Sick and Tired

I've been under the weather for what seems like an eternity. I think I'm finally on the mend, but I thought I'd do a little post along the lines of feeling crummy.

1) Handwashing Ideas: I am really surprised by how few kids know proper handwashing techniques...especially when this is the only way to prevent certain germs from spreading. Here is a great idea for teaching kids good techniques. Here is a great product made for teaching kids. When I taught school, there were certain times throughout the day when all of the kids would wash hands (i.e. before lunch or snack, after recess, after art projects). I would line the kids up, give each child a squirt, then they'd scrub while we sang "Twinkle, twinkle little star" or another song that's about 20 seconds long. Then everyone would rinse. It was cute to hear them sing a song on their own when they'd wash hands.

2) Sick Day Activities: Fill a bucket with all of the McDonald's Happy Meal toys, birthday party favors, etc. and keep it in a closet. Pull it out only on days when the kids are sick. For meals, serve store-bought or homemade chicken noodle soup, and add alphabet pasta. Let the kids play with their food by pulling out letters and spelling words on a paper plate. Then let them slurp the broth with a straw. Another idea is to do a floor puzzle on the bathroom floor with the shower running super hot to create a steam-room to relieve coughs. Or have the kids draw on the mirror with their fingers in the steam from the shower.

Hope these ideas help to relieve a little bit of the stress associated with sick days!