By visualizing the germs that surround us, we are now able to understand a little deeper about the importance of hand washing hygiene. Preschool 1 Educators at RisingOaks | John Sweeney have noticed that hand washing habits have started to change since September, and there has been an increase of sicknesses in our classroom. One way the educators have attempted to improve hand washing habits is through a science experiment that allowed the children to visualize the germs and be able to properly scrub the germs away. Educator Jenny sat down with a large group of children and watched a short video about germs and how germs spread. Children learned that bad germs are sometimes called bacteria, and that it causes sicknesses like the cold or flu. They also learned about ways to prevent the spread of these germs in ways such as cleaning touched surfaces often and washing hands often as well. After watching the video, the children took turns putting the pretend germs on their hands. They placed their hands in trays of water and glitter, and when they took their hands out the glitter was stuck to their hands! The children were encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water, making sure not to stop washing until all the glitter was gone. After they had finished washing their hands, educators inspected their hands to ensure a full wash was complete. At the end of the experience, several children made an observation - not only did the glitter get on their hands, but the glitter ended up all over the classroom! There was glitter on the soap dispenser, on the sink handles, and even on the step stool handles! Levi and Harper told their educators, “you need to wash it!” Educators, and even a few children, used warm soapy cloths to clean the glitter off all the surfaces in the classroom. It was so satisfying to physically see the germs being wiped away! In connection to learning, children deepened their sense of well-being by learning about the importance of staying healthy. They have gained independence skills to be able to help themselves stay clean and healthy. They’ve gained a stronger sense of self-concept by continuing to develop their individual responsibility to care for themselves during handwashing routines. They have strengthened their attention regulation by staying focused on the task at hand, not stopping until their task was completed as well as maintaining a positive attitude and displaying pride when their task was completed. At the end of the experiment, the children made observations and reached conclusions about those observations when they discovered how easily the germs were spread over the classroom!
