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STEM Challenges to help our kids better understand and have autonomy in our current situation through critical thinking and problem solving:

How Well Do You Wash Your Hands?

Materials:

Sink

Washable paint

Soap

Hand towel

Directions:

Cover both of your hands in paint, as if you were using hand lotion. Make sure to cover the backs of your hands, in between your fingers, and around your fingernails.

Hold your hands out and let the paint dry for three or four minutes.

Rinse your hands briefly with just warm water. How much paint is left on your hands?

Rub your hands together briefly under running water. How much paint is left on your hands now?

Use some soap, and count to 5 while washing your hands. Now how much paint is left?

Continue to use soap and wash your hands for another 15 seconds. Examine your hands.

Think about:

Are certain parts of your hands cleaner than others? Where is there still paint left on your hands? What can you do to improve your hand washing?

If needed, continue washing your hands until all the paint is gone.

What Happened?

You probably found that rinsing, or even scrubbing, your hands with only water did a poor job of removing the paint. Soap helps break up the paint and other dirt on your hands, making it easier to remove, along with germs (bacteria and viruses). But even with soap, you must do a good job washing your hands to remove all the paint. This includes washing them for more than just a few seconds and getting into all the nooks and crannies where the paint (and germs) can hide.

Digging Deeper

In this experiment, you used paint so you could see whether you "missed a spot" when washing your hands. However, germs—the tiny bacteria and viruses that can cause diseases—are too small to see without a microscope. You cannot see the germs on your hands—so your hands might look clean, even though they are covered in germs! To prevent the spread of germs, including the bacteria that cause food poisoning and the viruses that lead to flu and colds, public health experts recommend these hand washing steps:

• Wet hands
• Apply soap
• Scrub for at least 20 seconds (hum the Happy Birthday song twice)
• Rinse with water
• Dry with a clean towel or air dry

This helps prevent the spread of germs and keep everyone healthier!

For Further Exploration- You can do this experiment with fake 'germ' materials that glow under an ultraviolet light instead of regular paint.

Try washing your paint covered hands with a blindfold on. How well did you do when you could not see the paint? How might this compare to not being able to see germs?

Try the experiment with different types of soap.

Challenge #1: Handshake Alternative

The problem is: people can spread germs by touching other people. Our hands carry more germs than most other parts of the body.

One of the solutions is: people are asked not to shake hands when they meet each other.

A problem with this solution is: people still want to greet each other in a polite and friendly way.

Can you find a better solution? Design a way that people can shake hands without touching each other.

Challenge #2: Cough Catcher

The problem is: people can spread germs by coughing and sneezing.

One of the solutions is: people wear masks to catch droplets from their own coughs and sneezes and prevent breathing in droplets from other people’s coughs and sneezes.

A problem with this solution is: masks can become uncomfortable and make our ears and noses sore.

Can you find a better solution? Design a more comfortable way to stop droplets from coughs and sneezes reaching other people.

Challenge #3: Health Check

The problem is: A fever is one of the first signs that someone is getting sick, but it is hard to tell if someone has a fever just by looking at them.

One of the solutions is: people have their temperature taken when they enter a public building. If they don’t have a fever, they are given a sticker with the date on it, so others can see that they are okay.

A problem with this solution is: the stickers get caught up in people’s hair and/or fall off their clothes. They then fall on the ground and need to be removed.

Can you find a better solution? Design something to help us tell whether someone has a fever or is feeling unwell.

Challenge #4: No Sanitizer Left Behind

The problem is: germs on our hands can enter our mouths when we eat.

One of the solutions is: apply hand sanitizer to our hands before we eat every meal or snack.

A problem with this solution is: if people are eating out somewhere it is easy for them to forget to take their bottle of hand sanitizer with them and leave it on the table.

Can you find a better solution? Design a way to stop people leaving their hand sanitizer bottles behind.

Challenge #5: Design for A Friend

The problem is: children can easily catch viruses from other children

One of the solutions is: children stay home from school if there have been cases of the virus where they live.

A problem with this solution is: children feel sad and lonely when they must stay home.

Can you find a better solution? Design something for a friend who must stay home from school to let them know you are thinking of them.

Challenge #6: Hands Off!

The problem is: we can spread germs when we touch things with our hands.

One of the solutions is: people take extra care to keep their houses clean. They wipe things that have been touched with disinfectant.

A problem with this solution is: we can’t see germs so we can’t tell if something is clean just by looking.

Can you find a better solution? Design a hands-off way to do an everyday task. How might you turn off a light switch, open a door, draw a picture, or play a computer game without touching anything with your hands?

Challenge #7: Contactless Coins

The problem is: money can carry germs because so many different people touch it.

One of the solutions is: people use plastic cards or mobile phones to pay for things.

A problem with this solution is: not everyone has plastic cards or a mobile phone.

Can you find a better solution? Design a way to pay for something with coins where nobody must touch the money.

Challenge #8: Healthy Delivery

The problem is: people must stay in their homes and can’t go out to buy food.

One of the solutions is: people order food to be delivered to their house in a delivery truck.

A problem with this solution is: the delivery truck driver might spread or catch germs when they bring the food to the door.

Can you find a better solution? Design a way for food to be delivered into your house in a way that the driver can stay in the truck.

Challenge #9: Rubbish Remover

The problem is: rubbish and waste can spread germs.

One of the solutions is: people wear plastic gloves when picking up rubbish and waste.

A problem with this solution is: plastic gloves tear easily and are not good for our environment.

Can you find a better solution? Design a way to pick up and dispose of rubbish without touching it.