Global Handwashing Day (Key Stage 2)

Transcription

1 Download lesson plans Book a speaker or a workshop Get your class talking about water Global Handwashing Day (Key Stage 2) Introduction Every day, 1,400 children in the developing world die as a result of diseases caused by dirty water, a lack of toilets and poor hygiene practices. Many of these deaths could be prevented through the simple act of washing hands with soap and water. The activities in this resource aim to highlight the importance of handwashing by demonstrating how germs are spread. They also show the importance of teaching others about handwashing. The activities can be conducted on or around Global Handwashing Day which takes place on 15 October. They are designed to be split into multiple lessons to allow you to choose whether to explore one or all of the issues. Throughout the activity plan there are suggested questions which aim to encourage discussion and guide the lesson. Curriculum links Key Stage 1: PSHE: to understand why maintaining personal hygiene is important. Key words Handwashing Germs Water Soap Hygiene Yashodha s story. Poster and mural images. Puppet show images. The Adventures of Super Toilet Part 1 film ( watch?v=tg1tqqtk40e) The Adventures of Super Toilet Part 2 film ( watch?v=77b9zm3jpfe) Key Stage 2: PSHE: to understand that bacteria and viruses can affect health, and following simple, safe routines can reduce their spread. Aims To demonstrate how germs are spread. To understand the importance of handwashing. To reflect on how WaterAid encourages handwashing. To encourage others to wash their hands.

2 Lesson plan How are germs spread? : Baby lotion (or similar) Glitter Clean water Soap Towel/paper towels Explain to the pupils that across the world 650 million people do not have access to safe water, and 2.3 billion people don t have access to toilets. Can they think of any problems that this might cause? Explain that as a result, over 1,400 children die every day from diseases such as diarrhoea caused by a lack of clean water, toilets and hygiene. Explain that a lack of handwashing plays a big part. Explain to the pupils that germs are the cause of disease, and that they can be spread from person to person. Ask them how they think germs are spread? After the pupils have shared their ideas, explain that you will be showing them how germs are spread using a game. Split the class into two groups. One group should have about 5 pupils, and the other group should hold the rest of the pupils. Put a small amount of lotion onto each of the pupils hands and ask them to rub it in. Ensure that any skin allergies have been checked with parents before starting this activity. Place a small amount of glitter onto the hands of the pupils in the smaller group. Ask them to rub their hands together, spreading the glitter across both hands. Ask these pupils to shake hands and high five as many of the rest of the class as possible. Allocate a time limit for this part of the activity. When they have done this, bring the class back together. Ask them what they can see on their hands. All of the pupils should be able to see some glitter on them. Explain that the glitter represents germs and that the activity is meant to show them how easily germs can spread. Ask the pupils if they would be willing to eat a sandwich with their hands if they looked like this. Ask for a volunteer to come to the front and dip their hands into a bowl of water, or run their hands under a tap. Get them to rub their hands together to dislodge the glitter. Ask the pupil if all of the glitter has come off. The answer should be no. Ask the same pupil to now wash their hands with soap as well as water and ask them whether all of the glitter has come off this time. This time the answer should be yes. Explain to the pupils that this exercise shows the importance of hand washing with both water and soap, and that washing your hands with water alone doesn t get rid of all the germs. Explain that by washing hands with soap and water the chances of spreading disease are halved. Now ask the pupils to reflect on the importance of handwashing and consider how they might try and spread this important information. Explain that they will be finding out how this is done in other parts of the world. How can people be encouraged to wash their hands? : Yashodha s story Poster/mural images Paper Pens/pencils Read Yashodha s story. Explain that WaterAid is a charity that works to give people in some of the world s poorest communities clean water and toilets, as well as teaching people important lessons on hygiene, such as handwashing. One way that WaterAid encourages handwashing is through murals and posters which are displayed near toilets and taps. Display the images of some of the murals and posters that WaterAid uses. Ask the pupils what they think makes these murals and posters so attractive. Ask the pupils to create their own posters to encourage people to wash their hands. Explain that they should include the most effective parts they identified from the murals and posters to ensure that they are as successful as possible in encouraging handwashing. Ask the pupils where they think it would be best to display their handwashing posters. If possible, they should display their posters in their suggested places at school. How can learning about handwashing be fun? : Puppet show images The Adventures of Super Toilet Part 1 ( and/or Part 2 ( watch?v=77b9zm3jpfe) Paper Pens Craft materials Explain to the pupils that another way WaterAid encourages handwashing in the countries where they work, is by performing puppet shows. These shows explain to people why handwashing is important, as well as how to wash your hands properly in a fun and entertaining way. Display the puppet show images and explain that the images are from Madagascar. Explain to the pupils that they will be performing their own puppet show to encourage people to wash their hands. Ask the pupils to create a storyline for the puppet show. Make sure that it is linked to learning about handwashing and that it is fun. If the pupils need some inspiration for their puppet show and how to make hygiene fun, show them The Adventures of Super Toilet Part 1 and/or Part 2. The pupils should decide on how many characters the show should have. In groups they should then make the puppets using craft materials you have available. The puppets can be made any size with any materials available. After the puppets are created and the storyline is decided on, you should allow the pupils some time to practice their puppet show or shows. Hold a puppet performance for parents or younger pupils to celebrate Global Handwashing Day. If you'd like to add a fundraising element, you could ask for small donation for WaterAid to attend.

3 Yashodha s story Handwashing posters Yashodha is 12, and attends Government Higher Primary School in Raichur, India, where less than 1 in 5 people have access to taps, and groundwater is contaminated with a poisonous substance (arsenic) in some areas. Pupils often had to carry their own clean water with them from home, which sometimes wouldn't last the whole day. This meant that they often couldn't wash their hands before eating, and many dropped out of school altogether. But now safe water is changing lives at the school, as well as 200 other schools in the area. We've has installed new waterpoints and handwashing stations and we're teaching thousands of pupils about good hygiene. We now have big plans to reach 465 schools by next year. The chance to learn again The arrival of waterpoints and handwashing stations has transformed school life. Attendance has improved drastically and Yashodha and her fellow pupils are enthusiastic about going to school again, as she explains: I dropped out of school for three months because there was no water for drinking, handwashing or going to the toilet. But once I heard that safe water was available, I started going to school again. WaterAid/Caroline Irby (Uganda) Pupils washing their hands at a handwashing station installed with WaterAid's support at the Government Higher Primary Girls School, Raichur district, Karnataka Watch a short film of the school here: WaterAid/ Marco Betti (India)

4 Handwashing posters WaterAid/Ann Noon (Liberia) WaterAid/ Martin Argles (India)

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