Blob Party Kit - For Group Events, Teachers, and Kids Parties

Our "per person" blob party kit provides the full blob growing experience at an affordable price for group events and parties. This kit allows each person to grow their own blob on agar in a small sample cup. Allow everyone to join in the fun! Everything you need is included.

Included Blob Tools and Items

• 1 Set Tweezers
• 1 Pipette
• Blob Culture Per Person
• Sample Cup Per Person with Lid
• Enough Blob Food for All People
• Enough Agar for All People
• Complete Instructions

How To Do The Experiment

Start by creating agar for the students. This can be done inside or outside the classroom beforehand, depending on your needs.  Using a small saucepan, mix agar with the amount of water specified on the agar bag when you receive it. Heat on high until it begins to boil for 10 seconds, then  remove from heat. Let cool for 3 mins. Pour a small amount of liquid agar medium into the bottom of each cup and place the lid on. The depth should be between 3mm and 5mm per cup. Let the agar set by leaving it at room temp for 15 mins. After cooling, have each student use the tweezers to place their culture in the center of the cup. Also, have them add one drop of water directly on top of the newly placed culture paper in the cup. Place the lids back on the cups, and store them between 60F-90F for 24 hours. Come back the next day to review the initial results, you should see some growth off the paper. The blobs can be further cultivated by adding a couple flakes of oats to each cup daily. Try to place the oats near the edge, or on top of the blob. If you place it too far away, it may become contaminated before the blob reaches it. Be sure to have the students measure the growth distance from the paper, and document the growth each day. After the experiment, place blobs in the freezer for 24 hours before disposing.

Physarum Polycephalum Scientific Summary

Acellular slime molds or myxomycetes popularly known as "Blobs". A protist with diverse cellular forms and broad geographic distribution. The “acellular” moniker derives from the plasmodial stage of the life cycle: the plasmodium is a macroscopic multinucleate coenocyte shaped in a network of interlaced tubes. This stage of the life cycle, along with its preference for damp shady habitats, likely contributed to the original mischaracterization of the organism as a fungus.