Rub a dub scrub: Pennsylvania’s Get Smart Drawing Competition Fights BAC! ® that could be on hands.
Kids’ hands are a favorite hiding place for harmful bacteria. It’s no surprise that many foodborne disease outbreaks start with contaminated hands. For kids, germs are out of sight and out of mind. They don’t think about invisible pathogens lurking on their hands before they put their fingers in their mouths, pick up a sandwich, or pass toys to classmates.
BAC Fighter Natalie Mueller of Pennsylvania’s Get Smart program has come up with a contest to make the importance of handwashing memorable to kids across the state. This Fall, kids will be asked to draw a picture that illustrates why it’s important to wash their hands.
Prompting kids to visualize germs on their hands will shed light on just why they are supposed to wash their hands. Kids can be as creative as they want; drawing germ-battling heroes or simply drawing everything they touched in day. A picture is worth a thousand words – especially a picture of all of the scary germs that might be on your hands! That’s a lesson that doesn’t fade quickly.