Hygiene education and museums: experiments and suggestions from a school museum

Following the international campaigns concerning hand-hygiene education, over the years a growing number of Italian schools has been undertaking educational projects aimed at making new generations aware of the importance of adopting good hygienic behaviors as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases. In this scenario, the educational staff of the School Museum of the University of Macerata has experimented/carried out a pilot program intended to promote the importance of hand-washing among children of primary schools. The contribution illustrates how a humanistic museum (in addition to science centers and science museums) can also contribute to the achievement of such an objective and respond to the educational needs of contemporary society.