PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Eighth-grade science students from Presque Isle Middle School took a short road trip on Dec. 7, 2016 to have a hands-on health lesson in the nursing lab at Northern Maine Community College.
Teacher Lisa Dow brought two separate groups totaling 34 students to the NMCC lab, where they learned about where germs hide and how best to protect yourself from them.
The lesson was prepared and conducted by four Level 1 nursing students, who began with a fast-paced trivia game including questions like these: Are there more germs on a cell phone or a toilet seat? How fast do the droplets in a sneeze travel? How long do germs live on surfaces? The science students were surprised by many of the answers.
“My students are so curious and they love to learn hands-on,” said Dow. “This is also a great way to expose them to a higher education lab and to show them what NMCC has to offer.”
The NMCC students chose the topic of germs as a way to help students be proactive regarding their health, and the activity dovetailed with National Hand Washing Week.
“There are so many ways to spread germs but the most important way to combat them is to wash hands thoroughly and often,” said nursing student Betsy Allen.
The students also saw “firsthand” how germs are easily and noticeably passed from person to person with a glitter demonstration. One student’s hands were sprinkled with glitter; that student then gave high-fives to three classmates. Each was left with plenty of sparkling glitter, representing germs.
Finally, germ gel was spread on each student’s hands. The substance illuminates dirt and germs when exposed to blacklight. The result was enlightening and the students were anxious to begin their new handwashing routine before leaving the lab.
