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Lesson 4: Be Sun Smart

Snapshot

Moving outside, this lesson explores how we both need the sun and need to protect ourselves from its rays.

Preparation and Materials: •

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Posters 1–3, Take-Home Talk

Flip chart and markers

Black or white board

Large sheets of paper for each child to make a poster

Markers or crayons

Print a dozen different maps of heat, UV, and humidity from different locations on the same day from online weather sites

Note: If it’s sunny out, think about teaching some or all of this lesson outside, but be sure to practice the sun smarts you will be teaching about!

Suggested Giveaways: UV bracelets that change color when the UV rays are at high levels, sunscreen, sun visors or hats that can be decorated, anything to protect from the sun.

Objectives—Students will be able to: •

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define sunscreen, sunburn, vitamin D, and ultraviolet (UV) light;

explain what the sun is;

list three things which the sun provides that we need; and

list three ways that they can protect themselves from too much sun.

Vocabulary: sunscreen, sunburn, vitamin D, and ultraviolet (UV) light

Procedure:1. Introduction (8 minutes)

Optional Activity: Sun Sing Off (10–20 minutes)

2. Defining Terms and Sun Smarts (20 minutes)Optional Activity: Heat and UV Around the Country (10–15 minutes)Optional Activity: Group Work on Animal Sunscreen (10–15 minutes)Optional Activity: Sun Smarts Posters (10–15 minutes)

3. Close and Take-Home Talk (8 minutes)

U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Children’s Health Protection

EPA-100-K-13-002April 2013

www.epa.gov

Lesson 4: Be Sun Smart

1. Introduction and the Earth’s Orbit(8 minutes)

Review Askseveralstudentstosharesomethingthattheyrememberfromthepreviouslesson.

Prompts:Whatdidyoulearnthatyoudidn’tknowbefore?Whatdidwetalkaboutthatyoualreadyknew?Whatsurprisedyoufromourlastlesson?Whataresomeofthenewwordsyoulearnedfromourlastlesson?Whatcanyoudotopositivelyimpacttheissuethatwelearnedabout?

DoAsk

[Show Poster #1 (four photos—extreme close-up images of the sun or sun flares).]Whatdoesthislooklike?Whatdoyousee?Whoknowswhatthisis?[Take some time with the photos. This may be the first time that some of the kids have seen images of the sun this close.]

Thisisoursun.Haveyoueverseenapictureofthesunlikethis?Weusuallyseethesundrawnasabigyellowball.ThesephotosweretakenbyNASA.

Whatisthesun?ThesunisthestaratthecenterofourSolarSystem.Thesunis109timeslargerthantheEarthandprimarilyconsistsofhydrogenandhelium(gases).

Thinkofthesunasahumongouspowerplantthatisthrowingoffheatenergy.Wefeeltheheatenergyofthesunwhenwewalkoutside,andit’shotouteventhoughitis93millionmilesawayfromtheEarthbecausemostofthespacebetweentheEarthandthesunisempty,whichallowsthesun’senergytoreachuseasily.

(continued on other side)

1. Introduction and the Earth’s Orbit (continued – page 2)

Howhotdoesthetemperaturegetin[insert your city name]atitshottest?

Prompts:InAugust,whatisthetemperature?Whenyouarebakingacakeormakingchicken,whattemperatureistheovenusuallyat?350or400degreesFahrenheit,right?Well,we’reabletoexperiencethesun’senergyfrom93millionmilesawaybecausethecoreofthesunismorethan28milliondegrees!

Today,wewilltalkaboutanenvironmentalhealthissuethatinvolvesthesun:sunsafety.Butbeforewetalkaboutclimateandhowweneedtoprotectourselvesfromthesun,let’sthinkaboutthesunalittlemore.

OptionalActivity:SunSingOff(10–20 minutes)

Dividethegroupintosmallergroupsof3–4studentsandexplainthatyouwillhaveaSingOffbetweengroups.Eachsongorraphastohaveoneofthefollowingwordsinit:Sun,Sunshine,Rays,Star,LightorHeat.

