Handwashing Blitz tackles germs during cold, flu season

Students in southwest Louisville got an interactive lesson on tackling germs during cold and flu season.

The Handwashing Blitz, sponsored by Louisville Water’s education program, was held at the Americana Community Center.

Using glow-in-the-dark lotion, Louisville Water Educator Barbara Crow showed how easily bacteria on dirty hands can spread from one person to another.

With hands covered in green lotion mimicking germs, the students were told to wash their hands to get rid of common viruses like E.coli.

“Washing your hands every time you use the bathroom is very important,” Crow informed the students. “If you use the bathroom 20 times, you have to wash your hands 20 times.”

Under a special black light, traces of the “germs” seen on the students’ hands let them know if they did a good job or if they needed to wash a little longer next time.

To make sure the students remembered the lesson, Crow used a counting exercise that showed the importance of cleaning in between fingers, the backs of hands, and under fingernails.

“One, two, finger party, three, four…”

The exercise ended with the students waving their clean hands in the air.

Americana is a grassroots, non-profit organization that serves Louisville’s refugee, immigrant and underserved community.

To schedule a free visit in your classroom from one of our water educators, tap here.