29th June International Mud Day

Mud is a unique medium that provides endless opportunities for play and discovery.

         Josée Bergeron

International Mud Day is celebrated throughout the globe, with children (and adults) celebrating nature, being outdoors, and getting really, really dirty!

Research suggests that mud play is a basic biological need, with a variety of benefits including:

• Boosting your immune system and follow on improvements to your mood through exposure to “friendly soil bacteria”.
• Mud play is an opportunity for children to use their senses, which increases brain activity.
• During mud play, children are not only exercising and being physically active, they are also forming ideas, problem solving and using critical thinking as they play.
• Development and use of fine and gross motor skills, sensory awareness, balance and coordination.

As adults we might not like the mess or the cleaning, but we do need to stand back and let children get dirty.

I have written about this day before. See here.

Here's some books, not mentioned there:

15th October Global Handwashing Day

One of the most effective ways to stop the spread of germs and stay healthy is also one of the simplest — handwashing with soap and water. Keeping hands clean can prevent 1 in 3 diarrheal illnesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu.

Each year on October 15, Global Handwashing Day highlights the importance of handwashing with soap and water at home, in the community, and around the world.

This year, the Global Handwashing Day theme focuses on the links between handwashing and food including food hygiene and nutrition. Handwashing is an important part of keeping food safe, preventing diseases, and helping children grow strong. Our tagline, Clean hands a recipe for health, reminds us to make handwashing a part of every meal.

Collect all the books together about, hands, washing, soap to remind yourself and the students we should still be pursuing hand washing as a worthwhile endeavour in the fight against illness.

Find: (but there's more here)