Ah-choo!
Posted by Sharon M. Tresino on 16 Nov 2009 | Posted in: Classroom Management, Classroom Routines
It seems as though everywhere I go these days, I see tissues and hand sanitizer. In fact, at a recent dinner, a friend offered me a squirt of hand sanitizer. She didn’t even have to open her purse: the sanitizer was connected to her purse by a small cord. I couldn’t believe it—there is a special purse attachment just for combating the nasty germs that are going around! How convenient!
I’ve certainly changed several of my own habits in hopes of staying healthy this winter. I purchased more hand sanitizer in the past few weeks than I had in my entire life. I now have a bottle on my desk at work, a bottle in my car, a bottle in my husband’s car, and two bottles in my house. To make sure I wash my hands long enough to kill germs when I’m at a sink, I sing “Happy Birthday to You” to myself as I scrub. (I found that tip in an issue of The Mailbox® magazine!) I have to admit that I’ve kind of gotten into washing to the song—I even move my head from side to side now! Yes, I do look a bit silly, but my hands are clean!
What about you? Are you doing anything differently to help you and your students stay germ free this winter?
Best of luck for a sneeze-free winter!
Sharon
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Clorox all-purpose wipes are great for swiping away germs from tables, chairs, and door knobs. I even use them to clean the floor where we sit together if we’ve had an especially sneezy day. I can’t get those in China (where I teach), so when my imported supply runs out, I use an all-purpose spray cleaner to do the same job.
And my favorite cold-season quote from a student:
After he sneezes, he always makes sure to say, “God bless me!” He doesn’t wait for anyone to do it…he blesses himself. Makes me chuckle every time!
The students draw a picture of their own faces and then trace, color, and cut out a copy of their own hand. Staple their hand to their mouth with a tissue in between. I usually post in the hallway with the poem, or make a bunch of tiny copies of the poem to put on their picture. “Using a tissue to cover coughs and sneezes helps to prevent speading germs and diseases.”
I really try to remind my students (early elementary) that we don’t want to “share” our germs with others. A lot is said to them about getting germs in them and to clean off to keep healthy, but I don’t think they understand that they spread germs to their friends and family with their habits. If I pose the question “do you want to get your friends sick with your germs?” it tends to give them some pause.
We(my lead teacher and I) taught the children to sneeze and cough in their elbow…….we sing the ABC song while washing our hands.
We wash the tables at least twice a day using 1/2 peroxide and water (I use this for everything-even at home. It cleans windows great, cleans spots off the carpet and is safe for mouths if it comes in contact). I spray the door knobs and the potty handle with this mixture as well. We keep tissues all over the room and everyone knows to use the “handitizer” the children have so named, after every tissue use. I always use my own pencil. I try to always use my own pen when shopping to keep contacts down.
I love the story about the child sneezing and saying isn’t someone going to say God bless you me?.