Science

with Miss Thompson

This week all students learnt about MOULD! I know what you're thinking... Totally disgusting! But it's all in the name of Science! Here are some of the cool things we learnt about mould.

  • Mould is a type of fungi. 
  • We EAT types of mould. Cheeses such as camembert, brie, and blue cheese are all processed with mould. Students in F/1 were disgusted by blue cheese when they saw what it looked like! Even though it is very safe to eat blue cheese, all but one student said they would like to taste it one day. Edith Leese was very keen to give it a go one day!  
  • Mould can spread and develop on any surface. Mould will only start to grow once they land in an environment with suitable water, food, temperature, and oxygen.
  • Mould is more common in households today than it was 50 years ago. This is due to the way that modern homes as constructed. Mold thrives in moisture-prone areas, such as the bathroom, but also behind walls.
  • There are over 10,000 species of mould. Not all types of mould can make you sick and some are even used in medicine and food. 

Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students were put into groups to conduct a mould experiment. We will be testing different conditions to see how mould grows. We are using bread for this experiment. We have 4 different bread pieces and we are testing them in different conditions. Two pieces of bread have not been touched at all. We used gloves to remove the bread from the packet and placed these into the zip lock bags. One will be stored in a light environment and the other in a dark environment. We learnt that mould grows best in a dark environment so we are hoping to prove this theory with our experiment. Another bag contains a piece of bread that is damp. This will also be kept in a dark environment. We learnt that mould also grows best in damp environments, so we are hoping that since the bread is damp, this will mean the mould will grow faster than the dry bread. The other piece of bread is dry but has been touched but all group members. Many groups all touched the bread with their hands however some groups took it one step further and put their feet on the bread. They are hoping that this may get the bread super mouldy! Most groups are really excited to see the outcome of the 'touched' sample. Stay tuned...