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Cub Scout Adventures > 
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 Germs Alive! > 
Moldy Meals Mystery
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Wolf – 2nd Grade
Germs Alive!
Elective
Requirement 5

Moldy Meals Mystery

Wolf – 2nd Grade
Germs Alive!
Elective
Requirement 5

Moldy Meals Mystery

Snapshot of Activity

Cub Scouts learn which foods are more susceptible to growing mold. 

Indoor
3
3
2
If you want to know more about The Adventure Activity Key click here.
  • Banana, one for five Cub Scouts 
  • Small piece of bread, one for each Cub Scout 
  • Small paper plates (one for each Cub Scout and they should be able to fit into a sandwich bag)  
  • Small pieces of cheese, one piece for each Cub Scout 
  • Sandwich bags, one for each Cub Scout 
  • Rubber gloves  
  • Permanent marker, one for each two Cub Scouts 
  • Plastic cup with water, one for each two Cub Scouts 
  • Moldy Meals Mystery observation sheet found in Additional Resources 
  • Printer  
  • Water, hand soap and hand towel 

Before the meeting: 

  1. Print Moldy Meals Mystery observation sheet, one for each Cub Scout. 
  2. Cut small pieces of cheese for each Cub Scout. 
  3. Cut slices of bread into small pieces. 
  4. Cut peeled bananas into small pieces. 
  5. Put a plate and sandwich bag at each place where a Cub Scout will sit.
  6. Set up handwashing station.
  7. Prepare meeting space for experiment.  

During the meeting: 

  1. Gather the Cub Scouts and inform them that germs are alive.  Like all living things germs need to eat.  Some germs are bacteria or fungi that eat the same food you and I do.  If we don’t properly store food or let it sit out bacteria or fungi will get on it and start to eat it and will get so big you can see them without a microscope. 
  2. Instruct Cub Scouts to write DO NOT EAT on their sandwich bag with the permanent marker. 
  3. Ask Cub Scouts to place one piece of banana, one piece of bread and one piece of cheese onto their paper plate. 
  4. Instruct Cub Scouts to lightly sprinkle each food with water.  
  5. Ask Cub Scouts to carefully place their plate into their sandwich bag. 
  6. Encourage Cub Scouts to leave a small opening to let some air in.  
  7. Ask Cub Scouts to observe the three foods daily. Which food grew mold faster? Tell them to write down their findings for a week. If they can, have them take pictures to share with the den.  
  8. Wash hands. 

Safety: Tell Cub Scouts to wear rubber gloves to dispose of the food and paper plates after one week. Tell them to have an adult help them clean the area. Remind Cub Scouts to wash their hands with soap and water.  

Additional Resources

Moldy Meals Mystery observation sheet

Other Activities Options

You can choose other activities of your choice.

Wolf – 2nd Grade

Germy Bread Investigation

Indoor
3
2
2

Cub Scouts learn about the importance of hand hygiene and the spread of germs by conducting a hands-on bread mold experiment. 

See Details

Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.