Te Reo posters help reinforce importance of handwashing
Spotswood Primary School principal Mark Fisher with Prasun Acharya, CrestClean’s Taranaki Regional Manager.
Getting kids to remember to wash their hands can be a constant challenge for teachers.
But a New Plymouth principal is confident Te Reo posters designed by CrestClean, which promote good hygiene habits, will catch the eye of kids and help deliver an important message about handwashing.
Mark Fisher was delighted to receive packs of the four brightly coloured posters featuring cartoon characters of kids in various settings. Spotswood Primary is one of the first schools in Taranaki to receive the posters following a reprint after a nationwide demand meant stocks ran short.
The posters, first printed in English, are now available in Te Reo Maori. As well as conveying strong hygiene messages, the posters have an environmental twist, encouraging children to take more care of their surroundings.
With the onset of winter, traditionally the start of the cold and flu season, schools are on high alert to prevent bugs doing the rounds.
“At this time year cleanliness is really important,” says Mark. “With kids sneezing and coughing we work hard to try to prevent the spread of germs. So the washing of hands is really important to us.
“Having a poster is a good reminder for the kids. We have to teach them to use soap and hot water and spend 20 seconds rubbing it in.”
Using Te Reo also helped to reinforce the message, he says. “The posters are a learning experience. The kids have to learn how to say the words before each poster means anything to them, so it means more right from the beginning.”
Teachers will introduce each poster to the children and talk about what the Te Reo phrases mean, he says.
“You try to get the message across to kids in several different ways. You can’t always rely on just telling children,” added Mark.
Prasun Acharya, CrestClean’s Taranaki Regional Manager, says the posters have been popular with teaching staff.
“Kids like them and teachers find they are useful in the classroom as a learning aid for Te Reo Maori.”
Contact CrestClean to order packs of free posters for your school. Email: news@crestclean.co.nz
