HUGHESTOWN — Candice Henley treated students in Noelle Imbrogno’s first grade class to a short story Tuesday, but it wasn’t about cute animals or tough trucks.
It was about those little germ-collectors inside their noses, i.e., boogers.
The story focused on how germs can spread when a person picks their nose and flicks their boogers, to which students, in unison, replied, “Ewwww.”
At one point, the fateful tale discussed the negative repercussions of eating boogers, to which one student shouted, “I’m never doing that again.”
Imbrogno’s class was one of eight first grade classes at the Pittston Area Primary Center to learn about germs through a presentation called “Germ City.”
Kim Auman, Project Manager of the Geisinger and Kohl’s Cares Moving4Health Program, talked about how important it is for students to learn about germs and how they can prevent them from spreading.
“Hand washing is one of the most important things that anybody can do to keep their bodies healthy, especially during flu season,” she said. “We come in and we try to reinforce it yearly with the kids to make sure they do it properly because a lot of times they don’t.”
The presentation began with a short film about the importance of keeping clean hands to prevent germs from spreading. Afterwards, the students were given a special lotion to rub on their hands and were put in a dark room called “Germ City” where they put their hands under blue lights to see the germs on their hands.
The students went to the bathroom to wash the germs off and go back into “Germ City” to see if they got all of it off.
Auman, however, said the trick is the students are seeing the lotion and not real germs.
“The lotion was tested and it sticks to the hands like a typical germ would,” she said. “The reason we do it is because it’s a hands-on technique to really see how effective their hand washing is. So, if they go to the sink and they’re not doing it properly they’re going to see a lot of lotion left when they go through the second time.”
After the students go back through “Germ City” to see if they got all of the “germs” off, Henley, Geisinger Community Educator of the Geisinger and Kohl’s Cares Moving4Health Program, read them the story about boogers.
Henley said sometimes the book gets through to students about no longer picking their noses, but sometimes it doesn’t.
“Just bringing the awareness, you do reach some of those kids,” she said. “As long as you’re reaching someone, it’s worth it.”
The program is sponsored through Geisinger and its partnership with Kohl’s Cares Moving4Health, which, according to its website, is a program providing innovative childhood obesity prevention education, resources and activities so children can learn to make healthy choices on their own.
Principal Arthur Savokinas said he discovered “Germ City” during a presentation at Pittston Area High School.
“I saw the importance of it and it’s hands-on,” he said. “I thought if the kids could see what’s being left in their hands we could encourage them to have better habits when they’re washing their hands, using the bathroom, and eating. I just figured it’s something that could promote a healthier lifestyle for the children.”
The “Germ City” presentation marked the third time Geisinger and Kohl’s Cares Moving4Health brought the program to the primary center, and Auman said she and Henley will be back in January to present it to kindergarten students.
Auman said no matter how many times they give the presentation, she and Henley always enjoy seeing the students.
“I enjoy children and I like to see the process of awareness and how excited they get,” said Auman. “For children, it’s the little things and little touches that matter. Changing one habit now could really impact how healthy they are in the future.”
