Me Cepillo Los Dientes...photos

El Patito y Su Cepillo. (L-R) Carmen, Lara, Angela, Noelia, Diana, Mavel, and Cristina
Alejandra presents the flip chart on dental health.
All the kids with their certificates!
Sing-a-long: (L-R) Me, Alejandra, Amelia, Elmer

Me Cepillo Los Dientes...

“Me cepillo los dientes, cada día, cada día…” The sound of children singing and Elmer picking the notes on his guitar drift over the humid air. It’s Saturday afternoon and about 45 kids have gathered to learn about dental health.

My parents brought me a load of dental goods donated to me by our generous dentist, Dr. Wintersteen. I did not want to just hand out the toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss and that is how I found myself leading a group of kids in a sing-a-long with three other volunteers.

After the song icebreaker, a group of teenage girls presented El Patito y Su Cepillo. It’s about a duckling’s quest for his misplaced red toothbrush. All the animals he asks offer him a different red item that is good for your teeth until he finally finds his toothbrush. The girls had worked very hard coloring the pictures and attaching sticks to the props and I was bursting with pride as they each stepped onto the “stage” to read their lines.

My closest Peace Corps neighbor, Alejandra, captured the children’s attention with a colorful flip book. One little boy was all smiles as he brushed the giant teeth I held. The terribly decayed teeth I passed around to the group helped hit home the destructive nature of sugar and soda. They were real human teeth that a local orthodontist had gifted me. While Alejandra explained flossing I asked for volunteers to represent teeth. Laughter filled the air as I pulled out my “floss” and flossed between the kids with the purple jump rope. We had scattered learning checks by asking questions. The reward was a mirror for the children to see their pretty smiles.

Another fellow agriculture Volunteer, Amelia, read a short story about Sylvia and how she cares for her teeth. She asked a few more questions to award the final mirrors and then we presented the Colgate certificates with charts to mark when they brushed and flossed. I passed out the dental supplies while Professor Victoria read each participants name. The kids were all smiles as they carried their bag of loot home. The next day, my 5-year-old neighbor, Dalila, sang to me the entire song that began the presentation:

Me cepillo los dientes

Cada dia,

Cada dia

Despues de comer y antes de dormir

Toda mi vida

Toda mi vida

(sung to the tune of Farajaka. Thank you Amanda Baranowski)