In this Remarkable Idea, students learn about things they can do to stay healthy and stop spreading germs.
This activity addresses:
- Social skills
- Personal hygiene
- Cause and Effect
- Alternative methods of access
What you need:
- Step-by-Step
- Grass frosting decorating tip
- Pastry bag
- Frosting (various colors)
- Vanilla Wafers
Preparation:
1. Record answers for discussion, such as: Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze preferably with your elbow or shoulder, cover your mouth when you cough, keep things out of your mouth that don’t belong there, don’t eat things off of the floor, table, etc. to the Step-by-Step.
2. Record steps of “proper hand washing” to the Step-by-Step .
3. Find pictures/take pictures to match the steps of proper hand washing.
What to do:
1. Begin by introducing your vocabulary word “germs”.
2. Ask your students if they can think of some things that we can do to prevent germs from spreading. Students can use the <Step-by-Step to get involved in the conversation.
Proper Hand Washing
1. Use the Step-by-Step to help students remember the process and a timer for the 20-seconds.
2. Get your hands wet with clean running water from the sink
3. Apply soap
4. Rub you hands together to make bubbles. Make sure to get the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your fingernails.
5. Wash for at least 20-seconds.
6. Dry your hands using a clean towel or hand dryer.
Ingesting Germs
1. Now that the students know a little about preventing the spread of germs, they get the chance to ingest them.
2. On the Step-by-Step, record the colors of the frosting you have.
3. Students press the Step-by-Step, and then decorate their Vanilla Wafer(s) to make their own “germs”. The grass tip will give the appearance of a hairy germ; don’t forget to add the eyes! How many eyes the germs have is up to you.
Vocabulary:
1. Germs: a microorganism, or something that is so small you cannot see it without a microscope that can cause you to become sick.
Additional suggestions:
These clips from MythBusters show how easy it is to spread germs (warning: each video is preceded by a 30-second advertisement.)
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/slow-motion-sneezes/
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/flu-fiction-minimyth/