For our STEM Showcase the pupils of Senior Infants and First Class carried out  the following experiment under the guidance of their teacher Mrs.Murphy

Due to the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 virus we decided to investigate how important it is to wash our hands to prevent the spread of germs.

We used slices of bread and our hands for this experiment.

The first slice of bread was passed around the class. We all touched it once using our unwashed hands.

The second slice of bread was passed around the class. We all touched it once using our hands that had been washed with water only.

The third slice of bread was passed around the class. We all touched it once using our hands that had been washed with water and soap and had hand sanitizer applied.

Each day we examined our bread for change.

We noticed that the bread touched with unwashed hands grew mould the fastest.

It was followed by the bread touched with hands washed with water.

The bread that was touched by clean hands decayed at a very slow rate.  
This was a good visual for the children showing them the importance of washing their hands.

The pupils felt this was a very valuable discovery  and should be shared with  other pupils so they invited in some pupils from 4th and 5th class and demonstrated to them how they carried out the experiment and what the results were.

So the message is clear Keep Safe Everyone,Always Wash Your Hands.