Teachers and healthcare professionals working with young children are being encouraged to take advantage of new educational resources developed specifically to help youngsters learn about germs in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Researchers from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) have produced a bank of free materials and activities for use in schools and healthcare settings – including a new book, a read-a-long video and a classroom workshop – with the aim of teaching children about the importance of good hygiene to stop the spread of viruses.
Created by DMU’s expert microbiologist Professor Katie Laird and education specialist Professor Sarah Younie, and illustrated by Jules Marriner, Bye Bye Germs: Be a Handwashing Superhero! is the latest book release in the ‘Germ’s Journey’ series, which aims to raise awareness and communicates the importance of handwashing at a young age.
Professor Younie said: “Teaching children from a young age about germs is particularly important in the wake of Covid-19 and the need to continually stress good hand hygiene. We also need to highlight how germs are transferred through coughing and sneezing and the importance of catching germs in a tissue or your elbow.
“Our new book has extra free resources to support the learning. We have an audio book and a video, which is read by the illustrator and has accompanying subtitles and British sign language displayed too.
“By making our resources available for a range of learner needs, anyone working in education and healthcare can access these to support children.”
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The new resources, which are free to download online, reinforce learning about handwashing and respiratory health in response to Covid-19. They include top tips for how families can prevent the spread at home, a picture guide on how to wash hands properly and a ‘spot the germs’ illustration, to help youngsters identify where viruses can be picked up.
Experts from DMU have been visiting classrooms to deliver educational workshops using the resources, while training sessions for teachers and healthcare workers are freely available through the university too.
Parks Primary School in Leicester recently invited the researchers to host a session for its Year 1 pupils.
“I think that before the session, the children had a bit of an idea of germs but they didn’t actually understand as they can’t see them,” said Hope Archer, a teacher at the school.
“The workshop was really practical and I could hear a lot of the children talking in their groups about the good and the bad germs, so it was really interesting to hear their conversations after that.
“They also now want to wash their hands before lunch or break as they realise the impact handwashing has and seeing what happens if you don’t.”
The project was funded by Barclays Bank as part of its 100x100 Covid-19 Community Relief Fund which supports Covid-19 work in local communities.
As well as visiting schools for the interactive workshops, DMU has also donated hundreds of copies of the book to primary schools and nurseries across the UK.
Professor Laird added: “The Barclays funding has been invaluable to the project as it has allowed us to significantly expand the Germ’s Journey resources and make them accessible and freely available to children and teachers across the UK.
“It is often a difficult concept for young children to understand that microorganisms are invisible yet can make you ill. The funding has allowed us to help children grasp that concept and learn about infectious disease transmission and prevention in a fun and interactive way.”
Teachers and healthcare professionals who are interested in using the free resources can find out more by visiting www.germsjourney.com
Posted on Thursday 11 November 2021