Individual
Hand washing is an important procedure in the health care field as health care workers maintain a sterile environment and reduce the risk of spreading disease-causing bacteria. It is just as important for students to learn proper hand washing skills, as they also reduce their risk of spreading and catching viruses/germs in everyday activities.
Sink
Paper Towels
Soap
Glogerm Powder, Gel or Oil
UV Light*
Glogerm & UV Light are available from:
GloGerm Company
800-842-6622
glogermco@gmail.com
www.glogerm.com
Step 1
As students are coming into the classroom you can do a few options:
Step 3
Have the students put their hands under the UV light. Explain to the students that if we could see germs or viruses this is what they would look like. Also look on their clothing and surrounding areas to see if there are germs there (especially if you tossed a bean bag around).
Step 4
Explain to the students that one of the best ways to stop the spread of germs is to wash your hands. Discuss the correct way to wash your hands:
Use soap and warm water.
Rub hands together vigorously for at least 20 seconds.
Make sure you clean underneath your fingernails and between your fingers.
Rinse your hands thoroughly and dry hands with a dry paper towel or air dry.
Step 5
Allow the students to wash their hands.
Step 6
Allow the students to look at their hands again under the UV light. Make note of places that students did not get their hands properly cleaned. Talk about why it is important to do a thorough job when washing their hands.
Step 7
Reference the attached article "Many Don't Wash Hands After Using the Bathroom" which was published in the New York Times in 2005. Key points:
Step 8
All careers in health care require diligent hand washing to reduce the spread of germs. One career to consider would be a Surgical Technologist. Watch the Career Video showcasing a Surgical Technologist as a health care career option by going to www.careerinfonet.org.
Optional Lesson Plan if your classroom does not have Glo-Germ & UV Light
Materials needed:
Colored Beads or M&M's (divided into groups of the same color)
Small paper cups
Step 1
Have each student put some beads in their paper cup (the beads must be the same color in their individual cups -- this is their "germ color").
Step 2
Have students trade 4 beads from their cup with at least 6 different individuals in the class.
Step 3
After they are done trading, have students observe how many different color beads are now in their cup. These other colored beads represent "germs" that you picked up from someone else in the class. Discuss with the class:
Step 6
Reference the attached article "Many Don't Wash Hands After Using the Bathroom" which was published in the New York Times in 2005. Key points:
Step 7
All careers in health care require diligent hand washing to reduce the spread of germs. One career to consider would be a Surgical Technologist. Watch the Career Video showcasing a Surgical Technologist as a health care career option by going to www.careerinfonet.org.