We don't need to read medical research studies to know that schools and child care centers are full of germs. Our children have passed colds back and forth to each other all winter. We've dealt with bouts of flu, upset stomachs, and outbreaks of chicken pox. But we can look to health studies to show us ways to cut down on the spread of infectious diseases in our facilities.

      Time and again studies show that the primary carrier of infections is unwashed or improperly washed hands! Early one school year I read such a study and decided to wage a campaign against germs in my classroom by focusing on handwashing, first as a unit of study, then as an all-the-time, necessary procedure.

      I was astonished that year at the difference in our rates of illness and the resulting difference in our attendance rates. There were fewer children absent in my class than in any other in the school. For the first time in my teaching career, I didn't miss any days due to illness.

      We began with a unit on hands, focusing on what hands can do. We used finger paint, painted our hands to make a bulletin board of hand prints, and used a variety of art materials during the week. We used our hands to build with blocks and DUPLO, played with hand puppets and finger puppets, and acted out finger plays. We stretched and pounded play dough and dug for small treasures buried in the sand.

      Now it was time to talk about caring for our hands. We discussed why we wear mittens and gloves, then we talked about dirt and germs and about why we need to keep our hands clean.

      Working with one small group at a time, I demonstrated proper handwashing techniques so each child had a close-up view. Then each child had the opportunity to practice proper washing while the rest of the small group and I looked on, reminding each other of all the steps.

1. Wet hands completely under running water.
2. Put one squirt of liquid soap in your hand.
3. Rub hands together briskly. Spread the soap over fronts and backs of the hands, between the fingers, over the lengths of the fingers, and across and under the fingernails.
4. Rub briskly, making "soap suds gloves" all over your hands and wrists. Keep rubbing while you sing your favorite song. (We sang nursery rhymes. This keeps the child scrubbing a little longer. The longer you scrub, the cleaner your hands will be; experts recommend a minimum of 15 seconds.)
5. Hold hands under running water with your fingers pointing toward the drain. Rinse away all the soap.
6. Dry hands with a paper towel and THEN use the paper towel to protect your hands from the spigot while you turn off the water. (Help children understand that their hands were full of germs when they turned on the water. Some of those germs are still on the spigot and will come back onto their washed hands if they touch the spigot. The paper towel serves as a barrier.)
7. Throw paper towel in a trash can. (A covered can is best.)

      I repeated this activity until every child had practiced proper washing. Next we concentrated on "when" we should wash. I followed a health expert's guidelines.

      We all washed hands as soon as we arrived at school. This kept us from spreading out "at home" germs throughout the school.

      We washed hands before preparing or eating food, and again, after eating. (Adults working with infants/toddlers need to wash before and after feeding each child.)

      We washed after using the toilet, wiping noses, sneezing and coughing. We washed after using play dough and paints, after playing outdoors and sometimes after sitting on the floor.

      Our enthusiasm grew and we began washing before using play dough or the water/sand table. Believe it or not, our play dough lasted for months! I guess without a daily dose of dirt and germs, it too was "healthier".

      When children returned from using the toilet, I always called out a reminder, "Did you wash?" Soon children were reminding each other.

      As another reminder, we traced children's hands on two posters. We hung one at children's eye level beside the sink and the other on the wall directly across from the toilet. Any child sitting on the toilet would see this reminder.

      You can easily institute these activities in your classroom. Children as young as eighteen months can wash their hands with your help and supervision. For younger children, follow these guidelines and wash the child's hands for him. Be certain that all children in diapers (including infants) have their hands washed (by you) immediately after each diaper change. You'll be guiding children to develop a life-long habit that can help them (and you) stay healthy.

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