Teach students about the importance of washing their hands. Talk to students about germs that live on hands but cannot be seen. Take students to the sink and demonstrate how to wash hands, including between fingers and underneath fingernails. Ask students to line up and let each take a turn washing their hands. Encourage students to wash their hands before eating and after visiting the bathroom.
Teach students how to store food safely. Take a look inside the class refrigerator or visit the refrigerator in the cafeteria. Let students touch the items inside the refrigerator and talk about how they all feel cold. Name a few items that should go inside the refrigerator, such as milk, cheese and meat. Next, talk a look inside the freezer. Talk about how the items inside the freezer are colder than in the refrigerator. Finally, take a look at foods that are stored in the cabinets, such as crackers or cereal. Tell students that the refrigerator and freezer keep foods cold so that they do not spoil. In the dramatic play area, provide different types of play foods and ask students where those foods should be stored in the kitchen.
Show students how to wash fruits and vegetables before eating them. To begin, talk to students about where fruits and vegetables come from. Show students pictures of potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables growing in the ground. Talk about the dirt and germs on fruits and vegetables. Bring in potatoes, apples, grapes and other fruits and vegetables, as well as several vegetable scrub brushes. Invite students to wash and scrub the apples, potatoes and carrots. Show students how to place grapes in a colander and rinse them well with water. Give students a chance to try.
Teach students how to remove germs from dishes with a sensory activity. Before beginning the activity, talk to students about the germs on dirty dishes and the importance of washing dishes to remove germs so that they can be used again. Fill a large tub with warm water and plastic toy dishes. Fill another tub with cold water. Help students pour a small amount of dishwashing liquid into the warm water. Give each student a sponge or dish rag and show them how to wash the dishes, then place them in the second tub to rinse them. Divide the preschool students into three small groups. Ask group one to wash the dishes, group two to rinse the dishes and group three to dry the dishes and stack them.