School › Immune system › Ages 6–7
My body's defenders
How your skin, tears and white blood cells keep harmful germs out, and why washing hands with soap helps. With a glitter-germs experiment.
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Your body has a team of defenders called the immune system. Its job is to stop harmful germs from making you ill.[1]
Your skin is like a strong wall. It helps keep germs out of your body.[2]
Sticky mucus in your nose traps germs. Your tears and spit have something in them that can break down some germs.[2]
Inside your body, white blood cells travel in your blood, looking for problems. Some of them gobble up germs.[1][2]
When a cut gets red, warm and a bit swollen, your defenders are busy working there.[2]
Germs can get onto your hands and then into your mouth, nose or eyes. Washing your hands with soap and water for about 20 seconds helps stop germs spreading.[6][7]
Try it: Glitter germs
You need
- A little hand cream or cooking oil
- Fine biodegradable glitter (the 'germs')
- Two bowls of water
- Liquid soap
- Paper towels
Safety
Use biodegradable glitter and keep it away from eyes and mouths. Check for skin allergies before using hand cream; use a soap the school already uses. Wipe up spilled water so nobody slips.
What to do
- The teacher puts a little hand cream on your hands and sprinkles on some glitter. These are pretend germs!
- Shake hands with a friend or touch a book. Where do the 'germs' go?
- Try to wash the glitter off in a bowl of water with no soap. Rub for 20 seconds (sing 'Happy Birthday' twice). Look: how much is left?
- Now wash with soap and water, rubbing the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails for 20 seconds.
- Dry your hands. Which way worked better?
Play: Keeps germs away?
Read each card. Does it help keep germs away, or could it help germs spread? Pick the right box.
Your best score is kept only on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Quiz
Other ages: Ages 10–11 · Ages 15–16