HIV Transmission Game with Hershey Kisses

Hershey Kisses and a Lesson! Yes, chocolate and learning... all you have to say is the word Hershey's to your class, and you will have captured most of your students’ attention and have them in “eyes on you” mode in an instant.

I have already shared with you the DNA candy models lesson in a previous post. Here is another candy inspired lesson I want to share with you. In this whole class participation game, kids will learn about an important health topic-preventing the transmission of HIV, and other STD’s, or STI’s. STD stands for sexually transmitted diseases and STI stands for sexually transmitted infections.

This HIV Transmission Game focuses on HIV transmission, but can easily apply to the spread of other STD’s, too. I found the lesson online years ago and have used it and loved doing it with my classes ever since! It can fit right in during the STD lessons in a health class or during lessons on viruses and HIV in a biology class. If you try this game for your classes, I think you will be pleasantly pleased with it. But be sure to read through the game very well the first time, as it can be a little confusing to run it smoothly the first time you lead the game with your students.

PREPARE FOR THE LESSON AHEAD OF TIME:

The day before you plan to do this with your classes, buy the enough index cards and brown paper sacks for each student to get one of each, and enough Hershey kisses for each student to receive 4 chocolate kisses. Then the day or morning before class, fill each brown lunch sack with four chocolates (using the instructions in the HIV Transmission Game). You will need regular milk chocolate kisses and almond kisses (or any other chocolate besides milk chocolate kisses).

I really like this game because students get to interact with one another, strengthening their social skills and building peer relationships-which you know is something I am all about. Some students are shy and maybe would like to talk to others, but on their own will not initiate conversations. This games gets everyone out of their seats and ensures they get a chance to interact with classmates.

I also like that this lesson sheds a light on just how easy it is to spread STD’s in real life when safe practices/right choices are not in place. In the end, students will see that everyone and anyone can contract an STI easily if there is no thinking or plan in place to prevent them. The game’s conclusion emphasizes that abstinence is always the best and safest choice to remain STD free.

After a couple of times of leading the class in this game, you will get the hang of it, making it go smoothly! The first time or two, you might make some mistakes which is why I stress to read the instructions and rules of the game ahead of time so you can be comfortable with them before playing with your classes.

For your students with allergies to dairy products, you can have some dairy free candy available for them after the game since those students may not be able to eat the chocolate as it contains milk. And don't forget to have students sanitize their hands before playing this game.

After all, you don’t want to spread real germs during the lesson! :)

Materials Needed:

Index cards with lines on one side (One per student)

Brown bags (The ones used for sack lunches; one per student)

Hershey Kisses (Enough for EACH student to receive 4 in their bag, so a class of 25 would need 100 Hershey kisses)

Hershey Kisses with Almonds (4 per class, so one bag should be enough for all your classes)

Okay to prepare for the lesson:

1. Set up the bags by having them opened and sitting on a table.

2. Fill each bag with 4 Hershey kisses and one index card. These bags will represent the non-STD bags.

3. Once they are all filled, take 1 bag and remove all the Hershey kisses and replace it with 4 Hershey's Almond Kisses. The almond chocolates will represent the bag that is the STD bag.

4. Take out a card from one bag and write C on it in small letters at the bottom of the card then place the card back in the bag.

5. Take out a card from one bag and write IC on it in small letters at the bottom of the card then place the card back in the bag.

Information ONLY you the teacher will know, and NOT share with class until AFTER the game.

1. One student will have the STD bag (Hershey Almond Kisses bag), the rest will receive an STD free bag (Regular Hershey Kisses bag).

2. You will have two students only exchange Hershey Kisses with each other, but you won't tell them why until the game is over (Both will get a non STD bag). These students will represent two people who are practicing monogamy.

3. Two or three students will not exchange chocolates with any other student; these will be your abstinent students. If someone asks them for a chocolate, you instruct them ahead of time to say no. They get a bag, but do not exchange any of their chocolates with anyone who approaches them.

4. The index card with C in small letters at the bottom represents used a condom correctly.

5. The index card with an IC in small letters at the bottom represents used a condom incorrectly.

How to Start the Game:

1. Pass out bags to each student. Remember, one student will receive the bag with the Hershey Almond Kisses. This is the person with an STD in the game (make a note on who gets this bag, for when it it time to explain things to the class after the game).

2. Ask two or three students to volunteer NOT to participate in this activity. Again, they do not know anything about the game because you will tell them nothing about the what the game is about until it is played out. Simply ask for two volunteers to walk around during the game, and not exchange any of their chocolates with anyone. They can even choose to just stay seated. Main thing is they say no and do not exchange their candies with anyone.

3. Tell two students privately that they can only exchange chocolates with each other and no one else. If anyone approaches them, they have to say no. Again, do not tell them why.

