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Who said a Nurse Can’t do Surgery on Germs

May 14, 2020 in Children's Health Education, Music with Kids, The Singing Nurse Music

Who said a nurse can’t do surgery?

I’m very excited you stopped by because I just finished surgery on my new lyric song video “Don’t Spread Your Germs Around”. In this time of virus’, bacteria in our kitchens, colds and COVID19, it’s a great time to review how we can stop the spread of germs. The song is lots of fun with hand motions and even some cute little dancing germs. It took many hours to dice and splice it to make it just right so the educational words will stick in your child’s brain. It’s all about making learning easy and fun for you and your children.

This song will make a great addition to “The Singing Nurse Health Lessons for Kids” Lesson 1 & 4 combo which is all about hand washing and and not spreading your germs around.  I hope you and your families will stay safe at home and may you the awesome teacher be filled with energy as you continue to bring learning to kids online.

Go to this page for some hand selected Germ Books including The Singing Nurse’s Free PDF with pictures and lyrics of “Don’t Spread Your Germs Around” to read to your kids. And while you’re here Subscribe and grab your free hand washing activity eBook.

Please Let me know how I can help make your teaching easier and fun. Do you have any subjects you would like to teach your children that would also include a fun catchy song?

For Healthy Kids,

Ms. Dawn

PS Have fun with this Germ Game to play at home with the whole family.

#germs #covid19 #handwashing #songsforkids

“Don’t Spread Your Germs Around!” Poster

February 16, 2016 in Creative Adventures

"Don't Spread Your Germs Around!"It’s not too late or early enough to remind your kids to stop spreading their germs around. I just created this colorful poster which is really easy for you to “save image” to your computre and print in different sizes. You have my permission. They look best printed on photo paper. Hang them around your classroom, office or Library. You can even print them out in wallet size and let your students use as bookmarks.

Just a note of credit. My patients and his teacher Ms. Sandy painted the background which I really loved and snatched up for a Valentines project and this poster.

Hear the Song

germ poster

We used the same painted background and then created a page on Kian’s table. We added both together to create Valentines cards for all the staff that works with him.

Valentine card w kian

Valentine 2015 coworker project

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Germ Posts you make like.

Green Germ Lesson    Hand Print & Wash Hands    Germ Game

Subscribe for Free Handwashing Activity eBook for Kids

Have a Healthy Day,

Ms. Dawn

My Purell Airplane Trip!

November 30, 2014 in Children's Health Education, News - Updates

purell with words

3 Things I do with Purell Hand Sanitizer.

I just wanted to send out a quick post to remind you about the cold and flu season just about to bombard all of us. I was recently away with family for the Thanksgiving Holiday and came home to the snowy bitter cold of the northeast. The snow is beautiful but best when you don’t have to go anywhere.

So what does all this have to do with airplanes etc.

3 things I do with Purell.

1.  I carry purell where ever I go. It is always hanging from my purse for quick use.

2.  My husband and I have this little ritual while traveling. We squirt the Purell on a tissue and wipe down our area in the plane: the arms and buttons of our seats, the levers, the fold down tables and the magazine pocket edges. Read Dr. Oz’s “Toxic Travel-How to Stay Healthy” post where he explains how these areas are especial germy. Really, how clean can the airlines make the planes with only 10-15 minutes in between unloading and loading passengers? Not much…so we sanitize.

3.  I make sure my husband has his own hand sanitizer.

Things to remember, refill your hand sanitizer bottles when you are at home. It would be great to leave a larger bottle in the car so you can refill before you take off on your adventures.

A bonus today is that Purell has a 30 Days of Sharing & Caring campaign going on right now. I wanted to pass it on to you because it would be a great activity to share with your children. They have a printable chart of good deeds to do like: Bake cookies, Share your lunch, Make someone laugh, Donate clothes/coats etc. Purell is also awarding weekly gifts and prizes to participants. The grand prize is $5,000.00.  You can check it out at Purell30DayHoliday.com. Get going quick because it ends Dec. 16th.

