Happy Monday my friends, and welcome to Germs that Sparkle… a fun lesson in health!  I know it’s been a little while since my last post, but the sunshine was calling and I just couldn’t bring myself to sit down and adult!  So, I decided a little break would do my soul some good, but now I’m back.  Rocking Motherhood Mondays are educational lessons for little ones that can be taught at home or in the classroom.

Since a new school year is upon us, I decided it is the perfect time to do a fun little lesson about germs and the importance of washing our hands.  In this lesson, I will demonstrate how germs are spread and how to properly wash our hands to make sure we don’t have germs on them.  I realize some of these items might seem a little icky to do a lesson about, but I promise it’s fun.

Supplies you will need to Complete the Germs that Sparkle Lesson:

• Glitter
• Hand Sanitizer
• 2 Small Containers
• Water
• Hand Soap
• Hand Towel
• Kleenex

Project Setup

Fill each container with warm water and put them about six inches apart.  Place the hand soap next to the first container of warm water and then put the hand towel on the side of the other container.  You now have a hand washing station ready to use!

Germs that Sparkle… the Lesson

You will want to begin the lesson by talking to the child about germs.  Discuss what germs are and what they do to our bodies.  You will also want to talk about how germs are transferred/shared with others (coughing, sneezing, using the restroom, etc.).  CAUTION:  please be aware of the age group you are working with… you do not want to scare anyone!  If you are working with young children, keep it simple.  If you are working with older children able to comprehend the topic better, go more in-depth.

Now it’s time to get hands-on!  Have the child stand up and have them fake sneeze into their hands.  Then take the sanitizer and put a quarter-sized drop in the child’s hand.  Now put a pinch of glitter right on top of the hand sanitizer.  Explain to the child that the glitter represents “germs” from when they sneezed.  Next, have them rub the glitter and hand sanitizer all over their hands.

At this point, have the child shake hands with you or rub their hands on yours.  Show them that the germs have transferred to your hands as well.  If you’re brave, you can have them wipe their hands on a counter or something else that shows the spread.  Again, this is a great opportunity to explain and demonstrate how germs spread by having the child touch things or people before washing their hands.  They will be able to see the glitter that represents germs that we cannot see.

Now ask how we can prevent spreading germs.  Allow time for the child to give suggestions. This is an opportunity to discuss using a Kleenex or coughing/sneezing into your arm as well as the importance of washing our hands to prevent spreading germs.

Explain and demonstrate how to wash your hands using the steps below from the Centers for Disease Control:

1. Wet hands with clean water
2. Apply hand soap
3. Scrub entire hand (front, back, between fingers, under nails) for a minimum of twenty seconds. I recommend having the child sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or some other song that will give the time needed to properly wash hands.
4. Rinse hands thoroughly in clean running water.
5. Dry your hands with a clean towel or allow them to air dry.

Now have them head over to the hand washing station to practice washing the “germs” off their hands.

We had such a great time with this lesson.  I feel it really drives home the idea of germs and how they are spread, as well as the importance and how to properly wash your hands.  I would love to hear how this lesson went for you, so please feel free to comment below.  Happy Monday!

Cheers,
Lisa