Theresa's Mixed Nuts: Green Bags Science Fair Project

Friday, January 31, 2014

Green Bags Science Fair Project

I have a confession. I tried to get out of Allison doing the science fair this year. I hate them. When my kids come in and ask for help, it always takes me back to my school days where I never did well on my projects. Plus it always seems that the parents do the majority of the work for their kids, so the voting seems a little "off" in my opinion. When my kids come home and say "What are we gonna do this year?" I groan under my breath and start plotting how to get out of it. This year it was mandatory. Allison had grand dreams of building a robot. I know my child. She can get lazy at times. Building a robot is a little too ambitious for her. I looked around the house trying to find something simple for her to do. I came across some of those green food storage bags that are supposed to make your food stay fresher longer. I've had them for a while, I just never used them. Thus, the project was born. We bought 10 different fruits and veggies, and for 12 days, Allison had to compare the food in the bag against the ones left out. By day 5 she was already complaining about having to record her observations, so imagine how well that robot build would have went over!

All of the work paid off though. She scored 2nd place at the science fair last night:


So, how well do those bags work? All of the food was left on the counter at room temperature. The food on the right was all stored in the green bags.

Day 1:


Day 4:




Day 8:




Day 12:




We found that they do work on most food, but the raspberries in the bag molded by the 4th day, and the pepper started to go mushy by then as well. Everything else seemed to still be in great, edible condition by day 12.

Have you used these green food storage bags?

51 comments:

  1. Thanks for the idea, that I am probably stealing for my son's science fair project in May!! LOL. Second place is awesome!

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  2. I didn't know these bags existed lol! Nice work!

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  3. I was interested in the outcome of this one! Woo hoo to your daughter!! Big congrats to her on the 2nd place win!!

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  4. Wow they can really save some food, good for when you have a ton to eat and you can't

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  5. the raspberries probably molded because of moisture.

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  6. Interesting to see how those storage bags work. Science was never a good subject for me in school (or even now) so my kids know not to come to me for help. Congrats to your daughter on 2nd place!

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  7. Yes, it is good to encourage Children to participate in Science projects from their young age.

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  8. I have these bags too and hardly ever use them. Seeing proof may just inspire me to get off my lazy duff and rebag them! Congrats to Allison on a great job!

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  9. Congrats to her 2nd place, neat experiment to

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  10. Way to go, girl...lovely experiment and congrats on the 2nd place!...very useful for mommies :D..cheers..

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  11. I haven't. Where do you get the bags?

    That's great she got 2nd place! Mica got 2nd place last year, and didn't even tell us. We found out in the end of school papers.

    We were just talking about Science Fair Projects. I was trying to convince one of the boys to make a terrarium. I love them, but have never made one myself. No one wants to make one. We're still undecided.

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    1. Alissa- I got the generic brand free after rebate at Menards. I don't think they have a Menards in Nebraska, but you can find the Debby Meyer green bags on Amazon, I believe.

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  12. Well it may not be as glamorous as a robot, but it was really useful! I think it's the best idea I've heard for a science fair project. I will have to get some of those bags. :)

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  13. I've never used them before, but they obviously lengthen the freshness of many foods. I may get a few because of that!

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    1. Aagreed - your daughter's science project has definitely encouraged us to check these out. I hate throwing out veggies and fruits

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  14. They really seem to work well-maybe I can actually buy fresh produce and not have to throw it out after a day or so. (being single has its disadvantages)--Congratulations on the 2nd place win!

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  15. That is a great idea for a project and congrats on 2nd place.its amazing how much fresher the ones in the bags really are.

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  16. Yay on second place!
    Plus thanks for the education. This will save money for us be cause we throw out a lot of spoiled food

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  17. What a huge difference. I am getting some of these bags for myself. It will also help keep the fruit flies out of my house from over ripe fruits and vegetables

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  18. What a great idea for a science fair project. I once did a science fair project about mold growth. Let's just say it was a moldy situation!