Have a Wonderful Christmas Holiday Season.

Ms. Dawn

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Your Emergency Room Bag, 10 essentials for a germ free visit!

April 15, 2014 in Children's Health Education, Creative Adventures

Your Emergency Room Bag, 10 essentials for a germ free visit!

While away on a family vacation, we ended up in the emergency room and I decided that we needed an emergency room bag.

Fun Emergency Room Bag!

Today’s post is a fun parent/family activity that will remind us how we can be prepared for an ER visit. We can all benefit from helpful information to insure our health and safety. Designing and creating an Emergency Bag is a fun relaxing way to spend time together while discussing health related topics.

We all know how a pregnant woman has her hospital bag ready when her big day arrives unexpectedly? Let’s make sure we are ready with our bag too.

The early childhood center I previously worked for had such a bag for each classroom. The Emergency Bag was brought on field trips and visits to the playground. A family Emergency Bag will help your family be ready too. I will walk you through and explain why I include each item.

Items #1 & 2-bring sanitizing wipes & hand sanitizer. I observed one person carrying a bucket at one point, I assumed in case he needed to vomit, yuck! There are lots of germs lurking around the ER waiting room. I started to wonder how often the tables and chairs were wiped down. In the 4 hours we were there I saw no cleaning going on. A little preparation goes a long way, so bring these items just in case the hospital hand sanitizer dispenser is empty. Wipe down the seat and arms of your chair to insure your area is clean.

Item #3-zip lock bag with a few masks just in case you are near someone coughing, sneezing, blowing their nose or vomiting. While I did notice masks on the wall in a dispenser, you can assume they were for the workers, but what about us well folks waiting in the ER. Prevention goes a long way.

Items #4 & 5-bottled water and healthy snacks. Include a couple bottles of water to keep everyone hydrated; soda from a machine is not as quenching as water. Snacks like prepackaged health bars and almonds are satisfying during a long wait and can be stored in your bag and changed periodically.

Item #6-important information sheets or small notebook. I would include: important ph #’s like your family physician, work and family #’s, you know the ones that are really important. Include a copy-of your Insurance card- both sides, because each includes lots of phone numbers. Keep a health history/summary and allergies for each family member in your bag. You ask in this day and age why bring anything in a hard copy? How many of you have all your important numbers and health histories memorized? And for those of you who store your info on your smart phones, what if your cell phone goes dead or you have no reception?

Item #7-quiet activities for the you and the kids (coloring books, crayons, small books, a mini-etch-a-sketch, small hand held games)

Item #8-change & money (for the snack machines and cafeteria)

Item #9-simple first aid kit (band aids, surgical tape, 2×2’s tissues, surgical glove etc.) these can be placed in a small Ziploc bag.

Item #10**Item Reminder, your Cell phone and charge cord: I always carry my charge cord with me, I think most people do, just a reminder in case your phone goes dead.

While doing some research for this post I came across lots of interesting info like germ zapping robots in hospitals and the creepy truth about the different antibiotic resistant bacteria around us, especially where really sick people hang out. One thing is for sure; if you have a life threatening health issue by all means go to the emergency room where they are equipped to treat you.

If you are in need of medical care for minor situations, it might be better to try your local urgent care facility. Call 911 and they will direct you.

Check out KidsDoc symptom checkers app by healthychildren.org from the American Academy of Pediatrics. It is also available in Spanish. This app has loads of really helpful information, from everyday childhood illnesses with symptom descriptions and easy to follow first aid for injuries. Its easy to search the app by body part, by alphabetical index or by keyword search.

