Product Description
Ever wondered if Mom knew what she was talking about when she told you to “wash your hands?” Wonder no more… Glitter Bug Lotion is sure to cure any doubt about the necessity of washing your hands. Squirt a little of the lotion on your hands and then wash your hands. Break out the black light and discover all the “germs” you missed. You won’t believe your eyes when you see everywhere Glitter Bug still resides! This germ simulator lotion reacts under the black light to show you where the Glitter Bug Lotion didn’t get washed off.
What’s Included?
- 240 mL bottle of Glitter Bug Lotion
- Enough lotion for over 200 uses
Glitter Bug Lotion – Hand Washing Experiment
How do you explain the concept of germs and the importance of washing your hands to your kids in a way that they can understand and visualize?
Step 1:
Rub one pump of Glitter Bug lotion into your hands to simulate what it would be like to have germs on your skin.
Step 2:
Look at your hands under black light. Can you see the simulated germ glow?
Step 3:
Using soap and water, wash and then dry your hands like you normally would.
Step 4:
Use a black light to check your hands and see if any germs remain on your skin and fingernails. Any areas that glow under the black light will reveal any weak spots in your hand washing technique.
Step 5:
Improve your technique. Do you need to wash for a longer period of time? Do you need to use more soap? Do you need to scrub your hands in a different way? What variable(s) could you change to clean the areas that the black light revealed?
Step 6:
Repeat steps 1-4, but try changing one variable at a time. Measure and write down your results. Repeat these steps until you are unable to see any spots under the black light.
What Does It Teach?
Help children understand the importance of hand-washing and proper hand-washing technique. The specially formulated Glitter Bug Lotion appears under blacklight and shows areas where hands weren’t thoroughly washed and how rapidly germs can spread from one child to another. Glitter Bug Lotion is a must-have product for every classroom, home or even workplace!
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Call: 303-798-2778
Toll Free: 800-223-9080
Monday – Friday
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Steve Spangler Science
Denver Office
7901 Southpark Plaza, Suite 106
Littleton, CO 80120
[email protected]
Jenny Brown –
We gave everyone in Children’s Church a squirt of this in their hands and let them go around the room painting with light. They left fingerprints everywhere and when we turned on the black light, there was a universe of stars all over the room. SO COOL! And after all that, the bottle of lotion isn’t even half empty!
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Carolyn D. –
This is my first time using it and the children had a ball trying to wash their hands properly. We even shook hands with the principal and transferred lotion to her hands. I love using new products. We do a lot of science in my 2nd grade. I use a lot of science products at church and VBS too. My sister works with an after-school group and I’ve had her use some of the products you offer too. Thanks
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Question
Mrs. R –
Would a UV Blacklight Flashlight work ok?
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Lisa – Customer Service Manager –
Yes, a UV Blacklight flashlight would work
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Question
MH –
Does this work with a uv light?
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joshlittrell –
Thanks for the question. You would need a UV light to illuminate the glow effect. Once the hands are throughly washed you should not see any lotion on the hands under the black light.
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Question
Kara Cunningham –
Do this come with a black light or does turning off the lights show the lotion glow?
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joshlittrell –
Kara – thanks for the question. You would need a black light to display the glitter bug lotion. We have black lights available on our site, but you can easily get a black light bulb at a grocery store. Have a great start to the week. Joshua
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Question
Jincy Adams –
Does the lotion leave residue on doorknobs, desks, etc. so, using the blacklight, I can show the kids how germs spread throughout the school? Should I not have them wash their hands immediately, but delay it a couple of hours and then take them on a tour the school with a blacklight?
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Staff lisabrooks –
You can do it either way. If you want the kids to have the visual, you can have them rub in the lotion and then touch all sorts of surfaces. This way they can see the transfer. Then they can clean everything! Once they are done cleaning thoroughly, you can use the flashlight to show them how much is still leftover. The same would happen if they washed their hands first. They would still see the areas they missed.
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Question
Melody –
How hard is it to get this washed off? Will parents freak out if it is hard to wash off??
Non-toxic?
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Staff lisabrooks –
The Glitter Bug Lotion is non-toxic. When the kids rub it into their hands, it is not easily detectable. Parents will probably never know you even did the activity. After you have the kids rub the lotion in and you have had them wash their hands the first time, have them go back under the blacklight to show them how a simple washing of the hands does not remove all of the germs. This is why they should sing “Happy Birthday” to themselves 2 times while washing their hands to prevent the spreading of germs.
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Jenive –
Just a tip from my lesson. I used this lotion to show both how germs spread as well as how effectively we wash our hands.
For the hand washing demo, it is best if you wash it off pretty quickly after application. For one lesson, I put it on at the beginning of the lab. By the end of the lab it had dried in and was more difficult to wash off than I wanted to demonstrate. (I didn’t want the students thinking they need bleach and a surgical scrub kit.) After that I did it right before demonstrating the hand washing technique, and it worked perfect.
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Catherine –
Seems just like regular lotion. I rubbed a little on the kids faces too (just a little at first to make sure no reactions). Turned the black light on and got great results. Kids loved it. Mom thought it was pretty entertaining too.
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Mrs. K. –
This lotion is great! I used it to teach with my student about germs and handwashing. They thought it was so neat to see their germs glowing on their hands!
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allyssa lammers –
The kids loved this! It made them really think about all those germs on their hands. They have been washing them so much better now! This stuff was cool!
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JA –
The glitter bug lotion is GREAT!! The kids love it!!! Adults TOO!!
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Latesha Van –
I used the Glitter Bug Lotion for something completely different! I hand a summer camp that was geared around THE Avatar: The Last Airbender tv show and I mixed the lotion with face paint to put arrow TATTOOS on them. The kids loved it because when the lights were out and the black lights were turned on THEIR ARROWS GLOWED LIKE THE AVATAR STATE!!!
Incredibly Cool!!!
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phyllisendicottF4N6 –
Works great. The kids and I are washing our hands more thoroughly. I use it in my science class and cooking classes.
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Tesha V –
At first, my kids just thought it was hilarious. They just wanted to touch everything, until they realized that it showed exactly how germs spread!!!! I couldn’t get them out the bathroom! They were trying to wash themselves, their toys even help clean the house. FABULOUS PRODUCT!!! 😀
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Emma –
I’m a 3rd grade girl that likes science. My dad is a doctor, so… I know how important it is to wash my hands. the glitterbug lotion makes learning about washing hands fun!
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Rachel –
I used this lotion in combination with the hand held blacklight to teach my Kindergarten through Fifth grade children about proper handwashing techniques. It really showed the kids the places that they miss when they rush to wash their hands. The only thing that confused the younger kids was trying to get them to understand that germs don’t really glow under a blacklight and that the lotion wasn’t really made of germs.
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Kelli Higgins –
This was a great way to introduce our Germ unit! The Glitter Bug lotion glows under a black light. It really highlights areas on our hands where germs collect. Even after washing their hands the students were amazed at how many germs still remained. Now we’re off to collect germ samples in Petri dishes!
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Julie –
I gave my nephew a Mad Science 9th birthday party. We used the Glitter Bug before we entered the lab to do our experiments. I explained that a scientist needs to have really clean hands before conducting his experiments. The boys really liked this and thought the black light was cool.
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Rhonda Robinson –
I ordered this thinking it would be neat but was hesitant it might not work well. It was AWESOME! It’s amazing how dirty ones hands can get and be able to see how well we wash. Just one bottle was plenty for a science event I did with over 100 in attendance.
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Question
Lisa –
Can this be used with hand sanitizers as well?
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Lisa – Customer Service Manager –
Absolutely.
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