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Once upon a time, there was a classroom full of very curious boys and girls. Every day, before breakfast, their teacher, Laia, would say to them with a smile:
“Before eating, we wash our hands!”
Most of the students would run to the sink, turn on the tap, grab some soap, and rub their fingers, palms, and even under their nails very well.
But Biel was always in a big hurry.
“My hands are already clean!” he would say, even if he had just been playing in the playground, touching the sand, picking up stones, and running his hands through his hair.
One day, after playing ball, Biel came into the classroom very hungry. On the table was a delicious cheese sandwich.
“Mmm!” he said. “I’ll eat it right now!”
His friend Ona looked at him and said,
“Biel, wash your hands first. You’ve been playing in the playground.”
“No need!” he replied. “I don’t see anything dirty.”
Ona thought for a moment and grabbed a magnifying glass from the classroom.
“Maybe you can’t see it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”
Suddenly, the magnifying glass began to glow. It was a magic magnifying glass! When Biel looked at his hands through the special lens, he jumped back.
“Wow! What’s this?”
On his hands were tiny specks that jumped, danced, and laughed. They were microbes!
“We’re so small you can’t see us!” the microbes shouted. “But we like to travel from hand to hand, especially if someone eats without washing their hands!”
Biel was speechless. He looked at his sandwich and then at his hands.
“So… if I eat now, can these microbes get inside me?”
“Exactly,” said Teacher Laia calmly. “That’s why washing your hands is so important. It helps us take care of ourselves and others.”
Biel didn’t waste a second. He went to the sink, turned on the tap, and grabbed some soap.
First, he wet his hands.
Then he put on some soap.
He rubbed his palms, the backs of his hands, between his fingers, and under his nails.
He rubbed for at least twenty seconds while singing a song.
Finally, he rinsed them well and dried them with a clean towel.
When he looked at his hands again with the magic magnifying glass, many of those little spots had disappeared.
“Oh! There are so many fewer!” he said happily.
“It’s not magic,” explained Ona. “It’s soap!”
Everyone laughed.
From that day on, Biel always washed his hands before eating, after using the bathroom, after playing in the yard, and when he got home. He also reminded his classmates that clean hands helped them stay healthy and happy.
And so, in that class, everyone learned a great lesson: even if you can’t always see the dirt, washing your hands is a simple and very important way to take care of yourself.
And that’s the end of the story, with clean hands.
