Look to see if any child touched his/her face, hair, arms, etc. Look around to see what the children may have touched before washing their hands. Have the children wash their hands with soap and water to remove the "germs". Stress that soap and water were needed to get the germs off.Įxplain the comparison between the pencil and the children's hands. Show that the pencil now has fewer germs on it. Show the children that "germs" are still on the pencil. Wipe the pencil off with a paper towel (some of the germs will still remain). Tell the children to pretend the glitter is germs.Įncourage them to watch the "germs" go from one person to the next. Materials Needed: pencil, glue, glitter, soap, paper towel Glittering Germ: This activity will reinforce how many germs there are and how quickly they can spread. Let the children know that their germ can be any color, shape, or design that they want. Let the children use their imagination, and these supplies, to create an imaginary germ. Set out elbow macaroni, crayons, construction paper, scissors and glue. A "germie" shape can be whatever the child wants it to look like. Let each child draw a "germie" shape on a piece of card or poster board. Imaginary Germ: This activity will help children visualize the existence of germs. Toss them in the trash and again, wash your hands!Īctivities to Teach Children about Germs: But don't just throw tissues on the floor to pick up later. Using tissues for your sneezes and sniffles is another great weapon against germs. Wash your hands every time you cough or sneeze, before and after you prepare foods or use the bathroom, after you handle money, and after you visit a sick friend or relative. Washing your hands well and often is the best way to beat these tiny warriors.
Remember the two words germs fear - soap and water. So the best way to protect yourself from germs is to steer clear of the things that can spread them:Ĭover your nose and mouth when you sneeze and cover your mouth when you cough to keep from spreading germs. Some pass from person to person by touching something that is contaminated, like shaking hands with someone who has a cold and then touching your own nose. Germs can also spread in sweat, saliva, and blood. Most germs are spread through the air in sneezes, coughs, or even breaths. When they get in our bodies, we don't know what hit us until we have symptoms that say we've been attacked!Īfter explaining to the children what germs are, ask the children if they can think of any places germs may be hiding? In fact, germs are so tiny that you need to use a microscope to see them. Germs are so small and sneaky that they creep into our bodies without being noticed. Actually, germs are tiny organisms, or living things, that can cause disease. Some kids may think that germs are bugs or cooties or other gross stuff. Also it helps conceptualize why food safety is so important. Even if the children have heard of germs, it's still a good idea to present the information in a way that helps them have a better understanding. After all, they have no evidence that germs really exist! Ask the children if they know what germs are? Do they know where germs are? Do they know what germs do? Germs are microscopic organisms that make us sick and they are everywhere! Talk to the children about germs, explaining that some of the ways they're spread are through touching, sneezing, and coughing.
Germs, however, are a puzzling concept to children. To teach children about food safety, begin with teaching about germs. Their knowledge of food safety not only benefits the quality of meal preparation for the children in their care, but it also serves to keep children safe.īecause it is so important that safe food handling habits be learned at an early age, we have brought together information, experiments and fun activities to teach the children the correct way to handle food and practice good personal hygiene. Child care providers have the direct responsibility of serving food to many children.
This presents a great need for child care providers to practice proper food safety and teach food safety to children.
In child care settings, germs and illness can spread very quickly through cross-contamination. However, young children are especially susceptible to serious consequences from food borne illness because their immune systems have not fully developed. It is estimated that more than 76 million cases of food borne illness occur in the United States each year. Most of the time, they simply result in a touch of "tummy flu".
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