Elementary School Teachers Try Out An Interesting White Bread Experiment And It Goes Viral

It always baffles me how some people think not washing your hands after leaving the restroom is completely okay. You’d think it’s common sense, especially with so many nasty bacteria already living on our hands, but apparently not everyone thinks that way. Recently, two teachers – Jaralee Metcalf and Dayna Robertson – found an interesting experiment called “How clean are your hands?” online that shows just how much bacteria lives on our hands, and decided to try it out with their students.

Image credits: Jaralee Annice Metcalf

In an interview with Bored Panda, Jaralee said they chose this experiment because they had just been learning about decaying leaves and mold, and the flu season was approaching. “We decided it would be an awesome mold experiment to learn about germs by using moldy bread!” said the teacher.

Together with the students, the teachers sealed five different slices of bread in ziplock bags. One was fresh, untouched and used as a control, while the rest were touched by dirty and clean hands, touched by kids who used hand sanitizer and even wiped on Chromebooks. The first signs of mold began appearing after just a few days.

Here’s how much mold formed on the slice rubbed on the Chromebooks

Image credits: Jaralee Annice Metcalf

Here’s how the untouched slice looks for comparison

Image credits: Jaralee Annice Metcalf

This slice was touched by kids with dirty hands

Image credits: Jaralee Annice Metcalf

And this one was touched by ones with clean hands

Image credits: Jaralee Annice Metcalf

The last one was touched by kids who used hand sanitizer

Image credits: Jaralee Annice Metcalf

Jaralee said that the kids were very involved with the experiment and both the students and the staffed were shocked by the results. “Students from different classrooms in the entire school have come to our class to look at the moldy bread and learn about handwashing,” said the teacher.

“If you send your child to school when they are sick, they put everyone at risk. Including teachers and our families! I’d like to urge parents to keep their sick children at home!” advised the teacher.

Jamralee posted the results of the experiment to Facebook, and it quickly went viral

Image credits: Jaralee Annice Metcalf

People loved the experiment