Week 1- All things GERMS!

 

During the first week of steam, we learned about germs. It was super important to start the year by hitting all the district's health standards. Seeing that we just came off a two-year pandemic, we wanted to ensure that we were establishing expectations of keeping each other safe by washing our hands and coughing/sneezing in our sleeves or with our mouths covered. As grown-ups, we are very well aware of all the things that come home bacteria-wise from our children and how quickly they can get shared around the classroom.

 


We had a lot of fun in the lower grades by discovering secret germs on handprints I created for them to paint with watercolors. We talked about and watched a health video about washing our hands after restroom usage and before eating. The kiddos thoroughly enjoyed the water activity and finding the magic invisible germs on their little handprints.

We also listened to the book called “Sick Simon,” and the kids were either thoroughly enthralled by the book or grossed out. It is quite the silly book you can also find online being read out loud or in the Martin Sortun library. Our library technician told me we didn't have it in stock at the school, so I purchased it and donated it to the school. Your child may now check it out and share it at home with you at any time.

 

The older grades and I learned about germs in more detail and how they actually spread. I also did a Petri dish swab of my computer and let it grow throughout the week that the children were checking in on and watching. As you can see from the picture below, it is pretty gross. The kids decided they would be taking much more care of their desks in their hands and computers. Lol.





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