VIRAL-CYCLES: SAFETY FIRST

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

4-H PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION

Easy-to-Make PPE

VOLUME 10, ISSUE 1, May 2020

AAAAHHHH-CHOOOOOOO! A sneeze is a very familiar sound. Did you know that: • a sneeze can travel at 100

miles per hour • a sneeze can cover a

distance of over 30 feet COUGH...COUGH...COUGH! A cough is also a very familiar sound. Here are some facts about coughing: • A cough produces a gust

of air that blasts out at around 60- 300mph

• A cough can travel up to 18 feet

Sneezing and Coughing: • the coronavirus can attach

to and travel with the droplets in a cough

• the best way to capture those droplets is covering your mouth completely with a tissue when you cough

• if a tissue is not available, cough into the crook of your arm

Before we start learning about viruses and how they can

THIS ISSUE • Make a no-sew cloth

face covering pg. 2 • Make a simple

protective gown pg. 3 • Made a face shield

pg. 4 • Gloves or alternatives

pg. XX

POWER WORDS • crook: soft inside part

of your elbow

MATERIALS • 100% cotton 20” x 20” • 2 large rubber bands • tape • paper clips • paper towel sheet or

coffee filter • large garbage bag • scissors • permanent marker • large, clear sheet, like

folder with transparent front cover, junk mail envelope with window

• hair band • 3 small binder clips • adhesive bandage or

gloves

infect us, let’s learn how to protect ourselves. Get ready to make your own PPE (personal protective equipment) to help slow the infection rate of this terrible virus. It is up to us. We can do it. We are in this together.

NO-SEW CLOTH FACE COVERING 2

Why wear a cloth face mask? What good will it do? Using a face mask is like using a tissue to cover your sneeze or cough. If you have COVID-19 (the disease caused by Coronavirus), those droplets indoors can remain airborne for hours. If those droplets land on a surface, they can remain viable for hours to days. Your face mask protects others. Their face masks protect you. We can all protect each other, because we are all in this together. Directions: • The face mask will have

several folds to cover your face from above your nose to under your chin.

• Cotton is the best cloth for trapping water droplets. If you don’t have 100% cotton, try to find some scrap material that has cotton in it. It will also be cooler than synthetic fabrics to wear.

• Step one, lay out your cloth. Place a half-sheet of paper towel on one half of the cloth (pictured below is the lower half).

• Step two, fold the cloth in half. The paper towel will now be inside the folded cloth.

• Fold 1/3 of the top down and 1/3 of the bottom up. Open a paperclip to a straight line. (Hint, use needle point pliers to help straighten it, if you have those pliers.) Place just above the top fold line, and secure by tape.

• Place rubber bands or covered hair bands over each end of the cloth about 6 inches apart.

POWER WORDS • viable: capable of

surviving or living successfully, especially under particular environmental conditions

• Fold the sides to the

middle. Hold up to your face. Adjust the bands until you can wear the mask comfortably.

• Finished mask.

• Mold the paperclip around the bridge of your nose. Loop the bands over your ears. Pull the mask to under your chin.

Place half-sheet paper towel on lower half of cloth.

How to re-use your mask: Remove and throw away the rubber bands, tape, and paperclip. Wash

and dry the cloth. Repeat the above directions to remake your mask.

SIMPLE PROTECTIVE GOWN 3

Protective gowns are important PPE for the heroes on the front lines. PPE, like protective gowns, keeps our nurses, doctors, and hospital staff safe from COVID-19. You can provide yourself with some extra protection if you need to go out with your parent. Make a garbage bag lab coat / protective gown. Once you wear it, you must to toss it. Make another next time you need to go out with your parent. Scientists have determined that Coronavirus can live on plastic for up to 3 days. Check out page 5 (right green side-bar) for the steps to remove your PPE to avoid spreading potential virus. Directions:

• Lay the garbage bag flat on a table.

• Cut the top of the bag in the center so you can put your head through (indicated by the red line in image above).

• Cut the sides at the top (blue line on the image above) for your arms.

• You can decorate your lab coat / protective gown with a permanent marker. The example shows a pocket (of course, with the mandatory mad scientist pocket

POWER WORDS • coronavirus: (the

virus) any of a group of RNA viruses that cause a variety of diseases in humans and other animals; the virus that causes COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has spread throughout the world; COVID-19 symptoms can range from mild (or no symptoms) to severe illness

• COVID-19: (the disease caused by the virus) an illness caused by a coronavirus that can spread from person to person

SOME THOUGHTS • You are living at an amazing time in our

history. It may be scary, but we will get through this if we work together.

