Hygiene

Resources

• Kids Health- Puberty and Growing Up: Information about various puberty topics (e.g., body, school, substances, menstruation, body hair, skin problems). This can be used to support lesson planning or provide further background information about specific topics or questions.
• Teen Health- Body Care: information about various hygiene topics (e.g., acne, dandruff, eczema, shaving, etc.) to support lesson planning, or to answer any questions you may have about these topics.
• Government of Canada- Hand washing and staying healthy: Covers how hand washing can be developed as a healthy habit and what to change during a boil water advisory.
• Center for Disease Control (CDC)- Cover Your Coughs and Sneezes – Kids: A video supporting healthy habits to avoid the spread of flu and germs.
  •  What you need to Know about Handwashing: Questions and answers covered in this video are about the fine details related to handwashing. Available in French.
  • Pinkfong Baby Shark- Wash Your Hands with Baby Shark: A catchy song/video for young children that goes over the steps to washing your hands and other healthy habits.
• Government of Canada- Handwashing Heroes: A video (with a transcript) offering key handwashing steps and details. Available in French.

Lessons and Activities

• WECHU- Kahoot’s Hygiene Presentation: A fun activity developed to reinforce the grade 4 Healthy Living Strand on Human Development and Sexual Health. There is a Personal Hygiene Lesson Plan and a Facilitator’s Guide both in English and French.
• Kids Health®- Grade 6 to 8 Personal Health Series: Information, activities, and quizzes related to the curriculum. Content is linked and grouped by topic and subtopics.
• Ophea: Free online resources to support educators in implementing the Ontario Health and Physical Activity Curriculum (Grades 1-8), including lesson plans and resources regarding hygiene. Must create an account to access resources.
• Always Changing: This school-based resource is a free set of instructional materials to help students (grades 5 to 8) understand the physical and emotional changes related to puberty. There are a variety of resources available such as student manuals, worksheets, and quizzes, as well as a teacher’s guide.
• Washing My Skin: This lesson plan supports an early-year student. Learning goals include an understanding of the effects of healthy living and appropriate personal hygiene. It includes discussion points, an activity suggestion, and questions.
• The Body and Hygiene: Offering a variety of early years learning lessons, covering these topics: Care of Teeth, Germs, Healthy Bodies, A Body on the Inside, and A Body on the Outside.
• WECHU- Handwashing Kit: This toolkit details the importance of proper handwashing and includes a demonstration of handwashing. Using the GlitterBug Germ Kit, students can see areas of their hands that they did not wash effectively, under a UV light. To borrow a Handwashing Kit from the Healthy Schools Department, please contact 519-258-2146 x1555, or your school health nurse directly.

• Ophea- Healthy Schools Certification: Gives your school the tools to promote and enhance the health and well-being of students, school staff, and the broader school community. Contact your school nurse at 519-258-2146 x 1555 for more information on how they can support your school in achieving a Healthy Schools Certification.
• Centre for Disease Control and Prevention- Hand Hygiene in School and Early Care and Education: This resource provides tips on how to promote hand hygiene.  
• National Education Association- Good Hygiene Practices: A U.S. resource that provides ways schools can promote good hygiene practices among students and staff.

• Engage the student council or student wellness council to actively participate in identifying school needs and activities to address those needs.
• Michigan Student Leadership- Students in Action: Period Hygiene Network: An example of how students can get involved in improving accessibility to period hygiene products. Students created a Period Hygiene Network in their school where they stock up on feminine hygiene products for their fellow peers using donations from the community. This way, female students no longer need to miss class time due to not having access to the feminine hygiene products they need.
• Selfcare.ca- International Self-Care Day: On July 24, 2023, ccelebrate self-care, lifelong habits and culture, and learn about the importance of self-care day to the health of Canadians and the health care system. Good hygiene is one of the seven pillars of self-care.

• WECHU- Wash your hands: Adult English Poster with clear graphics showing the steps to wash correctly.
• Wash Your Hands JK to grade 2 & Wash Your Hands Kids: More posters with steps on how to wash properly; meant to be placed near a sink. These are available for download or to order in English, French, and Arabic.

Support in the Community

• 211 South West Region website: Searched for a Youth Drop-In Centre or support for a housing issue to find supports in the community. Call 211 to get help finding local agencies that can support shelter, shower, or hygiene products.
• Windsor-Essex Youth Services Card: Provides contact information related to services and referral support in Windsor-Essex County.
• Youth Wellness Hub- Windsor Site has a period pantry for teens to access any feminine personal hygiene products available Monday to Friday from 1 pm to 7 pm at 3640 Wells Street at Cottage 6 (Maryvale).
• Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4) – Offers a day program at 400 Wyandotte St. E. Windsor (Monday to Sunday- 7 days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.) to support those experiencing homelessness. This centre services teens with housing needs helping provide basic needs. It connects people experiencing homelessness to several services such as health care, addiction support workers, social assistance, mental health, harm reduction supplies, and Service Canada.  
• The Downtown Mission of Windsor- The Windsor Youth Centre: This program provides young people aged 16-25 with essentials like food and hygiene items as well as opportunities for growth and personal development.
• The Bridge Youth Resource Centre: Support for ages 14 to 24 in the greater Leamington area in a safe, welcoming space to get help with housing (a supportive housing program with eligibility requirements and housing support services). Also available is access to basic needs such as showers, laundry, food, and hygiene products as necessary. A hygiene kit is received for those that take a shower or as requested.

Additional Resources and Support

• Kids Health- Puberty and Growing Up: Information about various topics about growing up like puberty and menstruation. Parents can use these resources to guide discussions with their children.
• Henry Ford Health- 6 Tips for Teaching your child about personal Hygiene: Information for parents on how to teach their children about personal hygiene and how to help children develop good hygiene habits.
• Parents Canada- Turn These 6 Nasty Hygiene Habits into Good Ones: This article highlights the science of germs and possible side effects plus adds tips on how to improve some of your child’s habits.
• Canadian Paediatric Society-Caring for Kids, Healthy Habits: A series of articles that provides important points and tips on an array of topics like pets, bowel habits, and handwashing for parents to improve health and well-being.