4. Now tell ALL students to write their name on the blank side of their index card that is in their bag.

5. Tell them when the game starts that they will walk around class asking for someone to exchange chocolates from their bag with them. When they do, they both have to write their name on the other person's index card-on the lined side of the card. This is VERY important for the game to be played correctly. Make sure students understand this. You may want to demonstrate this before you begin the game.

6. When a student exchanges the chocolate with another student, they are to simply place the chocolate given to them in their bag and write their names on that person's index card. They cannot eat any chocolate until the game is over and you tell them to.

7. Tell the two students who exchange a candy with each other only- to also write their name on the other student's card. They will only have one name on their card- the person they were told to exchange with by you.

8. The "abstinent" students who are not exchanging Kisses with anyone at all in the class will have no names on their card except their own name. Again, do not tell the class that they are "abstinent students". No one except you should know why they are not engaging in the activity.

9. When you say GO or Begin, tell students they will walk around and ask four DIFFERENT classmates to exchange a chocolate with them, one at a time. EACH time they exchange a chocolate with someone the other student must write their name on their card and they will write their name on the other person's card.

10. They are to sit down once they exchanged a Kiss candy with four other students. The two students who only exchanged with each other and the "abstinent" students are your exception to this.

    
    

Ending the GAME:

Whew! You got through the set up, the instructions, and the game (Hopefully smoothly!), so now it is time to tell the class what this whole thing was all about. Here is what to say once all students have sat in their seats:

1. Hold up a Hershey Kiss and tell students that the exchange of Hershey Kisses represented exchanging body fluids that entered an opening in the body that transmits diseases, like the one discussed in class. Each person that you exchanged a Hershey Kiss with represented this transmission of an STI.

2. Ask the student who began the game with the bag of only Hershey Almond Kisses to stand up. Tell them they are the student who in the game had a STD and was not aware of it because they were asymptomatic. Now ask them to read out all the names on their card. Once a student has their name called, they need to stand up too. Tell the class that once they are asked to stand, they must remain standing until you tell them to sit, which won't be until the game is over..

3. Tell them that anyone standing is now at risk of being infected too because they were with someone who had been with someone with an STD. They will need to see a doctor and get tested (pretending in the game).

4. Now ask which student has the card with a C on it? Tell them they used a condom during sex. They are safe, so they can sit down. Now have them read out the names of students on their card again. If these students names are not on other infected student's cards, then they can sit down too. They are safe.

5. Now ask which student has the card with the IC on it? Tell them they also used a condom so sit down (They will think they are safe and smile). However, tell them, that they used the condom incorrectly, so an STD was actually transmitted to you, so they have to stand up again.

6. At the end, students will noticed the few students still sitting: The one who used a condom correctly, the abstinent ones and the monogamous ones. Point out to the class that the two students who only exchanged chocolates were practicing monogamy. Tell them they are safe because neither of them had an STD and were only with each other. That is why if you asked to exchange a candy with them they told you no.

7. Finally, point out the 2-3 students who exchanged with no one at all. Tell the class these students were practicing ABSTINENCE. That is why they also did not exchange their candy with anyone. They had zero risk, they were100% safe from an STD.

8. Tell them how easy it is for an STD to spread from one person to another because you do not know who has been with who usually. One person infected can spread the infection to many others when people are promiscuous. Even if they are not promiscuous, one time with an infected person can give them the infection. STD's are preventable. Remind students that many people feel healthy, but might still have an STD. It is up to them to proctect their health/bodies by making the right choices.

   
   

*Teach students that ABSTINENCE is the BEST and SAFEST way to remain STD free. Having sex as a teen comes with consequences they most likely are not ready for, so many! In this lesson, we focused on the spread of a STD's, but another thing teens and young adults need to think about is pregnancy. Remind them of this, too. Condoms when used correctly are about 98% effective at preventing the spread of STDS (STI's) and pregnancy, but not 100%. Abstinence is the only 100% way. Many parents encourage their teens to wait until marriage to have sex. If they feel comfortable talking to a parent about this topic, encourage them to do so.

Once you are ready to let students eat their candies, tell them to throw the trash away. You can reuse the brown bags for the next class. You might have a few bags that are beat up quickly, you can replace those bags. Then before the next class comes in you can start re filling the bags.

Of course, if you wanted to, you can have new bags for all students prepared ahead of time with card and chocolates in them (Just don't forget one bag in each class will have the almond Kisses). You will just have bags everywhere LOL.

I hope your classes enjoy the game! Of course what student does not like a lesson that ends with a little something sweet? The main thing though, is that they take away some real helpful, life-long lessons from it to keep them healthy. I hope yours will.