Flu Blues

Uh oh. Here it comes. Flu season. Yuck. Nobody likes being sick. It puts a thorn in your boot and hogties your activities. But there are some easy things you can do to keep from catching the flu!

In my book Jimmy Jam Germ and the Happy Handshake, I met up with a new pal who taught me about the importance of always washing your hands. His special fist-bumping handshake keeps germs away.

Keep these hand washing tips in mind to keep the nitty gritties away:
- Wet your hands with warm water and use a good amount of soap.
- Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds, covering all parts of the hands and fingernails.
- Rinse hands with water.
- Dry well with a disposable towel.
- Use a towel to turn off the faucet.

Here are a few other healthy habits to keep from spreading germs:
- Don't share things like spoons, knives, forks, cups and bottles.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and wash your hands afterwards. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or upper arm, not your hands.
- Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth to keep germs from entering your body.

Sing the "Clean Hand Jive" while you're scrubbing the nitty gritties away!
Click here to hear the "Clean Hand Jive"

WEEKEND ACTIVITY:
It's almost Halloween! Time to get your trick-or-treat on! You can go to the library and find books of kid jokes or check out some safe websites, with your parents' permission.

Here are some of my favorite Halloween riddles to tell your neighbors to earn your treats!
- What do you call a witch who lives at the beach? A sand-witch.
- What is a mummy's favorite type of music? Wrap!
- Where does Count Dracula usually eat his lunch? At the casketeria.
- What do you call a goblin that gets too close to a bonfire? A toasty ghosty.
- Why didn't the skeleton cross the road? He had no guts.
- What's it like to be kissed by a vampire? It's a pain in the neck.
- Where did the ghost get its hair done? At the boo-ty shop.
- What did the skeleton order with his drink? A mop.
- What did one jack-o-lantern say to the other on their way to the Halloween party? "Let's get glowing!"

Here's a website with lots more funny Halloween riddles:
http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com/JokesAndRiddles/halloween.html

Remember to always trick-or-treat with a grownup! Have fun!