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  19. Actually I have used the green bags and they work amazing! I haven't been able to find them in my local store for a while and I'm really sad. I loved them! Congrats on her 2nd place in the science fair. That is awesome!

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  20. I've never used the green bags but it's good to know they work!

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  21. Very interesting! I have never used these green bags

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  22. Wow that is amazing what a difference it makes I don't think I would have believed it if you hadn't posted the pictures :) x

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  23. Wow, ok I'm getting the bags. I've always been leery of them honestly but with four kids and a veggie garden I need to keep what I can as fresh as possible!

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  24. Congrats on the win. I haven't tried the green bags but you really sold me on them.

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  25. I have never used green bags. This is really cool and good for her!

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  26. You sound a lot like me. I'm always wanting to get out of doing science projects because I sucked at doing them when I was younger. That green bag experiment turned out great though. I've never used them myself but I sure do see the difference. Congrats to your daughter as well for her 2nd place win.

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  27. haven't tried - but this is so handy! I mean - we could definitely use them and make it (the greens and fruits) last longer!

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  28. Very interesting experiment. Gotta love those science projects

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  29. Love the idea for the science project. Really like that I can get those bags and waste less food!

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  30. What a great project idea. As an educator, I love to see kids engaged in learning.

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  31. Wow, great project! Congrats on the 2nd prize also. I hated my schools' science fair as well.. the rich kids would bring these super fancy sculptured things their parents would pay to have made. One guy had fake lungs made and they would mechanically breath in and out..

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  32. The science fair - I used to get so anxious as a kid when that time of year rolled around. Thankfully, my kids did not get that from me and come up with some pretty neat experiments on their own.

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  33. I dont use the green storage bags but I'm thinking maybe I need to! I think it important for kids to do their projects by themselves.. Good job helping her pick out something that isn't too hard and she could stick with it! More parents should do what you have done!

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  34. What a great experiment! My daughter recently had a science experiment to do and it was pretty torturous. I think projects can be hard on parents. I so need these bags! I waste so much fruit and veggies because they go bad.

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  35. what a cool science project and she even proved the bags worked so we know we aren't wasting money

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  36. This is great and I love the fact that it proved the bags work. I need those!

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  37. That's amazing! Great science project! And no, I haven't used green bags, but now I need some!

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  38. Wow, those are awesome! I need to get me some green bags. I eat a lot of bananas.

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  39. I do not use green storage bags, nothing survives here that long and consumed right away. Congrats on second place, I only imagine science fair for my kiddo.

    Fan R @TeddyOutReady

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  40. Yay congrats to you,,,i mean, your daughter lol for winning 2nd place! This was a fun little project I may use that when the time comes for my son to have science fair project!! =)

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  41. WOW.. this sure is an awesome experiment...never used the green bags but totally need to check them out now./..thanks for sharing will save me a lot of money

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  42. I've never used those green bags but I certainly want to give them a try now. But wow, way to go Allison!

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  43. A very interesting experiment!

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  44. First of all congratulations on being placed 2nd
    Now about the green bag, is it something special? To me it looks like a plastic bag. But the food items looks fresher on the right side.

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    1. Yes, these are special bags designed to keep foods fresher. Here is some from Amazon, but they do have generic versions that work just as well. http://www.amazon.com/Debbie-Meyer-Green-Bags-Pack/dp/B0011TMP3Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392085734&sr=8-1&keywords=green+bags

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  45. Hi. How did your daughter determine the "degree" of decay? My daughter is doing a similar experiment with fruit, but her teacher said that she needs a scale or some consistent way to determine the degree of decay. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

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    1. My daughter's teacher didn't ask her to determine a degree of decay. I guess the written observations and photo evidence was proof enough. I really wouldn't even know how to go about determining beyond that. Maybe do the project twice and see how the first set of fruits (in and out of bag) compare to the second round to see if the decay is consistent. Good luck!

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