Build a vaccine
This is an activity in which children learn about types of vaccines and have a go at making one using jelly beans. It is suitable for ages 7 and above. It is designed to be run in a science fair or classroom environment.
Materials
- Syringes, petri dishes, and tweezers
- Jelly beans
- Wet wipes
- Information sheets/posters
- Vaccine certificates.
Setting up
- Put the jelly beans in the petri dishes
- Lay the information sheets visibly across the table
- Put the poster on a poster board.
Running the activity
- Start by asking the children what they know about vaccines – what are they, what are they for, what types exist?
- Explain at an appropriate level what vaccines are, and mention some diseases they offer protection against
- Explain that vaccines not all vaccines are the same. They can be live-attenuated, inactivated, or subunit/conjugate. Refer to the information sheets and poster for more details
- Let the child choose the type of vaccine they want to make, and hand them a syringe and a pair of tweezers
- The children can follow the instructions for a specific vaccine (for example rotavirus), or make their own. When the child is done, write the type of vaccine they made and the disease it protects against on a certificate for the child to take home, along with the vaccine itself.
Top tips
- Avoid making a mess by letting the children pick jellybeans, one at a time, with tweezers from the petri dishes
- The children can follow the instructions to make a specific vaccine, or make their own vaccine to protect against a disease of their choosing.
