Lesson Plans K to Grade 3
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Lesson Plan #14: When Do I Clean My Hands?
Learning Objectives
- Students will identify when to clean their hands.
- Students will identify when it is appropriate to wash hands with soap and water and when it is appropriate to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Materials
- Crayons, coloured pencils or markers
- Paper
Activity Sheets such as:
- "Wash Your Hands!" - Colouring Page (1 page, 127KB)
- Colour Me (1 page, 74 KB)
- Let's Make a Puzzle (1 page, 72 KB
- Connect The Dots (1 page, 69 KB)
- Healthy Hand Hygiene Word Search (1 page, 120 KB)
Key Messages
- Clean your hands often by washing hands with soap and water or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Handwashing with soap and water is always appropriate for removing germs that cause illness, and it is essential after using the washroom or when there is visible dirt on the hands.
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are effective for killing germs on hands, especially before eating or after coughing, sneezing, blowing you nose or touching animals.
- Cough or sneeze into a tissue, throw tissue away, and clean hands immediately. If you don’t have a tissue, use your upper arm, not your hands!
- Keep your hands away from your face! Germs can live on surfaces such as tables, doorknobs and keyboards, and get picked up by your hands, travel to your nose, mouth or eyes, and make you sick!
Method
- Explain the importance of getting rid of germs. Begin open discussion of places where germs might hide.
- On a large piece of paper, have students draw pictures of places in the school where germs might hide.
- Post and reflect on all the
different hiding places. Ask students to think “When would I come in contact
with these germs?”
- after getting hands dirty,
- after using the washroom,
- after playing with animals,
- after coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose.
- Brainstorm with the students by making a list of the important times to clean hands.
- Discuss when it is appropriate to wash hands and when it is appropriate to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Post a list of when to clean hands in a visible position in the classroom.
Students will:
- Draw pictures (on a large piece of paper) of places in the school where germs might hide.
- Identify the important times for hand cleaning.
- Identify when it is appropriate to wash hands and when it is appropriate
to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Activity
- Discuss how these findings may change classroom routines.
- Have students complete the activities in class or take them home to complete.
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Adapted with permission from the Salt Lake Valley Health Department.
