Happy Birthday Clean Hands

Before the meeting: 

1. Confirm a meeting location that has a sink for Cub Scouts to wash their hands. 
2. Review the article Clean Hands Save Lives from the CDC.  
3. Set up a handwashing station with soap and paper towels. 
4. Print the Wash Your Hands poster and place it at the handwashing station. 
5. Print the Know When to Wash Your Hands at School poster and place it at the handwashing station. 

During the meeting: 

1. Gather Cub Scouts and adult partners and ask when you should wash your hands.  Give everyone who wants to share a chance to answer.  Review any item that wasn’t mentioned. 
   • After you go to the bathroom 
   • After you play with a dog, a cat, or other animal 
   • After you blow your nose, sneeze, or cough 
   • After you touch garbage 
   • Before and after you help to prepare food 
   • Before you handle plates, utensils, or cups 
   • Before you eat 
   • When your hands have dirt on them  
   • When your hands have been touching a lot of things that others have touched 
2. Bring Cub Scouts over to the handwashing station to demonstrate how to wash your hands. 
   • Put your hands under clean, running water.  Put soap on your hands. Turn off the water. 
   • Rub your hands together palm to palm.  They should get sudsy.   
   • With your left palm facing down, place your right hand on top of your left and interlock your finger. Scrub vigorously to clean the space between your fingers. Switch hands and repeat. 
   • With your right hand, grab your left thumb and rotate your hand around it. Switch hands and repeat. 
   • Take the tips of your fingers and press them into your opposite palm, rotating them around the palm in a circular motion. Switch hands and repeat. 
   • Rinse the soap from your hands, grab a towel or paper towel and then use it to turn the faucet off. 
3. After you have demonstrated the steps to washing hands inform Cub Scouts and adult partners that the time it takes to do all these steps should be the time it takes for you to sing the Happy Birthday song. 
4. Have each Cub Scout take a turn washing their hands following the steps as they sing the Happy Birthday song.