Grand Ideas

I need to eat clean foods.

I need to wash my hands before eating.

I need to store my foods properly.

Preschool children often help to prepare the foods that they eat. As they get older, children often become more responsible for preparing shacks and meals and also feeding themselves. It is important that young children begin to learn the importance of cleaning their hands and food before preparing and eating food.

Teacher Know How

Safety and sanitation are essential for good health. Improperly stored food, spoiled food and unwashed fruits and vegetables can cause illness. Experts estimate that two million cases of illness are caused by spoilt, unwashed or improperly stored food. These types of illnesses can be avoided by keeping hands clean, keeping the kitchen clean and storing foods properly.

Preschool is an excellent time to help children become responsible for personal hygiene. Children usually enjoy washing with, soap and water. They often like the feel of the soap and water. It is important for children to learn to wash their hands before eating and after toileting. Hand washing is the most important factor in preventing the spread of disease and harmful bacteria. Children can also practice washing dishes and storing play foods or food packages in the housekeeping area.

It is also important for preschool children to learn that healthy foods are clean and safe. Children can learn to use their senses to smell or see that foods are spoilt. Safe and healthful food handling
techniques can be practiced during cooking experiences and at mealtime.

Teachers can use the following information to become aware of personal and kitchen cleanliness standards and proper sanitation in food preparation and storage.

Personal Cleanliness

Strict standards for personal hygiene have been established by state and county health officials for food service workers. You can prevent food-borne illness by following these same standards in your own kitchen.

· Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before beginning and after sneezing, coughing, using the toilet or touching your face, hair or any unsanitary object. Use soap and hot water. Keep fingernails clean and well-groomed.

• Keep hair away from face and avoid touching hair while you work.
• Wear clean clothes and a clean apron when working around food. Bacteria can accumulate on dirty clothes. Avoid loose sleeves which can dip into food.
• If you have an open sore or cut, do not handle food (unless you wear plastic mitts). Open sores are a major source of staphylococcal bacteria.
• Do not smoke while working around food. Ashes can fall into food.
• Do not taste and cook with the same spoon. Use one spoon for tasting and one for stirring. To taste, pour a little of the food from the stirring spoon onto the tasting spoon. Do not lick your fingers.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a disposable tissue, wash hands immediately.
• After handling raw meat, fish, poultry or eggs, wash hands thoroughly before touching cooked foods. This will prevent the transfer of bacteria.

Kitchen cleanliness is as important as personal cleanliness. Bacteria are easily transferred from dirty cutting boards, counters and utensils to food. To keep your kitchen sanitary, follow these guidelines:

• Keep your work area clean. Wipe up spills as you work and remove dirty utensils from your work area before proceeding to the next task. Bacteria grow quickly in spills and on dirty utensils.
• Use clean utensils and containers. Never use the same utensil or cutting board for both raw and cooked meat, poultry, fish or eggs. Utensils can transfer bacteria from raw foods to cooked foods.
• Never use a dish towel to wipe hands or spills. Dirty towels can transfer bacteria.
• Keep cans clean and dust-free. Dust and dirt could fall into food when the can is opened.
• Periodically wash counters and cutting boards with a chlorine bleach solution to kill bacteria.
• Wash any dirty dishes and utensils properly. Use hot water and detergent. Wash glasses first, then flatware, dishes, pots and pans and greasy utensils. Rinse with scalding water. Air dry or use a clean dish towel. Adapt state guidelines for dishwashing and sanitizing to your classroom.
• Rinse and air dry sponges and dish cloths between uses.
• Dispose of garbage properly. Frequent washing and air drying of garbage pails prevents odors and bacterial growth.

Proper food preparation and storage are essential to prevent bacteria from multiplying. Here are some tips on maintaining sanitary conditions:

• Always keep hot foods hot, above 60 C (140 F) Keep cold foods cold, below 5 C (40 F). Bacteria rapidly multiply between these temperatures. They multiply fastest at temperatures between 16 C (600 F) and 52 C (126 F). This danger zone includes room temperature, so it is important not to leave food on kitchen counters.
• Check thermometers and gaskets in the refrigerator and freezer frequently. Refrigerator temperatures should be 50 C (40 F) or just slightly below. Freezer temperatures should be -18 C (0 F) or below. Door gaskets should be tight. If a dollar bill can be slipped out easily, the gasket is loose and should be replaced.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer clean.
• Package refrigerated and frozen foods properly. Use moisture and vapor proof wraps for the freezer. Use foods within the recommended storage time.
• Thaw foods properly. Do not thaw on the kitchen counter or table. Refrigerated thawing is safer.
• Refrigerate custards, meringue and cream pies and foods filled with custard mixtures as soon as they have cooled slightly.
• Hasten cooling by placing the container of food in an ice water bath.
• Stuff raw poultry, meat and fish just before baking. Stuffing should reach an internal temperature of at least 740 C (1650 F). Remove stuffing promptly and refrigerate it separately. Refrigerate gravy, stuffing and meat immediately after the meal.
• Use only clean, fresh, unbroken eggs for eggnogs; custards poached, scrambled, and soft-cooked eggs; and other dishes in which the eggs will not be cooked thoroughly.
• Do not partially cook meat, poultry or fish and complete the cooking the next day.
• Do not refreeze foods unless they still contain ice crystals. Do not refreeze ice cream which has thawed. Use defrosted foods immediately.
• Never taste any food which looks or smells questionable. Dispose of it promptly.
• Cook all pork products and ground beef thoroughly.

Objectives

Children will learn and practice safe and clean food preparation and storage habits.

Children will practice clean eating habits.
 
 

Children will listen to the Wishing Washing Star story and practice washing their hands.

Materials Needed

Wishing Washing Star story, see below
story pictures on page 3-10
food pictures (pictures from other lessons can be used)
heavy paper or cardboard
glue or tape
crayons or felt tip markers
scissors
hole punch
basin or sink
soap
warm water
towels or paper towels

Directions

Color and cut out the story pictures on page 3-10. Glue or tape the pictures to heavy paper or card board. Trim any excess paper.

Read Wishing Washing Star story, see below, to the children. Use the story cards to highlight the story. After the story has been read, ask the children to answer the following:

What did Little Star wish for?
Who appeared when Little Star wished for food?
What is the first rule?
Do we wash our hands before eating and cooking?
What do we use to wash our hands?
How do we wash our hands?
Is it important to clean our fingernails when we wash our hands?
Do we wash our hands after going to the bathroom?

Using a basin or sink, have the children practice washing their hands and fingernails with soap and warm water.

Food For Thought

Ask the children to demonstrate how to wash their hands. Also have them describe why and when they need to wash their hands.

Children will show that they know how to properly wash food and hands for mealtime by drawing or painting a picture of the activities which can then be used as a reminder for children.

Materials Needed

Hand Washing Chart on page 3-11
paper
crayons, felt tip markers or paint
blackboard, bulletin board or wall
tape or thumbtacks

Directions

Display the Hand Washing Chart on page 3-11. Review the steps until the children know them well. Ask the children to describe when they should wash their hands.

Ask the children to draw or paint a picture of the first thing they should do before preparing or eating food (wash their hands). The children can trace their hands and draw soap bubbles.

Place these pictures on the wall, bulletin board or blackboard using thumbtacks or tape as a reminder or instruction card for other children. Other activities that could be focused on include:

   tooth brushing
   food washing
   pot or pan scrubbing
   dishwashing

Instant film pictures of children washing their hands could be taken.

Food For Thought

Have the children act out the first thing that they would do before preparing and eating food.
 
 

To Know and Learn

Children will practice clean food preparation and fine motor coordination skills by playing a game and making a salad.

Materials Needed

Tomato Chant, see below
taste test party instructions on page 1-10
a variety of food items (for example: lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, celery, green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, olives, grated cheese, salad dressing)

raw tomato
knife
cutting board
bowls or basins
towel
plates
forks and serving spoons

Directions

Review how to wash raw fruits and vegetables.

Have the children sit in a circle and place a bowl or basin of water and a towel in the middle of the circle. Give one child a raw tomato.

Practice saying the Tomato Chant, see below, until the children know it well. Ask the child with the tomato to pass it around the circle. Tell the children that whoever has the tomato when the word, "clean"; is said must rinse the tomato in the water and dry it off before passing it onto the next child. If the tomato is passed without being washed when the word "clean" is said, that child is out of the game. Continue until everyone has had a chance to wash the tomato.

After the game, have the children prepare a vegetable tast testing party (see page 1-10). Display the picture recipe and review the directions with the children until they know them well. Have the children:

• wash and cut the vegetables
• arrange them on a plate
• eat the vegetables

Food For Thought

Ask the children to name the foods in the salad that need to be washed before being eaten.

