Healthy Habits Start Here: Teaching Kids About Microbes Through Creativity
Did you know that more than 2.7 million germs can live on just one square inch of common school surfaces—like water fountains, desks, keyboards, bus seats, and cafeteria trays? With the holiday season approaching, staying healthy is top of mind for educators and families alike.
At GIANT, we believe that helping children stay healthy starts with teaching them about microbes—both the good and the bad—and making these invisible organisms part of their everyday awareness. When children understand what microbes are and where they live, they’re more likely to adopt positive hygiene habits like handwashing, trimming nails, and covering coughs and sneezes. Healthier kids mean fewer school absences, happier holidays for families, and a win for everyone.
What’s a more fun way to learn about germs than becoming a “microbiologist” for a day? That’s exactly what students do in the Lysol® Science Minilabs program - a free, yearlong, hands-on science and health curriculum created by The GIANT Room in partnership with Lysol®. The program includes classroom lessons and rich take-home resources for families.
Students begin by learning what microbes are, the many forms they take, where they live, and how they enter the body. They then meet a real microbiologist who invites them to imagine what microbes they might find in their school - and to create Microbe ID Cards for their discoveries.
So what do first and second graders “discover”?
Charlie, a second grader from NYC, imagined a good microbe that helps his non-vocal uncle speak.
Adrian designed a bad virus found in trash cans with the power to make people sick.
Cori invented a good rainbow microbe that lives in the air and cleans it.
These are only a few of the thousands of cards created by students in the more than 15,000 classrooms that have participated in the program. Their creations demonstrate a deep understanding of concepts such as good and bad microbes, microbial 'powers,' and the ways hygiene habits can boost or bust them.
Using the GIANT Remix app, we transform these student-designed Microbe ID Cards into collectible trading cards that kids can play with, trade, and share with friends and family. Each digital card includes the child’s original drawing, an AI-generated microbe avatar, where the microbe lives, and its special power.
Flip through the epic deck of Microbe ID Cards created by students in Kirsten White’s class at Lagos Elementary School in Manor, Texas, and published through the GIANT Remix app.
Her students’ creativity, curiosity, and scientific understanding shine through every card. Even more exciting: teachers report improved hygiene habits, with students actively reminding one another to wash hands and cover their mouths when they sneeze.
If you’re an educator interested in bringing the free Lysol® Science Minilabs program to your classroom, explore lesson plans, slides, videos, printables, and professional development webinar recordings here. You can also RSVP for our upcoming webinar.
Through The GIANT Remix program, you can add hands-on creativity to any lesson and publish your students’ work—boosting engagement, agency, and classroom participation. Email studio@thegiantroom.com for early access.
For parents looking to help children learn about microbes and build healthy habits at home, check out free parent resources on the Lysol website, including this fun comic video that introduces children to microbes, deck of Microbe ID cards featuring real microbes, and this other comic that invites children to create their own microbe ID cards. Watch the videos, download and print free templates, and engage in this fun hand-on science activity at home! check out free parent resources on the Lysol website, including comic videos, real Microbe ID cards, and printable templates for creating your own.
What microbe will YOU discover? Create your own Microbe ID Card and share it with us!
Other featured GIANT Remixes:
