This week, the children learnt about the importance of hand washing with Mrs Bald. Whether it’s after going to the toilet, before eating or when you’re preparing food, washing your hands with soap and water is one of the easiest ways to prevent the spread of germs!
First, the class identified high usage areas where germs may build up.
- door handles
- toilet flush
- pencils
- hands
- tables
- carpet
- light switches
The children put flour on their hands and then touched different surfaces to see how easily germs spread.
But how does soap really work?
When you wash your hands, the soap breaks down the outer layer of germs which means they can’t survive. The pieces of broken down germs are then surrounded in a soapy bubble-like shield. After washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, you then rinse the soap away with water. When the soap is washed down the drain, you wash the germs away with it!
The soap and pepper experiment
The children conducted an experiment to show how soap breaks
down germs.
The class filled a bowl with water (the water represents your skin). Next, black pepper (the germs) was sprinkled onto the surface of the water.The children applied soap to their fingers and submerged them in the water. The soap reacted with the water causing the pepper to repel. This demonstrated how soap affects germs.
Mrs Bald was very impressed with the knowledge and learning attitudes shown by all of the children.
Why not try this at home?https://www.wateraid.org/uk/sites/g/files/jkxoof211/files/2021-10/wateraid-soap-pepper-experiment.pdf
Help at home by using the questions below. Can your child tell you about the pepper experiment?
Points for discussion
• When should we wash our hands? How long for?
• Why is using soap so important?
• What would happen if we didn’t use soap?