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 -  Friday, March 29, 2013
Great Kit
Reviewed By: Annette James 
Great kit that comes with everything needed. My High School student is using it for her science fair projects and kit came quick and was complete with all the supplies and instructions she needed to easily do her experiment. The video also was very helpful. She is currently growing her bacteria with much success.

 -  Thursday, March 28, 2013
Easy and Simple
Reviewed By: Ezra Richards 
The kit had everything we needed and was fun to use. It gives very specific directions on how to conduct several different experiments. If you want to use the materials for your own experiment, you need to read the other experiments and pull out the info. you need. That said, it isn't hard and everything worked great. I really liked that everything was so packaged together.

 -  Friday, February 15, 2013
Great kit
Reviewed By: Emily Neistadt  
Recieved our kit within a week of ordering. Instructions are easy to follow, and there was good background information included. As I type, my daughter is growing bacteria for her science fair project...county science fair, here we come!!

 -  Wednesday, February 13, 2013
ok for science project
Reviewed By: Cameron 
great starter kit however, 4 petri dishes were broken upon arrival...box was not damaged.

 -  Friday, February 08, 2013
Great experiments
Reviewed By: Jennifer 
This is a great project for kids. Didn't know these things existed online. My daughter is even MORE interested in science now that we have started this for a science fair project.

Read More Reviews

-  Saturday, February 02, 2013 Fast way to grow Bacteria Reviewed By: Matthew  This kit comes with everything you need to grow bacteria. It is a lot of fun and it is fast and easy to grow your own bacteria.I had bacteria growing within 3 days of starting.  -  Wednesday, January 30, 2013 Fast & Easy Reviewed By: Amy  We have never done experiments at home before. This kit had great instructions that were easy for my child to understand and simple for us to do. We are having fun watching how fast different kinds of bacteria grow!  -  Wednesday, January 30, 2013 Quick and Easy Reviewed By: Darcy  This product was at our doorstep only two days after ordering!! The kit is easy to use and the instructions are easy to read! I give it an A+ and that's what we are hoping for on the science project :)  -  Sunday, January 27, 2013 ok for science project Reviewed By: Tracy  This kit was purchased for my child's science fair project. We could not get the agar to liquefy completely. We tried both the water-bath and the microwave. Both ways we continued to have large clumps that would not melt. This is the only problem that I have had but we are not finished. I am hoping that the agar still grows something or the project will be a bust! :(  -  Sunday, January 20, 2013 Great for our home school science class Reviewed By: Christine Filipek  This is a great kit for our science class. Everyone was able to do their own cultures and have a great time doing it.  -  Friday, January 04, 2013 Exactly what I needed Reviewed By: Kahuanani  This kit had everything my daughter needed. The instructions were clear and the kit was very user friendly.  -  Monday, December 31, 2012 Mama4life Reviewed By: Lynn  The kit was great for my daughter's project, great explanation of agar storage and use, and easy set up for any microbiology experiments. Thanks again for taking the stress out of science projects!  -  Sunday, December 30, 2012 great! Reviewed By: Jordan  Instructions were very clear and easy to understand. Comes with more than enough nutrient agar so you don't need to worry about running out. Very fun.  -  Tuesday, December 25, 2012 great science project Reviewed By: Helen  Perfect for my 10 year old to do with the easy instructions provided...  -  Thursday, December 20, 2012 Bacteria Kit Reviewed By: Katherine  Great product with good instructions. My daughter was able to do her science fair project will I was able to just watch. I know where to shop for the next project. Also, fast shipping!  -  Thursday, November 29, 2012 Bacteria kit Reviewed By: Angie Tatton  This kit was very helpful. My daughter wanted to do her science fair project on bacteria on door knobs. This kit came with everything we needed except for labels but that was a simple fix. Her bacteria is growing and we couldn't have done it without this kit. The instructions were easy to understand and she could do most of it herself. I will be ordering more cool stuff from here.  -  Sunday, November 18, 2012 Great Kit Reviewed By: Sharon Baloue  This kit is great for growing bacteria. My 12 year old son loves this kit. This kit comes with everything needed, including excellent directions. Highly recommended.  -  Thursday, October 25, 2012 Bacteria Kit Reviewed By: Whitney  It was a great kit. The instructions were clear and concise and the experiment ideas were a nice addition.  -  Monday, August 06, 2012 perfect Reviewed By: Leslie  This kit was a big hit. includes everything you need for a first study on microbiology.  -  Tuesday, February 21, 2012 Interesting Reviewed By: Rachel  Loved this bacteria experiment. It worked great, easy to use and understand. My daughter used it for a Science project. She found bacteria on door knobs, phones, remotes, sinks, books,hands, and even the dogs mouth.  -  Thursday, February 09, 2012 Perfect Reviewed By: Elizabeth  We bought this for my daughter's science fair project. It is a perfect fit for a girl who wants to know how dirty her dog really.  -  Wednesday, February 08, 2012 exciting! Reviewed By: Lori Burrell  Love the kit!! Comes with everything you need. Easy to use. Both my kids love it! Good lesson on germs and were they are and importance of washing hands!  -  Monday, January 30, 2012 Easy to achieve dramatic results with this kit Reviewed By: Laura Foley  I ordered this kit after witnessing my 6-year-old son running a toothpick along a dusty dragon sculpture at a Chinese restaurant then trying to use the same toothpick to spear a bit of food. Luckily, I was able to stop him in time, but I thought this would be a good introduction to a demonstration about bacteria. Our first three petri dishes contained a swab from the outside of our toilet, the inside of our cat's mouth, and some coins. All three samples produced huge bacteria colonies! I like the fact that this is a very grown-up looking kit: very straightforward, no flashy cartoon characters. We look forward to our next experiment!  -  Monday, January 30, 2012 Grand Prize Reviewed By: Justin Bieber Lover  This kit was amazing!! It came with everything I needed to complete my award-winning science fair project! I am in the seventh grade-age 13- and I recomend this product! I am gooing to order some more supplies just for fun.  -  Sunday, January 29, 2012 Convenient All-in-One Kit Reviewed By: Yvonne Griffiths  This kit was very convenient for use in a homeschool coop Biology class. For a good price, it included all I needed to give each student a couple of petri dishes, swabs, etc. to grow their own bacteria cultures. They very much enjoyed showing them to each other the next week!  -  Sunday, January 29, 2012 Easy and educational Reviewed By: Reese  This was exactly what my son needed for his middle school science project. Only issue is that it took "2" tries to get it right because when we heated up the agar to the temperature directed, it wasn't quite hot enough. Therefore we poured lumpy liquid into the dishes. I wish it had said somewhere on the directions that you should also heat it up until it's completely a liquid. (which is what we did the second time). So it worked great the second time.  -  Friday, January 27, 2012 Great Project Kit!!! Reviewed By: Kjm  This is my 2nd time ordering this bacteria kit. It is great-it does include everything you need to grow bacteria!! Very easy for 13yr old to do. Looking forward to another winning project this year!!  -  Monday, December 12, 2011 Very Simple! Reviewed By: Lori C.  I was skeptical about ordering online but the kit was just as described and very simple to use. Just read the instructions and you really can't go wrong!  -  Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Bacteria on the kitchen table Reviewed By: Jenny Bryant  I currently have bacteria growing on my kitchen table and thanks to this handy kit it is delightfully contained in petri dishes!! The bacteria kit was shipped and delivered in a few days and my son (13yo) was able to start his science fair project over the next weekend. He was able to do everything himself using the directions included with the kit. I am one happy mama.  -  Sunday, June 19, 2011 great kit Reviewed By: Tricia  My summer campers had a great time seeing all that they could grow in their petri dishes and what substances had antibacterial effects.  -  Tuesday, April 05, 2011 Great Experiment!!! Reviewed By: KJM  The kit contained everything needed to complete experiment, including instructions. Daughter(12yr) was able to complete herself. Within1-2 days bacteria begin to grow! She placed in Science fair with this project, was very pleased with results.  -  Friday, February 18, 2011 Fun Experiments Reviewed By: Diana Wise  My 15y.o. daughter used this last year with great results. It was easy to use. I supervised, but she was able to do it on her own. We have ordered science supplies from here since she was 4, with consistently great results.  -  Thursday, February 10, 2011 Super learning kit! Reviewed By: Airman  This is one of the best kits ive ever seen when it comes to learning about bacteria!  -  Monday, January 17, 2011 Great Product Reviewed By: KMW  I purchased the bacteria Experiment Kit for my son's science fair project. The kit was delivered quickly and no issues. After reading other customer reviews and suggestions on preparation of the Agar I was very nervous about the dish prep. I followed directions carefully and didn't have any problems melting to a liquid in the microwave. Each time I took the bottle out of the microwave I capped the bottle and swirled the agar to distribute heat evenly then proceeded by un capping and placing back in microwave. We got bacteria to grow within two days. Overall great product and would buy again.  -  Wednesday, December 15, 2010 Great product Reviewed By: Mary  I ordered this kit for my daughter's 8th grade science fair. It was a great kit and included everything she needs to do her experiment.  -  Friday, October 29, 2010 6th Grade Science Project - School Bacteria Reviewed By: Shane Schilling  My daughter's 6th grade science project was, "Where Can You Find Bacteria Around Twin Lakes School?" Using the kit here, her project was a home-run! I photographed her taking samples from 13 different places around her school including restroom,lunchroom (including the refrigerator), classroom, and playground/equipment. She included numbers in close-ups of the locations she swabbed and also numbered the petri dishes. Then she photographed them at 5,9,and 15 days. Her presentation was at 21 days. All the kids in school were talking about the results such as the toilet seat having less bacteria (in types and growth) than the drinking fountain head, or the paper towel dispenser having the most bacteria of the places sampled in the restroom. One kindergarten teacher used the display for a teaching lesson and parents were talking to their kids about the importance of washing their hands and how to get a paper towel out. My daughter was beaming with compliments. So, some tips from our experience: 1) The cultures did not get into full bloom until about day 15, 2) We used an old suitcase for the dark area to keep the bacteria between viewings, 3) We used dry swabs, 4) We used 1 bottle of agar and it went into 13 dishes. By the 21st day, one mold sample had apparently used all the agar up. So, don't skimp on the agar to make it go farther. It would be nice to have some lines on the agar containers to help in pouring out even amounts. 5) Taking the samples at school during lunchtime heightened the other kids interest in seeing the results, 6) The hot water bath took a long time, but even when very hot and apparently melted, the center still had a small clump. Microwaving would have probably ensured that it all melted.  -  Tuesday, March 30, 2010 perfect for projects Reviewed By: Mia Wallace  I purchased this kit a few years ago for my daughters 3rd or 4th grade project, (I can't remember), but I'm about to purchase it again for my son's 4th grade project. He was so interested in his sister growing bacteria, that he really wanted to do this for himself. It's a great project for mom's too, we can actually see what products actually work and which one's are total money wasters! Have fun!  -  Wednesday, February 10, 2010 Super Fun! Reviewed By: Sue Ellen  This was a great kit! We swabbed the fridge, phone, (my son's mouth) and had someone cough in the plate! Results were YUCK, but oh so interesting! We also completed the antibiotic disc test with E. coli. We made slides of the colonies using the gram stain kit! Can't wait to see if my son can identify this bacteria! We will definitely shop here again. HINT: Agar was easiest to prepare in the microwave. NEED: More swabs please. [Home Science Tools adds on 6/7/10: As requested, we've doubled the number of swabs in this kit now, so you'll have one swab per petri dish and can do more experiments!]  -  Friday, January 08, 2010 Awsome! Reviewed By: Sandi Bond  I got this kit for my son for Christmas. He loves it! He loves growing bacteria! I would rate this product a 10 if I could! COOL! I would recommend this kit for scientists of all ages!  -  Wednesday, November 04, 2009 Great project Reviewed By: Patti  Had enought to do all 20 dishes so make sure you have 20 swaps. I would buy again if needed for another child.  -  Wednesday, September 02, 2009 Amazing Reviewed By: Stephanie  this was great. I am a seventh grade student and i used this kit for my science fiar experiment... i won! i barely did any work and i got the highest grade in the class. BUY THIS PRODUCT!  -  Monday, March 02, 2009 Bacteria Experiment Kit Reviewed By: Meghan Whisenand  Wow! This was a fantastic and fun project. The kit made testing all sorts of everyday objects for bacteria a breeze. Contained easy to follow directions and arrived fast. An eye-opener to the importance of good handwashing! Thanks so much  -  Thursday, February 19, 2009 Bacteria Kit Reviewed By: Paula  This was a great kit. It had everything needed included in the kit. I agree, there should be 20 swabs included in this kit as well. My kids had a great time and we went nuts swabing everything. I couldn't believe what was growing on my cell phone, the doorknobs, the toilet, etc! Amazing product and great price. Would definitely recommend. We purchased more swabs so we can do the mouth/mouthwash experiment next :)  -  Friday, February 13, 2009 Bacteria Experiment Kit Reviewed By: Krisha H  I purchased this kit for my daughter (6th Grade) to use for her science fair project. The kit was very easy to use and the directions easy to follow. I liked the fact that she was required to prepare the petri dishes before beginning the experiment. This was a great way to introduce her to the world of science. The kit also contained tips and directions about different ways to grow bacteria.  -  Wednesday, February 04, 2009 Bacteria study kit Reviewed By: Kelly  Great value! My local school supply store was asking $7.95 for 2 petri dishes, agar sold separately. This kit provides everything you need plus instructions for several different experiment ideas. The instruction guide was easy to use. My 7th grade son was able to perform experiments that I did in college. The only negative side is that there are only 10 sterile swabs and 20 petri dishes. We had to buy additional swabs for our experiment. Overall, I would definitely recommend this product.  -  Thursday, January 29, 2009 Bacteria Study Kit Reviewed By: D. Talley  I purchased this kit for my daughter to use in conducting a science fair experiment. The kit contained adequate supplies for the project, but the instructions were a little vague on certain things. Overall, the was an excellent kit for the price.  -  Tuesday, January 27, 2009 Great for Science Fair Projects Reviewed By: S. Dropping  We ordered this kit for our 5th Grade Science Fair project. We grew bacteria from both home and school (washing machine, restroom, keyboard, front door) for our experiment. Never having grown bacteria before, we just followed the instructions that were included in package. It was very simple and we had glorious results, growing all kinds of hairy, green/black/clear colonies. A must to purchase for your experiments. The cost was reasonable too.  -  Saturday, March 15, 2008 Good for a group   This is a good kit when you have a group of students. (Otherwise, the price may be prohibitive.) I recommend reading the instructions carefully before determining what you'll do with the kids. The previous reviewer makes some great points.  -  Tuesday, February 05, 2008 Bacteria Study Kit   This is a very good home science product. My two eleven year old boys were kept busy and interested, learning about agar and petri dishes and the best environment for growing microorganisms. I liked it because the boys were able to independently set up the experiments and evaluate the results. The bacteria does take several days to grow, so if you are looking for a activity to complete in one day, this is not a good choice. Otherwise, in addition to learning about growing microorganisnms, it indicates where germs are most abundant around the house.  -  Tuesday, February 05, 2008 Overall, a very good kit   I agree with the previous positive reviews of this kit. My following comments will be more negative, but they are MINOR; I'm mentioning them because they were not mentioned in the previous reviews. But my overall assessment of this kit is definitely positive, and, if I were going to do a group demonstration, I would purchase this kit again. One thing that I would modify is part of the instructions. It would be nice to have more details about how much iodine, for example, to put on each square of blotter paper, or, if certain substances in the blotter paper sqaures should get separate petri dishes of their own. Example: When we used the blotter paper and iodine, the iodine diffused out of the blotter paper and into the nutrient agar, which was expected. However, it diffused so far out that it killed almost everything else on the plate (petri dish). In other words, we couldn't tell how effective some of the other substances in other blotter squares on the same plate were, because the iodine wiped out almost everything. The same was true of the bleach, although less so. This problem could also be avoided by the use of divided petri dishes and putting one blotter square into each section. I ended up doing this when I redid the experiment. More discussion in the instructions would also help, although I realize that the objective of this kit does not include functioning as a lab manual. For example, rubbing alcohol (70%) did not inhibit growth as much as we expected, but we don't know if that's because it was relatively ineffective as an antimicrobial or (more likely) if because of its high volatility it simply evaporated too quickly and became ineffective over the three days that we allowed the bacteria to grow at room temperature. The other minor negative comment I have about the kit is the price. For a co-op demonstration, this is affordable, but the price could put it out of the range of many homeschoolers who might want to do this lab for only on  -  Saturday, December 15, 2007 Bacteria Study Kit Reviewed By: Virgil Gibbs  I used this kit for the Science Class I teach at the Co-op. This was a fantastic kit and the students really enjoyed culturing different specimens. We watched the cultures grow for a few weeks and it made firm handwashers out of the students!  -  Thursday, January 25, 2007 Bacteria study kit   This was a very good kit. My initial concern was that there would not be enough agar to fill the dishes. However, after preparing the dishes with a very thin layer (thats all you really need) there was enough to fill some of our own test tubes and do some stabs and still have some left. This is an excellent intro to general as well as microbiology with or without a microscope though with a microscope a great deal more is possible. In both high school and college microbiology this was the very first project we did, with good reason, and it was the first I did with my homeschool daughters. It is also a very good project with which to introduce children to scientific method as it allows you to not only follow each step in the method but also an opportunity to set up and conduct experiments from start(including preparation of the media)to finish. There are two suggestions that I will make very strongly. First, without an incubator your cultures will take a long time to grow and if you are unfamiliar with culture prep and care you might be inclined to give up on it too soon.With a bit of creativity we were able to explore various ways to incubate the cultures and compare with non incubated cultures, etc. Second, be sure to prepare the agar properly or you will get a rough bubbly surface rather than a smooth one. Forgive my long windedness but microbiology was one of my favorite subjects and this simple kit provides so much for so little cost and time and with some creativity you will never run out of things to do. But also remember that with a project like this you need to use good sanitary practice beyond universal precautions and common sense and when finished dispose of it properly. George Fear  -  Thursday, January 04, 2007 bacteria kit Reviewed By: Gary Blaney  it was fun and helped me understand more about bacteria (and now i wash my hands more)