Hand Hygiene 101 : a Service-Based Learning project for the Second Grade

Hand Hygiene 101: a Service-Based Learning project for the Second Grade By: Michelle Edmunds, LoriAnn Jensen, Jennifer Kociemba, Amber Schuett, Jerilyn Scott, and Jody Starr

The American Society of Microbiology’s studies showed that when asked, 97% of women and 92% of men claimed to have washed their hands after using the restroom.

Of those people that were asked, only 75% of women and 58% of men actually washed their hands ! Do you think the children of these adults wash?

Keeping hands clean is one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of infection and illness. Hand Hygiene: 101

With all the direct contact children are introduced to, educating them on the importance of hand washing is vital to prevent both school and at home infection transmissions. Hand Hygiene: 101

Due to this vital daily practice, we felt that the best thing we could do to service our community was to teach a group of children the right steps and reasons for appropriate hand hygiene by introducing it in a fun and interesting way. Our Project

We decided to contact Westwood Elementary in Saint Cloud to present our Service-based learning project. They agreed to let us come and speak to 3 second grade classes. Project Location

After weeks of team planning and preparing for our meeting with the students, we head over to Westwood on May 25th for the presentation. Here we go…..

To teach the kids where and when to wash • To instruct the correct way to wash hands • To demonstrate germ activity on hands • To provide education on germ prevention • To answer any questions about personal health and how to maintain it. Our Mission

The Presentation Introduction, education, simulation, and demonstration

Introduction We began by introducing ourselves, what we did as students at MSB, and why we were there.

Education We asked the students what they thought the key prevention method for germ prevention was. We also had them tell us when they thought they should wash hands and what was needed to do so. To demonstrate the length of time in order to effectively wash hands, we had them sing Happy Birthday to their teacher.

Simulation In order to help the students understand why we must wash, we used the “fake germs” and the black light to show what might be lurking on unwashed hands. We also provided a visual board of plates cultured with bacteria coming from various school objects.

Demonstration The two students that allowed us to use the black light simulation on them demonstrated how effective and correct hand washing got rid of their “germs.” We had them use the methods we taught them to wash the germs off their hands and prove, under black light, how washing could eliminate bacteria on hands.

We provided the following handouts: Educational Handouts

We truly feel that we made a positive influence on the health and safety habits of these kids. They were attentive, interested, and eager to learn. We were glad that we could make a difference! Presentation outcome….

Look at our clean hands! Westwood Second Graders

Hand Hygiene 101 : a Service-Based Learning project for the Second Grade