How Do I Teach Children Sun Safety in School?

Educating children about sun safety is one of the most important things a teacher can do. Severe sunburn in childhood is linked to the development of melanoma in adulthood. Melanoma is the worst form of skin cancer. Most of a person's exposure to the sun occurs before he is 18, so protection is vital. It also has become more acceptable to cover up and use sunscreen, as people learn more about the risks.

Things You'll Need

• Worksheets
• Activity sheets
• Sunscreen
• Protective clothing

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Instructions

• 1

  Teach children sun safety in an incremental way, not in one talk in assembly. Explain the benefits of the sun, particularly the good effects of vitamin D, as well as the dangers. Use worksheets and activity sheets to reinforce learning. These worksheets could require the children to answer relevant questions about such things as the time of the day the sun is hottest, the layers of the skin and the effects of burning.

• 2

  Use a cartoon character to illustrate a series of protective steps a child should take. Use color drawings of the sun and sunburn. Teach more about the structure of the skin as the child gets older. Incorporate the effects of heat on metal and other substances into lessons, emphasizing the benefits of protective clothing and wearing shoes or sandals

• 3

  Help children design and make sun hats and fun protective wear. They could decorate straw hats or adapt baseball hats, by adding a strip on the back to protect the neck. Help them use the computer to design cotton T-shirts with long sleeves.

• 4

  Stress such measures as applying appropriate sunscreen every day. The sunscreen should be of at least SPF 15, according to the U.S. Department of Dermatology. Emphasize that you should apply sunscreen about a half-hour before playtime. Avoid sending children out to play during the middle of the day when the weather is hot.

• 5

  Teach the children to apply sunscreen under straps, behind the ears, on the backs of knees and legs, and on feet. Sunscreen wears off, so teach children to reapply it every two hours.