Grade:
Activity #:
Activity Title:
Recommended Group Size:
1st
2
Cover Your Cough & Hand Washing Experiment
Individual
Purpose
1.
To demonstrate the need to cover your cough and how germs spread as we
approach the cold and flu season.
2. To determine which product is most effective for removing germs from hands.
Equipment
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(An asterisks (*) indicates that an item is provided in the Learning Lab.)
Table Cloth*
Spray bottles w/ colored water*
Kleenex*
Glo Germ Powder/Lotion*
UV lamp*
Soap and Paper Towels*
Hand Sanitizer*
Liquid Soap*
Dirty Hands Experiment Sheet (have teacher make enough copies for the class
or draw the chart on the board)
Instructions for Cover Your Cough
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To simulate germ transmission, sprinkle some Glo Germ Powder on your hand.
Shake hands with a child in the class. Have that child shake hands with someone.
Continue to pass the handshake along.
When done, place hands under the UV lamp to see who has caught the “glowing
germs”. Usually will pass to 5 or 6 people. Demonstration works best in a
darkened room.
To simulate the spread of germs by cough or sneeze (wet aerosol), hang paper
tablecloth (you can draw people on it if you like) up on chalkboard. Have
children spray the glitter water on the “people”. Start at about 8 squares from
chalkboard. Have the next student move closer by one square and so on. Notice
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how many more germs hit the “people” the closer you get to it. Do not let
children spray each other!
Now have children hold a Kleenex between the spray bottle and the “people” on
the wall – does this stop the germs from hitting the “people”?
o For their hypothesis, you can ask the kids if they think using a
Kleenex/tissue will (increase/decrease/same) the amount of germs that
reach the “people” on the wall.
To emphasize the danger of spreading germs by touching your face, you can
have someone count the number of times the teacher or one of the students
touches their face during your time in the lab. At the end of the lab you can
point this out – you also might want to check everyone’s face out with the UV
light to see if anyone spread the “germs” from their hands to their face.
Instructions for Hand Washing Experiment
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Review the scientific method and ask kids to hypothesize which approach will
result in the cleanest hands - or the least amount of Glo-germ left on the hands.
o Warm water only
o Liquid soap and water
o Hand sanitizer
Have children wash their hands with each method and record their results on
the Dirty Hands Experiment sheet.
o Note: if you are short on time, let students choose the method they
believe will do the best job and only clean their hands using that method.
Check hands under UV lamp after each washing to see how effectively that
method removed the “germs”.
After explaining proper hand washing technique, have children wash again and
check results with UV lamp.
o Wash with warm, running water for at least 15 seconds (long enough to
sing ABC’s). Use liquid or pump soap whenever possible and scrub
underneath fingernails. Rinse and then dry.
Children can now determine if their hypothesis was correct or not and write
down the result of the experiment.
o Note that this experiment will show that it is best to use warm water
and soap to remove the Glo-Germ residue. Point out to kids that hand
sanitizer is a good option when soap and water is not available.
Suggested Discussion Topics
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Germs – how microbes make us sick
Good microorganisms vs. germs
Other ways to prevent the transmission of germs
How skin is our first line of defense against infection and the role that good
hygiene plays in keeping us healthy
When should you wash your hands?
o After using toilet
o Before eating or touching food
o After playing with animals
Additional Resources
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/hand_washing.html
www.glogerm.com
www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407
http://www.henrythehand.com
http://www.kidscoop.com/hand_washing/
http://www.earthskids.com/basic_handwashing_info.htm
Germs Make Me Sick by Melvin Berger
The Magic School Bus: The Giant Germ by Joanna Cole
Dirty Hands Experiment Results Tracker
Name: _______________________________
My hypothesis or guess is that _____________________ will clean my hands the best.
Use this scale to rate how clean your hands are after you wash them each time.
Completely dirty/covered = 4
Very dirty = 3
Dirty = 2
Slightly dirty = 1
Clean = 0
Method
1st Time Results
Water only
Water and soap
Hand sanitizer/Germex
Which method did you use to wash your hands?
Which method did the class prove was the best to clean dirty hands?
What did you learn about washing your hands?
2nd time Results