Program Title: STEAM Storytime: Germs!

Target Age Range: Ages 3-6 with a caregiver

Program Length: 60 minutes

Brief Description: Half storytime, half lab in which we explore germs.

Supplies:

GloGerm

Handheld, battery operated blacklight

Handsoap

Toothbrushes

Sheet protectors

Printed out image of teeth

Dry erase markers

Blank Paper

Construction Paper

Gluesticks

Markers

Scissors

Tissue

Tissue rhyme printed on paper

Cost: $

Advanced Preparation:

Create appropriate flannels as necessary.

Make instructional signs for each activity station.

Print out a clipart image of teeth several times and place them in sheet protectors.

Print out the tissue rhyme for use as a craft. We used the rhyme : “If you cough or if you sneeze, Cover your month with a tissue, please.”

We use a PowerPoint slideshow that show song lyrics and rhymes. This is helpful for parents to follow along.

Program Outline:

1. Welcome, introductions.

2. Song: The More That We Learn Science

The more that we learn science,

learn science, learn science,

The more that we learn science,

The happier we’ll be.

We’ll know things and do things and explore many new things.

The more that we learn science,

the happier we’ll be.

3. Brainstorm: What are germs? How do we get germs? How are they spread? How do we protect ourselves from germs?

4. Nonfiction Book: Germs! Germs! Germs! By Bobbi Katz

5. Song: Germs from JocoLibrary.org

6. Flannel: All the Little Germs and Five Nasty Germs from Loons and Quines @ Librarytime, Adventures in Storytime, and  Ms. Hegna’s Storyroom.

9. Non-Fiction Book: Germs are not for sharing by Elizabeth Verdick

10. Action Song:  I Think I’m to Sneeze Ms. Hegna’s Storyroom

11. Activity: Fake Sneeze with Confetti, adapted from Ms. Hegna’s Storyroom (rather than use a balloon, we hid handfuls of confetti in our hands). Ask why it’s important to cover your mouth when you sneeze. Encourage discussion. Then, do a big fake sneeze and on the achoo, throw handfuls of confetti at the kids. That’s how germs spread!

12. Song/Dance: The Handwashing Song from Jbrary

13. Fiction Book: The Cow Buzzed by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha

14. Lab Time (see Special Instructions and Procedures for more information)

We had four stations for lab time:

Station 1: Handwashing Station

Station 2: Brushing teeth

Station 3: Germ craft

Station 4: Sneeze craft

Special Instructions and Procedures:

• Station 1: Handwashing

We previously did this experiment with a program for older kids with microbes. With parents to help out, it was easy to adapt for younger kids. The kids put a little GloGerm on their hands, with their parents help, then looked at their hands under the blacklight to see how their hands glowed. Then, they carefully washed their hands normally, then look at their hands again under the blacklight to see how good of a job they did. They continued to wash their hands until their hands no longer glowed. We posted The Handwashing Song by the sink so they could sing it while they washed their hands.

Station 2: Brushing Teeth

Kids used dry erase markers to make germs on teeth, then clean the teeth with a toothbrush, inspired by The Dad Lab’s video “How To Teach Toddler To Brush Teeth Through Fun Activity”.

Station 3: Germ Craft

Inspired by Rattlesandheels.com’s Icky Germs Craft for Kids and Atozkidsstuff.com’s Germs and Hygiene activities, we had kids design their own germs using paper and markers.

Station 4: Sneeze craft

Kids traced the outline of their hand on construction paper and cut it out. They then glued their hand print to another sheet a paper, and added a tissue to the hand. After that, they glued in place a tissue rhyme, to remind them to use a tissue when they sneezed (If you cough or if you sneeze, Cover your month with a tissue, please.)  then glued a piece of tissue to the hand, and glued the reminder rhyme to their project.

 

Resources Used:

Books:

Germs! Germs! Germs! By Bobbi Katz

Germs are not for sharing by Elizabeth Verdick

The Cow Buzzed by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha

Websites:

“Sickness” Storytime from JocoLibrary.org

Flannel Friday – Hand Washing from Loons and Quines @ Librarytime

Don’t Share Your Germs! from Adventures in Storytime

Storytime: I Feel Sick (Germs) from Ms. Hegna’s Storyroom.

The Handwashing Song from Jbrary

The Dad Lab’s video “How To Teach Toddler To Brush Teeth Through Fun Activity”.

Rattlesandheels.com’s Icky Germs Craft for Kids

Atozkidsstuff.com’s Germs and Hygiene

Our post: Week Fifty-Three: Microbes! program.

What we would do differently:

This program worked well as planned. We would not make any changes to it as presented. The sneeze with confetti was viewed as especially fun, if slightly silly!

Adaption for older/younger audience:

We do not currently have recommendations for aging up this program, but for a program on a similar topic for older kids in grades 1-3, check out our Week Fifty-Three: Microbes! program.