Wash the Germs Away - Girl Scouts Heart Of Central California

[ P A R T 1 ]
DISCOVER: Germs
[ Approximate Time: 1 hour ]
1. Introduction:
*Tip* Inform the girls to raise their hands quietly if they wish to respond to a question. Choose only a few different girls each
time to respond to a question to keep the pace of the lesson moving along.
A. To get the girls thinking about germs, ask the girls the following questions:
What are germs? OR Have you heard the word germ?
Think back to the last time you were sick. How did you feel?
Do you know why you got sick? OR What made you sick?
Expanding Vocabulary: Write on the board and review the term “germ.”
Objective:
Today you will learn about germs, influenza, and the importance of handwashing and the value of your health. Also, you will
learn how keeping yourself healthy helps protect others around from getting sick. This includes your troop, your classmates
and your family. In addition, you can help keep your grandparents or elders healthy since they may not be able to fight illness
as easily as you can.
2. Required Activity: Draw A Germ
Materials:
Pencils or Markers
Paper
Instructions:
1. Pass out a sheet of paper and pencil or marker to each girl.
2. Ask the girls to trace their hand.
3. Then ask the girls to draw a germ – how they think it looks and its size. Encourage them to use their imagination and give
them 4 minutes to complete this drawing.
Explain: Germs are things that can make us sick. What do you think something that makes you feel sick looks like?
Draw it.
4. Have the girls compare their germs with other troop members to see who drew the smallest germ.
5. Ask for a volunteer to draw the “smallest germ” on the board. (They can use the back side of their paper if no board is
available.)
Explain: Germs are smaller than a pencil dot on their paper. Germs are so small they cannot be seen with the eyes alone
and can only be seen under a microscope.
There are two main types of germs that make us feel sick (cause illness), virus and bacterium. Viruses and bacteria
come in different shapes and sizes.
Expanding Vocabulary: Write on the board and review the terms “virus” “viruses” and “bacterium” “bacteria.”
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