Washing Hands Before Eating

My name is Marcus, and I am a superhero. Today at school, I smell something amazing coming from the cafeteria. It is lunchtime, and my tummy is rumbling because I am very hungry.

I run to get my lunch tray. Mrs. Chen is helping serve the food. I am so excited that I almost forget to wash my hands first.

Mrs. Chen says, 'Marcus, wait! Do you remember what superheroes do before eating?' I stop and think. She is right because washing my hands gets rid of invisible germs that live on my skin.

Germs are teeny-tiny living things I cannot see. They live on my hands when I play outside or touch things during the day. If I eat with germy hands, the germs go into my body and can make me feel sick.

I walk to the sink because washing my hands is my superpower. I turn on the warm water and pump soap into my palm. The soap bubbles are foamy and white.

I rub my hands together and scrub between my fingers, on the backs of my hands, and under my nails. I scrub for as long as it takes to sing 'Happy Birthday' two times because that is how long germs need to wash away.

I rinse all the bubbles away with clean water so that no soap is left on my hands. Then I dry my hands with a paper towel. My hands are now clean and super strong.

I walk back to the cafeteria and sit down at the table with my clean hands. I pick up my sandwich and take a big bite. It tastes delicious, and my tummy is happy because the germs are gone.

Every time I wash my hands before eating, I am using my superpower to keep my body healthy and strong. Washing my hands stops germs from making me sick, so I can play and have fun all day long.