The following is a VPM Blog post by Emily Hicks, a preschool teacher in Henrico, Virginia.
Hand Washing
This quick and easy experiment will show your child the importance of handwashing and is so much fun they’ll ask to try it over and over again.
Materials:
- Milk
- Food Coloring
- Dish Soap
Directions:
Fill a dish with enough milk to cover the plate. Place a few drops of food coloring in the middle. Have your child place their finger in the middle of the food coloring, careful not to stir it up. Then put some dish soap on your child's finger and have them put their finger in the middle again. The dish soap will immediately repel the food coloring, much like washing hands repels the germs. Not to mention it's really fun to watch all those colors jump back and swirl around in the milk.
Bodily Cleanliness
Washing baby dolls or action figures together with your child can help them learn about the body and encourage good personal hygiene. If you aren't a big doll household, you can talk about all the different parts of your body instead. Normally, I'd recommend having your child practice by pointing to different parts of their bodies, but since we're all trying to avoid touching our faces, this is a clean alternative. You could even have your child bring their doll in the bath with them so they can wash all their parts together.