To Know and Learn

Children will practice techniques for cleaning fresh fruits and vegetables.

Materials Needed

The Carrot Strut, see below
raw carrots
vegetable peeler or other vegetable brush

Directions

Sing The Carrot Strut, see below, to the children. Have them repeat each line until they know it well.

Give the children their own raw carrots and let them wash the carrots. Ask the children to name everyone who eats carrots (people, rabbits, Bugs Bunny, etc.)

Show the children how to act out the song. To make the activity more exciting, the teacher could
dress as a carrot in orange and wear a green hat. Children could make green and orange head bands to wear.

Have the children perform The Carrot Strut. They can scrape the carrots during the song with a vegetable brush or peeler or they could just pretend to scrape them.

Ask the children how to prepare carrots for eating. Have them identify other fruits and vegetables that are prepared in a similar manner. Tell them that it is important to wash all raw fruits and vegetables before eating them.

Let the children eat the carrots and have them describe the sound the carrot makes when chewed.

Food For Thought

Ask the children to act out the proper way of preparing raw fruits and vegetables for eating.
 
 

To Know and Learn

Children will learn the importance of cleanliness in eating and cooking by singing Clean Eating and practicing these behaviors.

Materials Needed

Clean Eating song on page 3-8
basin of warm sudsy water
basin of warm rinse water
soap
sponge
toothpaste
towel
pots and pans
apple or carrot
toothbrush

Directions

Read Clean Eating song on page 3-8 to the children. Have them repeat each line until they know it well.

Demonstrate the activities identified in the song, such as washing hands, scrubbing pots and pans, cleaning food and brushing teeth. Let the children practice each of these activities by:

• Placing their hands under warm water, adding soap, twisting and rubbing their hands until suds appear and rinsing their hands of soap (the Hand Washing Chart on page 3-1 1 can be used).
• Placing fruit under running water until wet, rub with clean hands and dry.
• Placing plates, forks, spoons, pots and pans in warm, sudsy water, rubbing with a sponge to clean, rinsing in warm water and setting them out to dry (if possible, provide children with an opportunity to practice washing dishes in the housekeeping area).
• Placing toothbrush under water to wet, adding toothpaste, brushing teeth in a circular front-to-back motion and rinsing mouth and toothbrush.

Have the children practice these activities regularly.

The following books can be used to further explore the concepts taught in this lesson:

Kim Remembers To Wash (Yakima Home Economics Association, P.O. Box 2424, Yakima, Washington 98902, 1973).

The Man Who Didn't Wash His Dishes (P. Drasilovshy, Scholastic Book Service, New York, 1950).

Food For Thought

Ask the children to demonstrate correct procedures for hand or food washing; plate, fork, spoon, pot or pan washing; and brushing teeth.

To Know and Learn

Children will understand the facts about clean and safe food preparation and storage techniques by completing an apple puzzle and answering questions.

Materials Needed

apple puzzle on page 3-12
apple puzzle questions cards on page 3-13
crayons or felt tip markers
bulletin board, blackboard or wall
tape or thumbtacks
scissors

Directions

Color and cut out the apple puzzle on page 3-12. Cut along the dotted lines to separate the puzzle pieces. Question cards on page 3-13 can also be cut out.

Divide the class into two teams. Read one question. The first team to correctly answer the question gets to add one puzzle piece to the bulletin board, blackboard or wall. The team that completes the apple puzzle first wins the game.

Ethnic or regional foods should be inserted into the question cards.

Food For Thought

Based on the responses to the questions, review safe and clean food storage, preparation and eating techniques.
 
 

APPLE PUZZLE QUESTION CARDS

What part of your body do clean before washing fruit? (hands)

How should good hand washing water feel?(warm)

Do you wash your legs and hands each time you prepare to eat?(no)

Does a (glass) need to be washed after you use it?
*(plate, cup, fork, knife, spoon or napkin) (yes)

Do we eat bread that has bugs on it?(no)

Where do we keep (milk)?
(raw fruits and vegetables, cheese or meat)(cool place)

What should we do before eating foods that have fallen on the floor? (clean them)

Do we need to wash a (spoon)* that fell on the floor? (plate, cup, fork, knife or napkin)(yes)

Where do we keep canned foods that are not opened? (cupboard, bag, box, pantry, closet or cabinet)

Where do we keep frozen vegetables?
·(ice cream, bread, cereal)(in the freezer)