• Don’t worry, even if you get sick. Children can catch COVID-19, but mostly have very mild symptoms.

protector filled with test tubes full of chemicals), and button opening.

• Dispose your gown after use. Make a new gown.

• Doctor Barb posing with her mask, face shield, protective gown, and most important, a bandage reminder not to touch her face!

SIMPLE PROTECTIVE FACE SHIELD 4

Safety goggles protect eyes, one of the ports of entry for viruses. Our mouth, nose, or cuts on our skin are other routes for disease to enter our bodies. You can make a protective face shield if you don’t have goggles. Directions:

• You need a hairband, 3 binder clips, scissors, and a large transparent, flexible page. Be creative. Here are a couple ideas: ○ clear page protector ○ report folder with a clear

front cover ○ large junk mail envelope

with a large clear window cut off the back of the

envelop but leave the paper frame

○ If your plastic is flimsy, reinforce with a paper frame or masking tape around all the edges

• Center the plastic on the headband and place your first binder clip.

• Shape the plastic window around the headband, and clip the left and right sides.

• Trim the sharp corners to rounded edges.

• Store your face shield in a paper bag. Spray with

JUST REMEMBER • PPE helps to protect

others if you have contracted the coronavirus. This is not the PPE used by our front-line heroes (doctors, nurses, custodians, police, firefighters, EMTs, and others on the front line).

• The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands frequently (warm water, lots of soap, and rub the soap on your fingers, between your fingers, your palms and backs of your hands, wrists, and under your nails) for 20 seconds. If you sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, that takes about 20 seconds.

disinfectant and leave for 18 hours. Your parent will help you with this.

• Good disinfectants include dilute bleach, or hydrogen peroxide,

• If you have goggles, you can just wear those instead! Be sure to clean them like you would a face shield.

GLOVES AND ALTERNATIVES 5

Cold, flu, and COVID-19 are contracted by the virus being transported on droplets from an infected person. Viruses can live for days on surfaces. We touch the surface, and now we have it on our hands. If we then touch our face, we can become infected with the virus. We all touch our faces all the time. The range is 15-60 time per hour! What if you don’t have any gloves? No worry. The most important thing you can do to protect yourself is to wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap, and not touch your face. Directions: • Here is a pretty neat trick to

help you remember not to touch your face. Put a piece of tape or an adhesive bandage around your index finger on both your hands. It will catch your attention when you reach up to touch your face! Wash your hands!

• If you have light winter gloves, you can wear those. It will catch your attention when you reach up to touch your face! Wash your hands!

• If you do wear disposable gloves, take them off correctly. Here are the steps as laid out by the CDC:

REMOVING PPE • Place your arms inside

the protective gown and lift up over your head. Immediately place it in the trash can.

• Remove your face shield and place inside a paper bag. Spray with a disinfection solution (like hydrogen peroxide). Keep it in the paper bag until you wear it again.

• Remove your cloth mask, toss the rubber bands, tape and paperclip. Wash your mask in the washing machine.

• Remove gloves. See directions on this page to correctly remove.

• Do not reuse any of your PPE until it has been correctly disinfected. Your washing machine will kill the virus. Allow the face shield 18 hours in the bag before using.

• At the door, remove your shoes.

• Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds.

• Take a shower. Put on clean clothes.

• Wash your clothes before wearing them again. Scientists say that the washing machine does kill the virus.

Wash your hands for 20 seconds.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND CITATIONS 6

AUTHORS • Dr. Barbara J. Shaw, Colorado State University Extension Western Region Youth Development

4-H STEM K/12 Specialist • Tom Lindsay, retired Portland State University instructor (geology and paleontology); HS science

teacher (AP and IB Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Calculus)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS • Funding for this project provided by Colorado State University System Venture Capital Fund • CJ Mucklow, Colorado State University Extension Western Regional Director • Stephanie Lamm, Colorado State University Extension Montrose County STEM Agent • Dr. Joe Cannon and Marketing Strategies students Berlyn Anderson, Jenna Balsley, Rachel

Kassirer, Rachel Richman, Colorado State University, College of Business, for marketing strategies and ST[EMpower] graphics

• Doug Garcia, Colorado State University Creative Services Communication Coordinator/ Designer

CITATIONS Information: • CDC https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-

coverings.html;US Attorney General https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPx1yqvJgf4: Harvard Medical School https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-basics

Images: • PPE: https://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/ppe.html; No-sew mask images from the CDC https://

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html; https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/poster-how-to-remove-gloves.pdf