Why Do I Catch Colds?
HEALTH
Get curious
4 min
Talk (4 min)
Think back to the last time you had a cold and discuss the symptoms you had and the treatments you tried.
You can ask: What symptoms indicated that you had a cold? How did you feel? What bothered you the most? How did your parents help you to get better? Did you use any home remedies for your cold?
On one side of the blackboard write down the symptoms of a cold, and on the other, ways of coping with a cold.
8 min
Video/ Slide show (8 min)
Watch a film in which a doctor talks about why we catch colds.
Discuss: What causes diseases? Why do we need protection against viruses? How is the immune system similar to an army? How can we help our immune system to fight against viruses?
Get going
5 min
Observing (5 min)
Imagine the size of a virus by observing a grain of sand, and find out how a sick person spreads millions of viruses.
Ask: can a small virus be clearly seen with the naked eye? What do we need to see a virus in detail? Give children grains of sand. A virus is even smaller than one grain! Show photographs of various types of viruses, as seen under an electron microscope: http://www.eyeofscience.de/en/viruses/
6 min
Video/ Slide show (6 min)
Watch a film and find out how a virus invades your body!
Recap on the knowledge you have gained from your observations and from watching the film: How does a sick person spread viruses? How and how quickly do viruses propagate?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpj0emEGShQ&feature=youtu.be
4 min
Observing (4 min)
Check how to sneeze correctly.
2 min
Manual exercise (2 min)
In order to avoid transferring viruses, you should wash your hands very carefully. Practice!
Show students how to wash their hands properly. They can practice on their own during the break. Students count how long it should take to wash their hands with the help of a song. An appropriate time is about 15 – 20 seconds, or the time taken to sing “Incy Wincy Spider”
6 min
Movement game (6 min)
Take part in a movement game, which will illustrate the battle between the human body and viruses in the course of a cold.
Get practicing
Observing
Conduct observations and check how many times in a day you can catch a cold.
On a selected day after school, try to observe your family, friends and other persons – for example, on the street or in the shops. Try to count how many of them sneeze. Observe – what do they do next? What objects do they touch afterwards? Think about what objects are touched in your home by unwashed hands. On which of them do you think most viruses may be found? You can talk about it with your parents/brothers and sisters. Remember too, that washing your hands for a sufficiently long time will remove viruses from them.
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