Fun activity for your family or parent group

Emergency Bag contents

Make an Emergency Room Bag

Items you will need:

1. Pre-made washable cloth bags from your favorite craft store.

2. Cloth paints or permanent markers

3. Ziploc bags

All your bag content:

1. Hand sanitizing wipes.

2. Hand sanitizer

3. Face masks

4. Bottled water

5. Healthy snacks

6. Important Information sheets, copy of both sides of Insurance card.

7. Quiet activities

8. Change & money

9. Small First Aid Kit

     a. Band aids

     b. 2×2’s

     c. Surgical tape

     d. Tissues

     e. Surgical gloves

10. Cell phone and charge cord

Decorate your bags with cloth paints or markers, make it fun and display your healthy life style. I feel using a cloth bag is a good choice so it can be washed after your ER visit. Let’s hope you won’t ever need it, but, it probably is inevitable that one day you will pay a visit to the ER.

It would really be fun if you would take a picture of your bags and send them to TheSingingNurse@gmail.com and we will display them. Have fun, be healthy and be ready!

For Life and Healthy Living,

Ms. Dawn

How did your emergency room visit go? What would you have done differently? Everyone can benefit from you experience, please comment below. Comments by Nurses and emergency room personnel also welcome.

Another germ related post you may enjoy about health promotion, hand washing with PDF’s about germs etc..

Free Hand Washing Activity eBook.

 

Got a Cold?

November 18, 2013 in Children's Health Education

First posted in Feb, 2012 but unfortunately true this week. Worth the reminder because the cold season is back again. Slight different events but situations and reasons the same. 🙁 Read on for cold info, remedies, and a simple soup recipe. Hope you stay well…

Yes, yours truly Ms. Dawn has taken a fall… probably from that Rhinovirus going around. Do you think it might have anything to do with cuddling and one too many smooches from the grand-kids on Super Bowl Sunday? The grand-kids have been laying low with colds for the past two weeks. It did not help that my husband came down with it first and lacked the “listen and do”, advice of The Singing Nurse. Please,  “cough or sneeze in your shoulder”, “and if you forget, wash your hands”, and I’ll add another, “please, try not to breath on me”.

Sad but true, no matter how hard we try to keep ourselves healthy, stuff still flies. Actually it really does fly, the germs are airborne when we cough and sneeze and can go as far as 12 ft and that’s pretty far.

So how did I start to feel? This may help you especially if you work with children in close proximity or with fragile patients as I do.

Symptoms:

1. My neck started to ache. This is a big clue and in the nursing world, we call it malaise. You start to feel achy and just not feeling up to snuff.  This is usually the first sign of illness that begins the intrusion on your healthy space and you are probably the most contagious at that time.

So what did I do?

I started wearing a face mask at work. I made every effort to not get too close to my patient, especially his face, and of course I washed my hands frequently. Hand sanitizer is a great back-up measure to have available.  Water, soap and friction are your best bets to prevent the spread of germs. And always…..cough or sneeze in your shoulder and…you guessed it, wash your hands again.

Well, now that we have these crummy little colds:

My husband is on antibiotics because his cold developed into bronchitis. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the brochioles which is part of your lungs. Many people have a tendency to develop bronchitis especially people with asthma.

So what are some home remedies to care for and help alleviate your cold and that general stuffed up feeling? Please if you are very ill or have a fever, check with your doctor to receive medical advice and treatment.

1. Drink fluids…We enjoy hot tea with honey and lemon. I put a pot of soup on which is a great way to get your fluids and take in Vit C rich veggies. The recipe is simple and it is good to have these items on hand during the cold and flu season. Of course if you are totally miserable please don’t feel guilty about opening a ready made can of soup, more power to you.

1 Knorr vegetable mix packet: this one also makes a great dip.

Cut up a handful of baby carrots, 1 medium onion, 1 red potato, fresh cilantro, 2 cloves of garlic and add a couple chicken bouillon cubes to about 5-6 cups of water in a pot.

Bring to a boil and then simmer until veggies are done. The whole process takes about 45-60 mins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2. I like to take vit C or one of those special fizzy packets you mix with water that has vit C in it at the first sign of a cold.

