Lesson Plan Form

Activity Title:_______Hidden Germs_______________ Age Group:________4-5_________

Originating Idea
I am choosing to implement this activity to promote personal care and the knowledge of germs
to stay healthy.

Materials
Black light and Invisible Ink. Classroom sink and soap will be used

Curriculum Content:
Physical Development and Health: Personal Care

Beginning
Germs and bacteria are everywhere but they cannot be seen with a human eye. The way that germs
spread the fastest is through our hands and what we touch. It is important to wash our hands often,
so we keep ourselves and others healthy. Today I will be giving you all a handful of germs and we will
see how they look before you wash your hands, and how they look after to see how efficiently you
wash your hands.

Middle:
Children will line up to each get a drop of invisible ink into their hands. They will rub their hands
together to spread the ink around their hands until it dries. Then using the blacklight, each student will
see how although the ink is invisible to our eyes, it is still there. Then students will take turns washing
their hands and check with the black light to see how well they did at cleaning off the ink (germs).

Extensions:
Earlier: Students only receive a small drop in their hand and if they are unable to clean it off fully with
soap and water, they will receive a wet wipe.

Later: Students will receive enough ink to cover a large span of their hands. They will be asked to test
the difference between washing their hands with cold water and hot water to see if there is a
difference in how efficiently the ink is removed.

End
I will make sure everyone’s hands are fully cleaned or dried with a wet wipe. I will transition into a
cleanup time by encouraging students to use their wet wipes to wipe down tables as they are also
wiping their hands. This allows us to go from work time to clean up efficiently.

Follow-up Ideas: Having the invisible ink and black light still be tools in the classroom only available
to the educators will allow for more activities. The black light can be used with food such as fruit
during mealtime to see if the fruit has been cleaned properly and the importance of washing certain
food before it is eaten.