Scientific discoveries like penicillin raise important ethical questions. In this discussion-based activity, students will explore dilemmas surrounding antibiotic access, overuse, and medical equity by participating in a classroom debate.

While penicillin was a miracle drug in its time, many bacteria have since developed resistance to antibiotics. In this advanced project, students will investigate the causes and consequences of antibiotic resistance and create an educational poster to raise awareness.

Doctors use case files to understand how infections spread and how to treat them. In this detective-themed activity, children research real bacterial illnesses and pretend to be medical investigators solving a mystery.

Gratitude can be a powerful form of reflection. In this writing activity, students imagine they are living today and have just learned about Alexander Fleming’s discovery. What would they want to say to him?

Penicillin’s story did not end with Fleming. Scientists like Florey and Chain turned his discovery into a life-saving medicine used during World War II. This activity helps children sequence key moments in penicillin’s history and visualize the impact of medical science over time.

Fleming’s breakthrough was not planned—it was a fortunate accident! Many famous inventions began the same way. This activity helps students research and reflect on how mistakes can lead to great discoveries.

In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to discover that mold had killed bacteria in one of his Petri dishes. This accidental observation led to the discovery of penicillin. In this hands-on activity, children explore how certain substances can prevent bacterial growth. By safely simulating a Petri dish using gelatin and common materials, students learn how antibiotics work and why Fleming’s discovery was so important to medicine.

Fleming’s discovery of penicillin began with a messy lab and a forgotten experiment. In this creative activity, children turn the true story of penicillin into a comic strip that blends science and storytelling.