Hello, fellow educators and parents! Today I am sharing a theme that kids are naturally drawn to the “gross” and “disgusting” side of life! While it might seem like a silly topic, it is actually a fantastic linguistic opportunity. Learning how to express reactions like “That’s disgusting!” or “That’s okay!” helps children develop emotional vocabulary and social awareness, all while naturally incorporating hygiene lessons.
📚 Recommended Book: That’s Disgusting
For this theme, we dove into the book That’s Disgusting. It is filled with funny, relatable scenarios that immediately grabbed the students’ attention. It provided the perfect foundation for us to practice different emotional responses based on various social and physical situations.
🎨 Today’s Activities: From Gross Behaviors to Clean Hands
We turned the concept of “disgusting” into a comprehensive learning experience that bridged emotional expression and hygiene.
- Action & Response Game: We used situation cards to act out various behaviors. The goal was to practice responding appropriately with either “That’s disgusting!” or “That’s okay,” depending on the context. It was a fun way to practice quick thinking and emotional reaction.
- Memory Game: We played a memory matching game using “disgusting” behavior cards. This helped reinforce the vocabulary, as students had to read and say the behaviors aloud as they flipped the cards over.
- Germs & Science Experiment: We connected the concept of “gross” behaviors to invisible germs. We conducted a brief experiment to visualize contamination, which helped the students understand why some things are considered disgusting.
- Super Clean Gel Making: To wrap up, we made our own “Super Clean Gel.” Each student used hand sanitizer, added their own decorations, and made it their personal tool for staying clean.
💡 Teacher’s Tip: Turning “Gross” into “Good Habits”
When kids start using the phrase “That’s disgusting,” it can quickly become repetitive. Use this as a teachable moment for hygiene. When they identify something as disgusting, gently pivot to the solution: “Yes, that is disgusting because of germs. How can we make our hands clean again?” This transforms a simple reaction into a proactive hygiene habit.
📝 Final Thoughts
This theme was incredibly effective at getting the students to speak with emotion and confidence. By acknowledging that some things are disgusting, we opened the door to talking about cleanliness and healthy habits in a way that felt relevant and exciting to them. I hope you enjoy trying this theme out with your little ones!
Vocabulary & Key Phrases Covered:
- Key Phrase: “That’s disgusting!”
- Concepts: Emotional reactions, Hygiene, Germs, Social boundaries.
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