Germs Make Me Sick

{Illustration from Germs Make Me Sick}

It feels like I’ve done a lot of whining about being sick lately, but it’s because I’m beginning to wonder if the end will come! I was crossing my fingers thinking everyone was healthy again, when the two littlest ones caught the sniffles and the past few nights I’ve been up nursing coughs more than I would nursing a newborn.

Thankfully, raspy throats and runny noses hasn’t affected our schooling as much as the flu did and appropriately we’re forging on with our study of the human body–this week’s subject: germs.

I’m sure you’re not surprised that we started with a a few books, my favorite go-to subject opener. When it comes to something important, my kids seem to listen to books and fiction characters. But listen to me? Not as much.

Germs Make Me Sick | Germs are Not For Sharing | Body Battles | MSB Fights Germs

After reading and taking some comprehension quizzes on Book Adventure, we did one of my favorite object lessons. It’s a bit messy (a good one to do outside), but they get it.

The Glitter/Germ Object Lesson

1. Pour a little glitter into one child’s hand.
2. Then have the child shake hands with another or touch anything you’re comfortable having them touch. Notice and point out how the glitter spreads and sticks to everything they touch.
3. Explain how the glitter is a lot like germs. Germs spread when we touch things, and that’s how we sometimes spread/share sicknesses. But the good news is we can help prevent the spread of germs by washing our hands.

This is the point where a good review on hand washing is appropriate. There was a bit of eye rolling from my 7-year-old who thinks he’s already an expert on washing hands (I type as he runs out of the bathroom without washing again), but during this cold/flu season hand washing is probably a good review for everyone.

Besides actually going to the sink and doing a hand washing demonstration with soap and warm water, we also practiced sequencing and writing skills using the steps of washing hands:

Picture cards for my preschooler . . .

. . . and a step-by-step writing activity for the older ones.

Do your kiddos need a little lesson on hand washing and killing those “tiny yucky germs?” These printable sequence cards and writing activity are available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, as well as on the exclusive subscriber freebie page (make sure you’ve entered your e-mail in the sign up box in the sidebar to be given access to the freebie page).

Hopefully with a little more hand washing and some warmer weather (it IS on it’s way, right?!) we’ll all be back to normal soon!

This cold and flu season, make the care complete with Kleenex® brand, and together we’ll turn a seemingly small gesture into something bigger, to make everyone feel better.

{Disclosure: Compensation for this post was provided by Kleenex via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kleenex.}

Fiction or nonfiction, books are a great way to introduce concepts and teach lessons. What book-based activities have you done lately? Read the rules of Tell Me a Tale, and then join the linky party, or leave an idea in the comment section.