Once students have learned the High Speed Hand Washing technique in primary grades and had it reinforced with literature-based learning, refresher lessons are provided the following years with a different approach. Using fun, interactive, engaging skits or games helps fourth graders and up remember why it is important to wash their hands properly every time.
There are plenty of roles in the following skit to show the many ways that our actions can be risky for food safety, as the farmer goes about preparing lunch. Lots of laughs and funny situations spark lively discussion afterward as students point out food safety bloopers during the skit.
Food safety on the farm skit
Use with fourth grade Hand Washing Lesson
Props needed: Gardening hat, kerchief
Student players
Animals: Cat, dog and cow
Vegetables: Lettuce, tomato and carrot
Props: Refrigerator, kitchen counter and back door
- Ask for student volunteers who like to act. Tell them they can be creative to play the part they are assigned. They will have to listen carefully to the story and act out their part at the appropriate time.
- Arrange players around the room to form a back porch, a garden/farm yard and a kitchen.
Dialogue
"We’re going to have a little play to demonstrate how important it is to keep food safe to eat. Our audience needs to watch for things I do that might make the food unsafe."
"I’m an Oregon farmer. It’s lunchtime. I’m hungry. I think I’d like a ham sandwich with some fresh vegetables. I’ll go out my back door to the garden to see what’s ripe today."
Action
While continuing to talk the story through, walk out the backdoor, pet the cat and the dog. Talk to them. Hopefully, the actors play their part with sounds and actions. Walk to the farmyard, pet the cow. Continuing to talk the story through and walk to the garden.
Dialogue
"Here’s a nice ripe tomato. That would be good on my ham sandwich."
Ad lib: Interacting with the student actors.
"Now I’ll go make to make my lunch."
Food safety blooper
- At some point, sneeze and blow into the kerchief.
Action
Pick a tomato, put it into a basket. (Move the student actor who is a tomato to a spot on the floor that is now “the basket.”)
Continue with the other vegetables. Pick up the basket and take it (with the vegetables) back through the screen door to the kitchen.
Dialogue
"Now to make my lunch."
Ad lib: Including the bloopers (below). Talk through your actions. Exaggerate your actions.
Food safety bloopers
Be sure to include the following items in your dialogue:
- Don’t wash hands. Notice they are dirty and wipe them off on your hips.
- Move something off the counter and begin without cleaning it.
Look for the milk in the refrigerator, but don’t find it.
“Oh, it’s on the counter. I must have left it there after breakfast.”
Food safety bloopers
- Use the kerchief to clean off the knife.
- Don’t wash the produce from the garden.
Discuss skit
What did you notice about safe food handling?
Students should point out bloopers. Note all the ways that germs are spread.
