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| Now families, schools and child care centers have two options when teaching their children how to set the table and share a meal, not the germs--such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), the #1 birth defects virus. "Once Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting Tale" can be purchased as a coloring book (1st edition) or in color (2nd edition). Photograph by Jessica Rachels of the Idaho CMV Advocacy Project |
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New color version of "Once Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting Tale"
to stop CMV, #1 birth defects virus
bOOKS INCLUDE lesson plan for children
Staff can work it into STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and
math)*
Read aloud the fairytale, "Once Upon a Placemat: A Table-Setting
Tale" by Lisa Saunders and Jackie Tortora, with the children in your care then share a meal together. Help the children wash their hands and set their
place setting by referring to the tableware characters.
Teacher/parents can say things
such as, "Remember, Mr. Knife is afraid the dish will run away with the
spoon, so put his teeth toward Mr. Plate" and "Miss Cup hates it when
people share her without giving her a bath first because of those naughty
germs."
"The story of 'Once Upon a Placemat' is a fun, hands on way to learn about setting a table, germs, and CMV. I have given them to my local head start programs," says Jessica Rachels of the Idaho CMV Advocacy Project (learn more about Jessica's CMV advocacy work that includes "Once Upon a Placemat" coloring books at:
Staff can work it into STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math). STEAM is a popular way to package and present the interconnectedness of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math in the regular curriculum. When you talk about germs, the coloring book, “Once Upon a Placemat” (Art and Literacy), introduces germs (science, biology) in a format that integrates the arts. Drawing and writing activities can be planned to further integrate those domains. Teachers can further bring in technology and engineering by designing activities that help the children to "invent" equipment or machines to help better wash hands, keep food fresh and germ free, etc. Math can enter into the plan by graphing how long children wash their hands, how often they wash their hands, how many uses the classrooms get out of a single pump bottle of hand soap, etc. With a little more thought (and a few trips to Pinterest!), lots of germ-based activities can be created and integrated.
If possible, give each child a "Share a Meal, Not the Germs"
picnic kit with these suggested items:
- Bag (paper or reusable
insulated bag).
- Plate, cup, napkin, fork,
spoon, knife.
- Crayons or washable markers.
- Placemat
with tableware characters, which can be laminated (see below for links*).
- Picnic food (homemade or
prepackaged that would use all utensils, such as peanut butter, crackers,
applesauce and cake).
- Hand sanitizer or sanitizing
wipes.
- Sink hand-washing sign and tri-fold flyer on CMV
prevention to take home (found on blog post: https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2018/05/free-cmv-prevention-tool-kit-for.html)
- If funds are available, give
a child their own bound copy of the coloring book version of “Once Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting
Tale,” or the 2nd edition with images already colored, to share with their families so their parents
can reinforce the table-setting lesson and learn how to prevent CMV,
the leading viral cause of birth defects virus, as well as other diseases.
*FREE Teaching Program Tool kit found at:
·
Educational Coloring Book: Contact LisaSaunders42@gmail.com
for a free pdf version of Once
Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting Tale (or the educational fairy tale can be
purchased as a bound coloring book on Amazon, Createspace or
AuthorLisaSaunders.com).
·
Placemats:
Side one: Placemat with tableware characters with space for your coloring artist's name (perfect for laminating and using as a table-setting reminder).
Side two: Germ prevention tips and hand-washing instructions.
Side one: Placemat with tableware characters with space for your coloring artist's name (perfect for laminating and using as a table-setting reminder).
Side two: Germ prevention tips and hand-washing instructions.
·
Video: Short introduction of the tableware characters by Lisa
Saunders, the parent representative of the Congenital Cytomegalovirus
Foundation.
REVIEWS OF ONCE
UPON A PLACEMAT
"A clever way to get across an important message about prevention
of infectious diseases common to us all. Most people know how colds and flu are
spread, but they don't know about how other germs are spread by sharing food,
drinks and utensils.”
Dr. Gail Demmler Harrison, Congenital CMV Disease Research Clinic &
Registry
“Short
story--big impact. Once Upon a Placemat finally accomplished what we
could not--getting our kids to remember how to correctly set the table! Now, I
hear my 12-year-old saying to herself, “Mr. Knife stands between Mrs. Spoon and
Mr. Plate. Mr. Knife keeps his eyes and teeth toward Mr. Plate because he
doesn’t trust him since there was that time the ‘dish ran away with the spoon.’
What a brilliant extension to an old
nursery rhyme. Once Upon a Placemat will also help your
kids better understand the importance of washing their hands before meals and
not sharing dishes before washing them first. Finally, a story that sticks!”
Dr. Rebecca
Cihocki, Audiologist, Scottsdale,
Arizona.
"The lesson of how to set a table is valuable as this is part
of encouraging a family to sit down and eat together—a main intervention in
preventing obesity."
Alison Dvorak, MS, RDN, CDN, Franklin, Connecticut.
"Lisa Saunders is always such an entertaining author. Her audience
not only gets to enjoy a clever fairytale, but gets to learn important life
lessons on how to protect babies from congenital CMV and other
infections."
Marti Perhach, Group B Strep International
Once Upon a Placemat (1st edition black and white for coloring):
