According to the CDC, nearly 22 million school days lost each year due to the common cold and flu. And, according to NSF International, as many as 2.7 million bacterial found per square inch on common school surfaces! It's no wonder when Seventh Generation surveyed parents of children attending Kindergarten through 5th grade, they found that 82% worry about germs in the classroom.
With so many germs out there, Seventh Generation is sharing tips from best-selling author and pediatrician, Dr. Alan Greene, to help parents protect their child’s health during back-to-school season.
Doctor Greene suggests the following precautions:
Optimize the immune system
Be wise about reducing unnecessary exposure to harmful germs
- Reap the benefits of probiotics like those found in yogurt. A recent study showed that children who received enough probiotics daily throughout the cold and flu season had a significant reduction in the number of illnesses they had and, when they did get sick, the symptoms were both milder and didn't last as long.
- Be sure your child is getting plenty of vitamin D from the sun, from food, or from a supplement.
- Build a strong foundation. Good food, good sleep, and good physical activity all help the immune system to flourish.
*Refer to disinfecting product labels for full details
- Teach children the key times to clean their hands in the classroom. The most important times include after sneezing, coughing or using the restroom, upon leaving "high-risk" places (recess, naptime, play stations) and before meals or snacks.
- Sixty percent of teachers surveyed said that they request that parents donate disinfecting wipes to the classroom. Seventh Generation’s disinfecting wipes kill 99.99% of germs* naturally using the active ingredient thyme, a component of thyme oil which is derived from the herb thyme.
- Stress the importance of not touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Demonstrate to your children how to cover their mouth and nose for every cough and sneeze. This simple maneuver has spectacular results in decreasing the spread of viruses and bacteria floating about the room, waiting to be inhaled.
Seventh Generation has teamed up with Blog Spark to get you and your kiddos ready to start the year out right! Let's combat those germs together, shall we? I am big on antibacterial wipes. especially in the kitchen! There is something about meat, raw meat that I can't stand. My hubby makes fun of me because I don't like to touch it! Any ground meat that needs to be mixed with other ingredients while raw is promptly put into my Kitchen Aid bowl! LOL!
No germs on my hands! But lets face it, it isn't as clean as it sounds. That's when antibacterial wipes come in handy! I simply wipe down my counters and no longer have to worry about little fingers reaching into the world of good ol' Salmonella or E. Coli!
Seventh Generation has a wonderful Antibacterial wipe! I LOVE the smell of the Lemongrass and Thyme oil they use in it! It's magnificent! And cleaning the bathroom and kitchen, their Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner leaves the rooms clean and my whole home smelling fresh!
You can purchase these and even more amazing products (that I swear by), directly from SEVENTH GEN, one of the many ONLINE stores, or from various retail establishments near YOU!
WIN!!! Thanks to the generosity of Seventh Generation, one of my lucky readers will win a Seventh Generation Back To School Kit!!! The winner will receive, a Seventh Generation backpack, two canisters of Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes (one for home and one to donate to your child’s classroom), disinfecting multi-surface spray cleaner, facial tissue and paper towels.
TO ENTER: All Applicants MUST follow this blog publicly, MUST reside in the U.S., AND MUST leave me a comment with a tip to keep kids healthy AND germ free...please leave your email address, as well so that I can contact you if you win.
Additional entries:
- Follow Me and Seventh Generation on Twitter and tweet about this contest. You MUST use the Twitter hash tags @ArmymomsPlace @SeventhGen and #myblogspark when tweeting about the Seventh Generation Back-to-School Spark for this to count. (One entry PER day) - 1 entry
- Friend me on FB and Fan me! - 1 entry.
- Blog about this contest and link back to me and you will receive 5 entries (leave 5 individual comments for this).
This contest will end August 31st, and Winner will be posted Sept. 1st! Good luck!
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This review is a reflection of my personal experience using Seventh Gen. Products were supplied to me free of charge through Seventh Generation and MyBlogSpark, to facilitate my unbiased opinion.
