It is that time of year again! Youth are back in school, cold and flu season is upon us, and once cold weather arrives, we might be spending more time indoors. All these factors mean an increase in the risk of illness. But do not worry. There are a few simple things you can do to stay healthy this fall and winter. After all, the fourth H is Health!

AAAAAAACCCHHOOOOOO! What should you do when you sneeze? Trap it! Sneeze into a tissue (then throw the tissue away) or sneeze into your sleeve at the shoulder or elbow. Even sneezing into your hands is a better choice than letting it fly! If you sneeze or cough into your hands, be sure to wash your hands afterwards.

If you sneeze without trapping it, your sneeze can travel up to 25 feet in 10 seconds! An effective way to demonstrate this concept is to take a 25 feet long piece of string or yarn, ask a Cloverbud to hold one end and pretend to sneeze while you unravel the string or yarn and see how much of the room it covers.

Another important way to stay healthy is by properly washing your hands. Teaching your Cloverbuds the importance of correct hand washing can easily be done with some washable paint, soap, and water.

Supplies

• washable paint
• soap
• sink for hand washing
• paper towels

What to Do

1. Place a large drop of washable paint on one hand of each Cloverbud. Ask them to rub it on their hands as if they were using hand lotion. Be sure the paint goes onto the backs of their hands, between their fingers, and around their fingernails. Let the paint dry for 2–3 minutes.
2. Ask the Cloverbuds to go to the sink and place their hands briefly under the water. Talk with them about how much paint is removed. Ask if this is how they usually wash their hands.
3. Next, ask Cloverbuds to put their hands under the running water and rub their hands together. Ask them questions such as, did more paint come off or why did more paint come off?
4. Add soap and see what happens. Ask each Cloverbud to add soap to their hands and wash their hands while counting to five. Discuss questions such as does more paint come off, why do you think more paint came off, did the paint come off some people’s hands more than other, or why do you think that happened?
5. Lastly, teach Cloverbuds how to wash their hands the correct way. To wash their hands correctly they should use soap and water and scrub their hands for 20 seconds. To know how long 20 seconds is, sing the alphabet song, happy birthday or even Row Your Boat two times. While singing, Cloverbuds should rub their hands together to create a lather and spread the soap all over the fronts and backs of their hands, between their fingers and around their fingernails. You might want to demonstrate how to properly scrub as you explain. When they are done washing, they should rinse all the soap off and dry their hands. Ask the Cloverbuds to wash their hands this way and see what happens to the paint. Pick a song and start scrubbing. Ask questions such as, is all the paint gone or why do you think more paint came off this way?

Explain to Cloverbuds when they rub their hands together lather is created. The germs and dirt are trapped in the soap and gets rinsed away.  Now dry their hands with a towel or air dryer. Tell them another fantastic way to dry their hands is to shake them in the air. Tell them to not wipe clean hands on their clothes to dry them.

Properly washing your hands is the best way to kill the germs that can make you sick. If you do an excellent job of washing your hands, you will stay healthier and so will your family.

A few tips to remember:

• 20 seconds is how long you need to scrub your hands with soap.
• Do not play in the bubbles in the sink. That is where the dirt and germs are.
• Dry your hands properly, not by wiping them on your clothes.
• Always wash your hands before you eat.

So, the next time you AAAAAAACCCHHOOOOOO, do not worry, you know what to do!

Resources:

 sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/hand-washing

 cdc.gov/handwashing/pdf/wash-your-hands-poster-english2020-p.pdf

 You can check online to find videos that demonstrate the paint experiment and proper wash washing.

Images from stockadobe.com