Now that I'm nomail, it seems I have more posts...go figure.  Anyway, my
10 year-old, fourth grade daughter is requesting some of your collective
wisdom.  It's science experiment time again, and she'd like to do a
breastfeeding/breastmilk related experiment (okay, there was a small
suggestion from me).  Anyway, to make it understandable, she has
developed a practical scenario that fourth graders can "relate" to:
three different babies are going to a shopping mall to spend a long day
with their parents/caregivers doing holiday shopping.  My daughter would
like to culture the fluids fed to each of the babies during the time they
are out.  Baby number 1 is a breastfed baby at the mall with his/her mom.
 Therefore, the fluid to be cultured is freshly expressed breastmilk.
Baby 2 is out with the caregiver, and receives previously frozen
breastmilk in a bottle.  Baby 3 is with her parents, and receives formula
that was mixed up at home, and brought to the mall.  These hypothetical
babies will need to eat approximately 2 1/2 hours after reaching the
mall, and again 3 hours later (none of the babies are newborn).  My
daughter has come up with 7 fluids to be cultured: one of freshly
expressed milk, one of previously expressed breastmilk thawed for 2 1/
hours, another after 5 1/2 hours (the first 2 1/ hours plus the next 3
hours), and a third that has milk left after drinking from the bottle
after the initial 2 1/ hours, and left to be fed after the 3 hours
period.  Then, she will culture formula based on the same time schedule.
So, my questions are...does this sound like independent variables have
been controlled for?  Do you have any simple suggestions to modify
(improve) this design?  And, most importantly, is there anyone in the
Southern NJ area who has access to a lab where these fluids can be
cultured and later read?  Also, a source of breastmilk is needed, but I
could probably find someone.
Thank you for reading this post...any and all help is appreciated.  If
you have ideas, please email me privately, as I'm nomail, until I catch
up on my digests (they do build up).
Lee-Ann