Blood Tests: Exploring Our Incredible Blood

Wondering what doctors are looking for when they order a blood test, or why so many blood tests are required? Where does the blood go to be tested, and what do they do with it?

Designed for children and teens ages 10 to 15, Blood Tests: Exploring Our Incredible Blood is an interactive online program designed to introduce users to the fascinating facts that can be learned from a single blood test.

The program has three sections:

• Lab
  • CBC-Complete Blood Count: A CBC is one of the most common types of blood tests and usually requires less than a half teaspoon of blood.  Users can find out how the blood is prepared for analysis at the lab, and what the blood reveals about a person’s health.
  • Virtual Microscope: Users can click and drag slides showing leukemia, anemia, bone marrow, white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets and view them under the microscope.
  • Blood Chemistries: Blood chemistries test the levels of chemicals in blood. Users learn that blood chemistry is analyzed in a machine because the chemicals in blood cannot be seen under a microscope, and are able to click and drag a test tube to place it in the machine, or click on different words to learn more about the various chemicals.
  • Blood Culture and Typing: A blood culture is a way of testing for an infection in the blood. A small sample is given to the lab to observe and see if anything grows on the blood sample, just like mold grows on old food in the refrigerator. Users can view a normal blood sample and an infected blood sample. Blood Types are based on substances found on the surface of red blood cells.  There are four different blood types: A, B, AB, and O.  Users can check out the breakdown of the blood types of people in the U.S.  Users can also move the cursor onto the different blood types to see which are compatible.
• Glossary 
  • Users can move the cursor over common blood-related terms to see their definition.
• Knowledge Quiz
  • Here users choose a quiz to test their blood knowledge.

Play Now | Research | Medical Advisory Team 

To learn more about this program, email your question to info@starlight.org.