Submitted by: Submitted by alexathomas00
Views: 10
Words: 763
Pages: 4
Category: Science and Technology
Date Submitted: 02/05/2016 10:04 AM
Kids are so great. They soak up new information like a sponge and watching them learn something new is one the most interesting things to do. I think every adult can agree that when they are able to teach a child and see that “AHA!” moment in their eyes, a sense of honor befalls them. My 7 year old niece Emma is that child, and I am that adult.
Emma has had a certain stuffed animal for years, 7 years to be exact. I should know, I’m the one that bought it in the hospital gift shop the day she was born. She drags her brown (used to be white) puppy with her everywhere. EVERYWHERE. In passing, as I often did, I mentioned to her about her letting me clean it. As I reach for the bacteria infested stuffed animal she screams “NOO!” and runs away from me. We all laugh because we all remember how biscuit lost his eyeball, the first and only time he was washed, by me.
We always get a good kick out of her obsession with never letting me touch the animal since that dreadful day 3 years ago. However, this time I remembered something. I had a lab kit in my spare bedroom with all kinds of goodies left over from the A&P II class I had taken the previous semester. I called for Emma to come and talk to me for a minute, and she did. “What YaYa, and don’t ask me again to wash him. He’s not dirty!” To which I countered with a bet. “Emma, if I can prove that he’s dirty, will you let me wash him?” I asked. We then, of course, played 20 questions. She wanted to know how I could prove it, with what I could prove it with, what is agar, and why does it smell like glue. I answered her questions, all of them. I love her questions, and I love even more that I know the answers.
First, we melted the agar in the microwave, poured it into our 4 petri plates, and let them cool. Then was time to swab what we wanted to test. This is when I asked Emma, what in my house do you think is more dirty than Biscuit? Without hesitation she screamed “Brody” (my very...