3. Rest is the best way for your body to heal. Your body is working hard to fight off the germs. I know it is very difficult to rest when you have the responsibilities of work and young children. I used to put up a gate in a safe room that the kids could play in while we watched a DVD, listened to music, read books or watched cartoons. We rested and hung out together.

4. My husband likes to breath in warm steam to help open his airways.

Below are a couple of links you may enjoy about colds.

More interesting facts about cold symptoms and germs.

Home remedies by Donna Cordillo R.N.

About the lungs from KidsHealth.org

And just in case you have not heard The Singing Nurse songs about not spreading germs and washing hands, you might want to check them out, they are great for teaching your children how to protect themselves from germs. The songs are educational and entertaining and your kids will become little “Don’t Spread Your Germs Around” advocates.

Please add a comment below about your winter blues and what you are doing to stay healthy.

 Sign up today to receive our posts, free hand washing activity eBooks for kids and creative resources for teaching.

 Ms. Dawn

 

Happy Global Handwashing Day!

October 13, 2013 in Children's Health Education

So here you are looking for some creative ways to show the kids how to wash their hands and The Singing Nurse wants to help.  Teaching our preschoolers and young children about proper hand washing is a great start to living a happy and healthy life.  When we are knowledgeable about being healthy and not spreading our germs we are being good neighbors too. I have gathered some of my own hand washing posts and would love to share other great resource from cyberspace to help you with your preparations. 

Yes, Oct. 15th is set aside by the CDC as “Global Handwashing Day” It is so true that many illnesses and deaths are being prevented by good hand washing. 

This is the link to the CDC where you will find loads of info.

I love this video about hand washing in India, they make a hand washing contraption that is very creative. Try and make this with your older kids, it would make a wonderful science project. 

Post by The Singing Nurse:

 ♥ Cool Hand Washing Videos
 ♥ Cool Books about Hand Washing
 ♥ Hand Washing Activity eBook
 ♥ Fun Green Germ Activity
 ♥ Hand Print and Washing Fun
 ♥ Family Germ Game

Happy Global Handwashing Day to you!

Ms. Dawn, The Singing Nurse

Don’t forget to subscribe to receive your free Hand Washing Activity eBook

Back to School Germ Solutions!

September 3, 2013 in Children's Health Education

Just wanted to let you all know that The Singing Nurse has your back to school germ solution. A free fun activity reminder about not sharing those crummy germs that make us all so sick. We all have been enjoying the out doors this summer and haven’t spent much time huddled together right? Well we all know the fall and winter is closing in soon and I wanted to offer a free fun germ activity solution for all you folk who will be huddling with little ones and maybe some not so little co-workers. 

Hand Washing Activity book sample aug 2013 Dawn Ginese RN resized w TSNWe here at The Singing Nurse have created a fun & free 8 page Hand Washing Activity eBook.  This will be a wonderful resource to kick off your school year. You can copy it off and send the activity booklet home with your children or use it in your educational situation. The activity sheets will encourage creativity as well as educate your kiddos about not spreading germs, hand washing, coughing and sneezing in their shoulders and more.  All you have to do is subscribe to our newsletter and bingo you have your Free Hand Washing Activity eBook in PDF form all ready for your kids this fall and all year long. For those of you who are subscribed and missed it go ahead and hit the subscribe button to receive your copy today.

Our email newsletter will keep you updated with our recent posts, free resources, contests and more. Don’t miss out, subscribe at the link below.

Click to Subscribe to your Free Hand Washing Activity eBook and more!

Other Options:

 ♥ Individual Lessons which includes a song

 ♥ The whole Health Lessons for Kids which includes lessons, songs & one hand washing animation

Remember to Subscribe!

For Healthy Kids,

Ms. Dawn

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Do you have any areas of concern  that you are trying to creatively solve in your circle of influence? Give us a shout and maybe we can help…We would love to hear from you. Make a comment below or use our contact page.

