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Germs, Germs, Germs - An interactive guide for children and hand washing

Ranked #220 in Parenting & Kids, #8,188 overall

Wash, Wash, Wash your hands till there good and clean.

Wash the bottoms and the tops, and the fingers in between.  Your child may sing a song while washing hands, this helps children wash for the recommended 20 seconds.  Hand washing is the single most effective way to reduce the spread of infection. Germs, Germs, Germs Everywhere is an interactive guide that can be use for both parents and child care providers to help toddlers and preschoolers understand germs and the importance of hand washing.

Start your talk about germs with a great poem.

Don't forget to give it a creapy low voice. It will really catch their attention.

Germs, Germs everywhere
Even on your teddy bear
Germs, Germs everywhere
Even where you can't stare
Germs, Germs in our hair
But even when they're out of
sight, they're are so many ways
for us to fight...Germs

A Fun Demonstration on how a Cough or Sneeze Spreads.

Take a hand full of pompom. At the end of the germ poem pretend to sneeze or cough bring the handful of pompoms up close to your mouth. Then toss the pompoms lightly from your hand. These fun little pompoms spread out just like the germs from a sneeze or cough. A great demonstration on why we need to cover our mouth when we cough or sneeze.

How does a Germ Travel?

Great Song and Video From Sid the Science Kid

This is great introduction for hand washing and just a great movement activity.
SID THE SCIENCE KID | "The Journey of a Germ" | PBS KIDS
by PBS | video info

43 ratings | 267,881 views
curated content from YouTube

“Ask your child...
Where do we find germs?
What does a germ look like?
What can germs do to us?”

A Book is a Great Learning Tool.

Check out these books about germs.

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A Great Activity for Children

Clean it....

If you do not want to use dirt. Here is a great alternative that will still enforce the importance that you need more than water to get rid of germs. You can use cooking oil with a little bit of cinnamon to represent the invisible germs. Dab a little on your child's hands and have them rub it on their hands like lotion. When they are done, as them to notice how slippery their hands are. Now off to the sink, first have your child just put their hands underneath the water. Have them notice if their hand are still slippery and if there are still flecks (cinnamon) of germs on their hands. Now have your child wash with soap, tell them to be sure and make bubbles, rinse and dry. Ask your child now, how their hands feel. This is a great activity to get those reluctant and quick hand washers to do a better job.
SID THE SCIENCE KID | "Clean It Up!" | PBS KIDS
by PBS | video info

78 ratings | 390,216 views
curated content from YouTube

“Ask your child what are some enemies of germs?
Tell them the two words germs fear - Soap and Water”

Handwashing, Handwashing, Handwashing

A great way to fight germs...show your child how with these books

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What Are Germs?

Need more information or activities, check out these links below.

KidsHealth
You know they can hurt you, but what are these invisible creatures? Find out in this article for kids.
Good to Share
A great site for information about the flu. Has a section on activities and video's for children, starring our favorite Elmo.
Henry the Hand, Champion Hand Washer
This site has some great video's and songs for the kids to sing, sing, sing about handwashing.
Germy Wormy Germ Smart for Kids
Germy Wormy Germ Smarts for Kids program for preschool, kindergarten and first grade children teaches the AAP.

Materials Needed

Crayola Model Magic(white)
or homemade dough
paint various colors
craft materials:
pom poms
buttons
pipe cleaners
different pasta shapes
yarn
fabric scraps
glue

Make a Pet Germ.

End all the germ talk with a fun and simple activity

You need some crayola modeling dough (white can be painted)
Colored is super easy
or
PLAY CLAY
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup warm water
food coloring or poster paints
shellac or clear nail polish

Mix baking soda and cornstarch in pot. Add water and stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat, boil and stir until "mashed potato consistency". Pour onto board to cool. Knead when cool. For color, knead food coloring into clay (after cooled) until blended, or paint after finished molding. When your shapes are dry, you can brush with shellac or clear nail polish.

Notes:
hardens quickly and will store in airtight container for several weeks

Be sure to have pipe stem cleaners, buttons, pom poms, various pasta shapes and other materials that can be glued on later.

Have children mold their interpretation of what a germ looks like. Let it dry, then have your child paint, and decorate with various materials.

When the pet germ is finished display it near the sick that your child washes their hands at. This will remind them to wash, wash, wash those hands.

Even more Germ stuff, to help you teach your child.

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Green Fish Chronicles

Snot and Boogers a Preschool Science Lesson
Let's explore the science behind Snot and Booger's. Some fun activities for kids to understand why we have snot and booger's.
Green Fish Chronicles
Leading the life that most family child care providers do, we need a place that understands our wonderful business and our special needs; this must be done with a little fun, some flair and spice thrown in with a whole bunch of humor. Welcome to the Green Fish Chronicles!

Special Thanks...

I want to send out a big thanks to Nancy Rohl. She is the infant/toddler specialist from ERC Resource and Referral she came out and gave a great presentation to my Little Scholar children about germs and hand washing. I became inspired, and thought maybe I could reach a few more people with the idea. I found some of the information she gave me online, added a couple activities and made it into a paperless package. Please enjoy. Thanks ERC, you are a great resource for parents and child care providers in our area.

Germ seems to be everywhere this year.

Please share your thoughts and ideas that you have used to help keep your children healthy.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Your Online Source for Creditable Health Information

Scientists estimate that people are not washing their hands often or well enough and may transmit up to 80% of all infections by their hands. From doorknobs to animals to food, harmful germs can live on almost everything. Hand washing may be your single most important act to help stop the spread of infection and stay healthy.
Wash Your Hands
Wash Your Hands: The Right Way
When washing hands with soap and water:
* Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available.
* Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub all surfaces.
* Continue rubbing hands for 15-20 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing "Happy Birthday" twice through to a friend.
* Rinse hands well under running water.
* Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet.
* Always use soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
Hands Together
This link takes you to the CDC and a video about hand washing. It give you the proper technique and information about hand washing.

Share a Story

Fun books with even more fun activites.

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