Watch Germs Spread
Watch how germs spread!
OBJECTIVE
Try this hands-on science experiment to demonstrate how germs spread from one person to another.
Skills learned: Germ awareness, small motor coordination, observation and experimentation
MATERIALS
- Cornstarch or Flour
- Large Plastic Bag
- Wet Ones® Antibacterial Wipes
DIRECTIONS
- Explain that the germs that can make us sick are invisible and can spread easily because we don't see them.
- Hide a small quantity of flour or cornstarch in your hand and then pretend to sneeze or cough into your hand.
- Now shake hands with a child sitting near you.
- Ask that child to shake hands with a child near him, until all the children have had a chance to shake hands.
- Ask, "What happened to your hands? How did the flour get there?" Children can figure out that it started when you pretended to cough into your hand!
- To end the activity, pass out Wet Ones® wipes to clean the pretend germs off! Remind children that, "The antibacterial formula in Wet Ones® wipes will clean off invisible germs from your hands. So, remember to use them after your cough or sneeze."
LESSON EXTENSION
This Extended Play Variation is one of the best ways to show children how hand wiping stops the spread of germs around the room.
- Fill a large plastic bag with flour or cornstarch. Explain that this is a container full of "pretend germs," while reassuring children they are not real.
- Have children pretend that they forgot to wash their hands and ask them to dip their hand in the mixture before they go off to the next activity.
- Soon children will see the trail of "germs" they are leaving on everything they touch!
- End the activity by giving each child a Wet Ones® wipe to clean off the germs they left around the room. Then give one more to wipe their hands before they go off to play... no trail now!
