Why do we wash our hands?
Clover answers for ages 4–9, then goes 1 step deeper each time a child asks why.
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Clover says
Your hands touch lots of things every day: toys, gates, balls, the grass. Tiny germs get onto your hands from those things. Later your fingers rub your eyes or go near your mouth, and the germs can get inside. Washing with soap and water lifts the germs off, and they rinse away down the drain.
Checked against Handwashing Facts (CDC)
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Why does soap work better than water?
Plain water rinses off some germs. Soap has special parts that grab dirt, grease and germs and lift them off your skin. Rubbing your hands together makes bubbles and lifts off even more. That's why a good scrub lasts at least 20 seconds, and then the water carries it all away.
Checked against Handwashing Facts (CDC)
In Lil' Phil, reaching the bottom of this wonder earns a sticker for Clover's collection.
What children ask next
Let Clover answer this one
On your child's tablet, Clover says it out loud while the picture paints itself in. Tap Why? to go deeper.