Parents

Hey Mom or Dad...

Color on the nanobugs coloring book!

You must be one of those competent parents that checks out a website before you let your kids spend time there.  We guarantee that this website is a good place for your kids to find both entertainment and education.  Kids multi-tasking - there's something you don't see everyday. 

We're the Nanobugs - those delightful little "microbes with attitude".  You can read about us on the Nanobugs page and observe a brief performance where we each say our own catch phrase.  Those catch phrases help embed a unique message that can hopefully lead your child to a healthy lifestyle.  The purpose of our website is to entertain your kids with our cute personalities while educating them (and you) about practical microbiology for promoting health.  Learning practical microbiology... sounds impressive doesn't it?!  This is really important "stuff".  Like you, we want to prevent infections and keep kids in school.  Hey Mom - that means that you would only miss work for fun things, like vacation, and you won't have to serve in your other role as nurse.  And what about the money you will save on co-pays at the doctor's office... not to mention avoiding expensive prescription antibiotics.  I'm sure you can come up with even more reasons for preventing infections.

Surely you recognize that kids need to learn to take responsibility for their own health.  Mothers usually assume the role of advocate for their children's health and activist for family health issues.  So you'll want to check out the Nanobugs blog where the Nanobugs are often the topics of debate and discussion related to current health issues.  Also, check out the Nanobugs Menagerie where you can learn about us and our world. 

View our Infection Prevention Sheets:

 

SalmonellaWhy Parents Should Think Twice Before Giving Baby Birds to Young Children for Easter

The latest CDC Kidtastics podcast for kids and parents teaches that baby birds are not good Easter presents due to the risk of illness from Salmonella. Listen to it here.

Products for Parents

Here are some products that will help you to teach and train children to help the family stay infection-free.

Dental Static Clings $1.00/cling

Stimulate children to be self-directed in brushing and flossing their teeth with this static cling. It attaches easily to the bathroom mirror or ceramic tile to serve a reminder to the whole family. Strep mutans is the nanobug that causes tooth decay. It has an ability to stick to the tooth surface so the educational message on this static cling is: "we don’t let go until you brush and floss". One of our focus groups found that this was an effective tool for improving compliance with oral hygiene even with 4-year-olds.

Handwashing Static Clings $1.00/cling

Reinforce the importance of thorough hand washing with fun and strategically placed static clings featuring the Clostridium difficile bacteria. These clings are great for patient and employee restrooms—especially in isolation. Each 2½" x 3½" cling attaches easily to mirrors and windows and can be removed just as easily for cleaning.

nanobugs Aprons $9.75

This unique apron serves as a reminder about the nanobugs that might be lurking in your kitchen and refrigerator, while making food preparation a bit more fun. This standard-size apron can be used in the kitchen or for backyard grilling.

nanobugs Card Collection $19.50/set

The nanobugs card collection is a fun way to learn about the bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live all around us but are too small to see except under a microscope (nano means "very, very small").

Through the character cards, learn about 46 microbes that we call "nanobugs" and whether they are helpful to the body or how to prevent them. Kids will love the cartoons and learning their scientific, fun-to-say names. Parents and teachers will love the accurate information on the microbes and how to avoid the ones that cause infection.

Each 60-card collection contains 46 nanobugs characters (28 bacteria, 15 viruses, and 3 fungi), and 14 informational cards in a beautiful tin with rounded corners and the nanobugs logo on the lid. Tin will hold more than 100 cards so there is room for additional nanobugs character cards as your collection expands.

nanobugs Playing Cards (Poker Size) $9.50

This is a regular deck of playing cards, but instead of jacks, kings, and queens, each card features the name of a real microbe. The nanobug cartoons on the cards make games more interesting while teaching a bit of microbiology.

 
 
Be sure to explore the activities on our website with your kids - and let the nanobugs entertain and educate your family at the same time. 

January 3, 2013

Sad News for Food Safety

MDP is no longer doing pathogen safety testing so our food safety net now has a big hole in it. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/01/mdp-officially-shut-down-pathogen-testing-for-produce-halted/#.UOXB4G_BGD8
November 23, 2012

Nanobugs Offers Unique Educational Toys and Gifts They Won’t Forget

So many toys and gifts don’t promote health and wellness – and if they are labeled “educational” they may end up at the bottom of that wish list for Santa. It’s hard for parents to decide between entertainment and education when selecting gifts and toys. The nanobugs were created to entertain and educate people of all ages about practical microbiology for infection prevention. Infections and sickness are not inevitable. We can teach our children how to manage their health and avoid infections. Parents may need to expand their knowledge too, by learning more about microbiology, human anatomy and physiology, the immune system, nutrition and food safety and behaviors that enhance wellness and reduce the risk of disease. It doesn’t need to be boring or academic. No need to sign up for a class at the community college. The nanobugs can teach the entire family while they entertain the young and old.
November 22, 2012

Safe serving and management of the leftovers

The primary serving rule with a turkey dinner is to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold and make sure they spend very little time in between. Appropriate holding temperatures, whether hot or cold, tend to dehydrate and deteriorate the food as time goes on. But if the rule is not followed, the consequences can be nauseating!

"Your website is a really fun place to share with my 4-year-old grandson when he visits.  He loves to watch the nanobugs do their little monologs.  His favorite nanobug is Pseudomonas aeruginosa.  He can pronounce their names after listening to the announcer on the website.  I was happy when you added the additional information to the menagerie.  Alex was asking for more information and I didn't want to try and make things up.  By the way, Alex now willingly brushes his teeth saying "let’s get rid of those nanobugs on our teeth".  (Streptococcus mutans) "

Nancy S. – a grandmother

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