The Great Science Licking Challenge is an annual event in which participants, much like the kids in the old “triple dog dare you” schoolyard game, are dared to lick various objects that they would usually never consider licking. Some of these include tinfoil, a can of Lysol cleaner and even cow dung. The most recent year’s winner was a man from Tennessee who licked his own elbow with no ill effects!
who won last year’s event? (Who might have been daring enough to participate in this contest?) It was an American man from Tennessee! (Why did he win?) He licked his own elbow without any problems at all! (How many people participated in the competition last year?) There were nearly 100 participants!
The Great Science Licking Challenge is a competition where participants put their best licking skills to the test. After a short training session, they must lick as many items as possible within five minutes. The winner of this event will be determined by who licks the most and fastest without running out of saliva or spilling anything on themselves. This contest will take place at the National Science Fair in Washington D.C., where science students from all over are gathering for four days of hands-on learning and fun!
The Great Science Licking Challenge is a scientific tongue twister that challenges players to see how much they can lick within a set time limit– without licking their elbows!– and rank according to speed and accuracy. Players should read our blog post about it before coming so they can be prepared!
This contest will take place at the National Science Fair in Washington D.C., where science students from all over are gathering for four days of hands-on learning and fun!. The winner of this event will be determined by who licks the most and fastest without running out of saliva or spilling anything on themselves. This is an opportunity not only for some healthy competition, but also just because we think everyone would enjoy playing with their tongues.
How to Play: the rules are pretty simple, but can be read in detail on our blog post about it here:
The player starts by licking a white line drawn across their body from one shoulder to the other—that’s one lick!
If they want to lick again, they have to cross their chest with another straight vertical and horizontal line of saliva. That’s two licks! Can you do three? Four? Five?! And so forth until there is no more space left or time runs out.
Each different part that is crossed counts as a new “lick point” (left arm = first point, right arm=second point…etc).
In the Great Science Licking Challenge, we take two kids from wildly different backgrounds and have them lick as many items as they can. They are then tested for bacteria on their tongues to see who has the dirtiest tongue of all. It’s a great way to find out how your mouth is doing and also learn about some interesting facts in science!
The kids are given five minutes to lick as many items in their room, or house if they can’t go outside, and then we collect the bacteria on their tongue swabs. Then the scientist looks at which areas of the body have been licked from left arm (point one) to right foot (point twelve).
The science team is always looking for new ways that people can show off how good a cleaner you are! Why not start your own Great Science Licking Challenge? You don’t need any materials…just some friends who want to get competitive and see who has the dirtiest mouth!
Lickable Items: Some things you might find around your home include dried fruit snacks, ice cream cones , and popsicles.
If you can’t lick your entire body, try licking the following parts of it- right arm (point one), left arm (point two), chest/stomach area (point three), right foot ( point four) or left foot (point five). We recommend that both feet be licked so we get a good idea of bacterial diversity in your home!
When you’re finished, take a photo of the licked items and post it with your best caption on our Facebook page! No one will know who won unless they tell us or if we can guess based off of their caption. The winner gets to pick from a basket full of goodies in my lab for their prize!
Bring friends over for some fun science projects while licking away- there’s no way that this could backfire at all.
Winner Announced: After contest ends/ When everyone finishes licking things up. Must be 18+ years old. Entrants must have an account on Facebook account to enter competition.
