughter who loves gross stuff. |
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Great product, could use more agar
Peggy Salt Lake City - December 10, 2009
We wish there was one extra pack of agar in the bacteria growing kit. Even though your instructions warn of microwave boil-over, it did happen to us, and is probably very common, so we were out of luck. Our alternative was to buy 25 ounces more for the same price as the kit. We think you could have put an extra 5 ounce pack for more value, less disappointment. Otherwise - great product and service. Luckily, our experiment is going forward because we bought 2 kits, wanting 12 samples of (comparing growth of dog, cat, rat, saliva). We now have a compromised 8 samples for the science fair project, with less agar in each dish.... |
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Bacteria Growing Kit
Paula Symonds San Francisco, CA - October 25, 2009
The directions were very clear. The agar set quickly. It made my class of first graders feel like real scientists |
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Related Products
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Nutrient Agar - 25 Gram Bag
$14.99 |
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Petri Dish - 101 mm (4 in) - 20 pack
$8.99 |