How to Make Hand Washing Fun!

March 19, 2013 in Children's Health Education

 We all like to learn new ways and interesting activities for hand washing. Simple projects for young children and preschoolers can make washing hands fun. I hope you enjoy these sites that promote go hand hygiene and offer lots of free stuff too.

How cool is this organization, they contract hotels to donate soaps that the hotel usually throws out. They recycle, test and repackage it and give it to Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) that are teaching good hand hygiene around the world which saves lives. Sweet! http://www.globalsoap.org/

The CDC has a Global Handwashing Day in Oct. Check out their site for the details.

Quote from CDC website:

“About 2.2 million children5 under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children around the world.2 Handwashing is not only simple and inexpensive, but remarkably, handwashing with soap can dramatically cut the number of young children who get sick. Handwashing with soap could protect about 1 out of every 3 young children who get sick with diarrhea3 and almost 1 out of 6 young children with respiratory infections like pneumonia4. Although people around the world clean their hands with water, very few use soap to wash their hands. Washing hands with soap removes germs much more effectively5.”

When the CDC says you should wash your hands, click here. 

KidsHealth is a great site with more info about germs and handwashing. It also has an audio feature so you can let the kids listen. This site is a great resource for parents and teachers as well.

I really like this poster from a Massachusetts governmental website.  Handwashing poster 

 You may like this post that shares my favorite handwashing videos.

 Have a great week educating your kids in healthy hand washing!

For Life and Healthy Living,

Ms. Dawn

What are some of your favorite, fun and engaging hand washing activities for kids?

 

 

 

Flu Shot Quiz & Wash hands too!

January 18, 2013 in Children's Health Education

Get a Flu Shot & Wash Your Hands!

Hey there, I went and received my Flu shot today. I usually get mine in October but I have been fighting the sniffles off and on.  I still have to wait two week for it to work.

The CDC say the Flu shot is our best defense against the flu, but hand washing and covering our sneeze and coughs are helpful prevention actions. The Doc says it take 2 week to build up immunity, so get going, go get your shot. Reports say that the flu is wide spread and already touching all states.

Teachers and parents test your knowledge with the cool flu quiz below.


Have you missed work or school because of the flu? Let us know how the flu is hitting your area and what you have been doing to protect you and your families?

Below are some fun activities and previous posts about germ prevention.

 Green Germ Lesson for Kids  ♥ Germ Game  ♥ Hand Washing Lesson & Songs  
♥ Kid Hand Washing Songs

 

Have a Healthy New Year, Ms. Dawn

Did we tell you? “Hand Washing Animation for Kids” also included!

November 24, 2012 in Children's Health Education, News - Updates, Uncategorized

Did we tell you? Did you know? The “Rubba Dub Dub Animated Handwashing Song for Kids” is included in The Singing Nurse Health Lessons for Kids”.

We have four different ways you can have your own copy before the cold and flu season bombards you. Germs are all around and teaching young children to wash their hands is the one tried and true way to prevent winter colds and flu. Of course coughing and sneezing in your shoulder is another tool for preventing illness in preschoolers as well.

I know what you are thinking, you’ve got to be kidding, have you seen my little snot nosed kids? Believe me when you get these little songs in their heads it becomes second nature for your children to cough or sneeze in their shoulder and washing hands becomes a fun activity.

Meditation in right thinking is invaluable. Hearing a catchy song is like hearing 1000 sweet little reminders.

“A picture is worth a 1000 words.”

1. You can own a copy when you purchase our download version, sent to you within 24-48 hrs.

2. You can own a copy when you purchase Individual Lesson #1

3. You can own a copy when you purchase Individual Lesson Combo 1 & 4 

 

Hey, just a reminder this is Support Small Business Saturday…We appreciate your business !

Download a little happiness! 🙂

Ms. Dawn