On Friday in first grade, we did our first science experiment to learn about the importance of handwashing! To start off our experiment, we watched a Brain Pop Jr. about handwashing. We learned about how germs can spread, how long to wash for, and examples of when to wash!
After introducing the topic, I shared with the students my pretend “germs”! For this experiment, our “germs” were a combination of hand lotion and non-toxic glow in the dark paint. We all rubbed in our lotion and talked about how once the lotion was rubbed, it was invisible, just like germs!
We found a dark spot and with my blacklight flash light, the students were able to see the “germs” glowing on their hands! Many of us were shocked to see them!! After examining our hands under the light, we washed our hands with soap and water for the recommended 15 seconds. We inspected our hands under the blacklight again. Although most of the germs were gone, some of the paint was still present between fingers and under fingernails. This led into us talking about the importance of through hand washing!
