Let’s face it, our kids do NOT wash their hands enough. My kiddo is 12 and I’m generally horrified by his nails every time I ask him to hold a craft or other prop for a blog photo.
Our kids need to learn good hand washing techniques in order to stay healthy — clean hands are the Number One way to fight the spread of germs and illness!
And it’s not just mom advice, the CDC says it too!
Handwashing with soap removes germs from hands. This helps prevent infections because:
People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. Germs can get into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and make us sick.
Germs from unwashed hands can get into foods and drinks while people prepare or consume them. Germs can multiply in some types of foods or drinks, under certain conditions, and make people sick.
Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like handrails, table tops, or toys, and then transferred to another person’s hands.
Removing germs through handwashing therefore helps prevent diarrhea and respiratory infections and may even help prevent skin and eye infections.
CDC.gov
Coronavirus Scared Us into Cleanliness
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has hit home and it’s scary. Sure, it’s “just a flu” but it’s a new one and we don’t have a flu shot to prevent this sucker yet.
We’ve been told the best way to fight this coronavirus is to avoid being exposed to it. This means staying home more often, avoiding sick people and yes…washing your hands!
Do you REALLY know how to wash your hands?
Sure, we get our hands wet and use a bit of soap before we fix food for the family, but I’ll be honest. Most of the time I’m trying to remove dirt or dog slobber or a bit of goo from the last craft project. I’m not really thinking about germs.
20 Seconds with Soapy Water
The CDC says the best way to get your hands clean is to scrub them for 20 seconds with soap, and to be sure to get the backs of the hands, between the fingers and under the nails.
And they say you can hum “Happy Birthday” as a way to time yourself. Boring!
Hand Washing Song Timer
The internet loves to solve everyday problems, so you’ve probably seen some memes lately about washing your hands to everyone from Britney Spears to OutKast.
Then came William, a young British programmer.
He gave us Wash Your Lyrics, an app to make your very own 20 second hand washing chart for ANY SONG.
Oh yes. ANY song.
The Glitter Experiment
So how do you explain washing off germs to little kids? The “glitter experiment” is a great way! I’m not sure who came up with this amazing little life hack, but it’s been around for a while.
Basically, you mix glitter with lotion and apply it to your kids hands. Then let them try to wash it off! The glitter represents all the germs and stuff kids can’t see. If you head over to Science Sparks you can get more details on the experiment and an activity to show how germs spread.
Now go wash your hands!
