Why Do Things Get Smelly? (Experiments at Home)
From Operation Ouch! · 2018
13 min3rd4th5th6thScience
Summary
A full "Experiments at Home" Operation Ouch episode. The doctors investigate why food, bodies and bins get smelly -- and the tiny microbes behind those powerful pongs -- with try-at-home science. Free on the official Operation Ouch YouTube channel.
Viewer safety
Ages 7+
Some gross-but-friendly body science (real footage) -- a quick preview is wise.
Common Sense Media — not yet ratedIMDb Parents Guide — not yet rated
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Bad smells aren't random -- there's real science (and tiny microbes) behind every pong.
- What causes things to start smelling bad?
- Which sense are we using to detect a smell?
- Why might a smell warn us that food has gone off?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: smell, microbe, decay, sense, rotten.
Try it: Smell-test two safe items and rank them 1-5 for pong. Guess why one smells stronger.