Teaching the Workshop

This section of the Web site will help you prepare for teaching the workshop. You will find ordering information for materials needed for the workshops, information on conducting activities, setting up the room, and estimated time of workshop to help you plan the workshop.

Estimated Time: 1-2 hours, depending on discussion length and activities included.

Materials: Sign-in sheet, pens, nametags, *glow-in-the-dark powder, *ultraviolet light, transparencies, and overhead projector or flipchart and easel; markers; TV/VCR; La Vida de Matilde video & script; *participant booklet for each participant; certificates of completion; evaluation forms.

• *Ordering information for these items is listed here, or in the workbook in "Additional Resources" (pages 13-15).

Set up the room

Check to make sure that you can darken the room enough to make the glow-in-the-dark powder visible under the ultraviolet light. Sprinkle a small amount of glow-in-the-dark powder on each blank nametag card. Set up the chairs or tables in the room in a semicircle around the VCR. Make sure that everyone will be able to see the screen well.

Introduce the workshop

As attendees enter the room, have them write their names, addresses, and phone numbers on a sign-in sheet. Also, have them write their names on the nametag cards and put the cards on. Introduce yourself and explain that this workshop will be fun and interactive and will help them make their child care settings safe. Encourage participants to introduce themselves and tell how many years of experience they have working with children and how many children are currently under their care.

Conduct a brief discussion with participants. How many of them or the children they care for have ever had a headache, fever, upset stomach, or vomiting? Did they think that they had the flu? Explain that these symptoms can also be caused by foodborne illnesses and that the things we do while preparing food can make it unsafe to eat. Next, give some statistics on incidences of foodborne illnesses in your area. Explain that infants and children are especially vulnerable.

Turn off the lights and check with the ultraviolet light to see where the powder has spread. Have participants list some of the ways germs can spread in child care settings and when food is being prepared. Discuss the difference between something looking clean and actually being clean.