Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station

Hand washing is one of many basic skills that I like to break down and actually teach my kids about. One way to learn about clean hands and practice the skill of how to wash our hands is to set up a simple hand washing station…

Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station as part of the 30 Day Purell Challenge shared by Teach Preschool

*This is a sponsored post from PURELL in conjunction with the Mom It Forward Blogger Network.  I was compensated for this post. Thank you to PURELL for inspiring this hand washing post through your fun and exciting Purell 30-Day Challenge!

Setting Up the Hand Washing Station

To set up a hand washing station, gather up all the basic tools you would normally use for each basic step of hand washing at your sink in the classroom. I gathered up my bottle of Purell , a tub of water, a basket of paper towels, and a small trash can. (Although Purell is a hand sanitizer rather than a soap , it actually worked better than soap because we could focus more on the entire process more easily and not have soap build-up in our water or on our hands as we explored the hand-washing process.)

Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station as part of the 30 Day Purell Challenge shared by Teach Preschool

Line up all your supplies on a table and possibly a few key words and a question to help promote conversation about the process of clean hands and washing hands along the way…

Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station as part of the 30 Day Purell Challenge shared by Teach Preschool

About the Hand Washing Station

It  is important to note that for me, this station is a chance to introduce my students to what my expectations are during the school year. This isn’t a “open ended” center for play like I normally set up but rather a fun way to walk my students through steps of washing their hands and then observing what skills they may need help with.  Because we are not in school yet, I invited my almost two year old grandson to come over so we could very loosely demonstrate these basic steps for you.  Keep in mind, this is not a replacement for washing hands at the sink but rather a way to learn the skill of hand washing then the children will know what they do when they go to the sink.

The Basic Hand Washing Steps

I have five basic steps I want my students to keep in mind….

1. Put one pump of soap in your hand.

Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station as part of the 30 Day Purell Challenge shared by Teach Preschool

2. Rub your hands together to get the soap all over.

Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station as part of the 30 Day Purell Challenge shared by Teach Preschool

3. Rinse all the soap off of your hands in the water by rubbing your hands together some more in the water.

Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station as part of the 30 Day Purell Challenge shared by Teach Preschool

4. Dry your hands with one paper towel.

Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station as part of the 30 Day Purell Challenge shared by Teach Preschool

5. Throw the paper towel in the trash can.

Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station as part of the 30 Day Purell Challenge shared by Teach Preschool

While my grandson practiced the basic skills of hand washing, I was able to observe what he understands and what he still needs help with like just using one paper towel for drying his hands and rinsing the soap off of his hands in the water. But since this was just a practice run, I let him pretty much just play in the hand washing station…

Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station as part of the 30 Day Purell Challenge shared by Teach Preschool

A skill set station such as this Hand Washing Station may end up teaching you, as the teacher, more than you expected! As the children explore the different steps for hand washing, you will be able to see what skills you need to help them with as well as how well they understand the process or your expectations. If they don’t understand what you are asking them to do, then you know that you need to be patient and give them more time and more support along the way to help them master the process while they are at the sink.

Learning about clean hands at the hand washing station as part of the 30 Day Purell Challenge shared by Teach Preschool

PURELL 30-Day Challenge

According to the CDC and other health organizations, proper hand hygiene is one of the most important preventative things you can do to reduce your risk of sickness and infection. Hand sanitizer is a great thing to have with you at all times. In your car, purse, home, your child’s backpack & classrooms, virtually anywhere. Having a quick easy way to get rid of germs is crucial to keeping everyone healthy and happy.

As you make your back to school classroom plans be sure to check out the PURELL 30-Day Challenge! It comes with 30 days of prizes too!  Beginning Monday, July 14, a challenge for each day will be shared.  Some of the challenges will be fun and some will be silly but there is something for everyone to try.

The prizes for the challenge will include:  PURELL Products throughout the month, 8 $100 Visa Gift Card Weekly Winners, and 30 Grand Prize Healthy Family Prize Packs.

Here’s how to enter:  

Visit PURELL’s Facebook page or visit Purell.com/30daychallenge.  Download the list of challenges and check in with your progress!

You will receive:

  • 1 entry for signing up for the challenge
  • 1 entry for friends who enter the challenge (limit 10 entries)
  • 1 entry for each day that you visit the Purell Facebook page or 30 Day Challenge page
  • 5 entries for videos, 2 entries for photos, and 1 entry per story read.

Hop on over to the Purell Advanced 30 Day Challenge website, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to get started!

I hope you will join in!

 

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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