Lesson 4: Be Sun Smart

Poster #1

U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Children’s Health ProtectionEPA-100-K-13-002www.epa.govApril 2013

Printed on 100% recycled/recyclable paper with a minimum 50% post-consumer waste using vegetable-based inks.

Photographs courtsey of NASA (www.nasa.gov)

Lesson 4: Be Sun Smart

2. Defining Terms and Sun Smarts(20 minutes)

Whydoweneedthesun?Whatdoesitprovideus?

Prompts:Wouldwehaveplantswithoutthesun?Food?Wouldwebeabletoliveiftheweathergotextremelycoldorextremelyhot?

TheEarthandallofitsanimalsandplantsworktogetherasasystemtosustainallofthetrillionsoflivingthings.It’sacarefulbalanceandifonethingchanges,it’sgoingtohavearippleeffectacrosstheentiresystem.

Whataresomewordsthatyouthinkofwhenyouthinkaboutthesun?Orbeingoutinthesun?

Prompts:Light,sweat,heat,hot,warm,happy,sunscreen,sunglasses,sunburn.

Explain ThesunisessentialforlifeonEarth.Justasplantsneedthesuntogrow,humansandotheranimalsneeditaswell.Whatelsedowegetfromthesun?

Prompts:Dosunnydaysmakeyouhappier?Inthemiddleofwinter,don’tyoulongforsummer?Whatwouldyoueatifthesundidn’thelpplantsandanimalstogrow?

ThesunhelpsourbodiesmakevitaminD,whichhelpsustohavestrongbonesandteeth.Butcertainfoodsandvitaminsareexcellent,safersourcesofvitaminD.

Thesunalsohelpstoregulateoursleepingrhythms.Wehaveevolvedovermillionsofyearsalongwiththesun.

(continued on other side)

2. Defining Terms and Sun Smarts (continued – page 2)

So,thesunprovidesuswithalotofthings.Butifwe’renotcareful,itcanalsocausealotofdamage.Whataresomeoftheharmfulthingsthatthesuncando?

Prompts:Haveanyofyoueverhadasunburn?Orhaveyouseenplantsthatgottoomuchsunandnotenoughwater?

TeacherNote:Theissueofsunburnsandtheneedforsunscreenmaybeasensitiveoneforstudentswhosefamilieseitherdon’tusesunscreenorbelievethatsunscreenisonlynecessaryforlight-skinnedpeople.Asyouareleadingthisdiscussion,beawarethatthisissuemaycausesometensionandrefertoyourorganization’spolicyandpracticesforaddressingsensitiveissues.

Andsunburnisexactlywhatitsoundslike—someoftheenergyofthesunisintheformofultravioletraysthatcanburnourskincells,andtheskingetsredandfeelswarm.Didyouknowthatyoucangetasunburnonacloudyday?Upto80percentofthesun’sultravioletrayscangetthroughonacloudyday.Rememberthatevenifyoudon’tburn,anychangetoyournaturalskincolorisasignofdamagetoyourskin.Sunburnscanleadtoskincancer.

Whileweneedthesun,wealsoneedtoprotectourselvesfromitsstrongultravioletradiation.Weneedtoprotectourbody’slargestorgan,ourskin.

WhatareultravioletorUVrays?

Rememberwhenwesaidthatthesunwaslikeagiantpowerplantthrowingoffenergy?Well,someoftheenergyisintheformoflightandsomeisheat,andit’salsosendingenergydownintheformofultravioletraysthatareinvisible—thesamewaythatheatisinvisible.Wecan’tseeheatandwecan’tseeultravioletrays.

Explain HaveyoueverheardoftheUVIndex?Whatisit?TheUVIndexassignsanumbertothenextday’sUV—orultravioletray—levelsandhighlightsthelevelofexposureforpeoplewhoplantobeoutdoors.JustliketheairqualitycodeyouhearaboutonTV,youshouldpayattentiontotheUVlevelsandplanyouractivitiestoprotectyourselffromgettingtoomuchsunbyusingshadeandcoveringupwithsunglasses,ahat,andprotectiveclothing,andusingsunscreen.Thehigherthenumberonthescaleof1to11+,themorecarefulyouneedtobe.

2. Defining Terms and Sun Smarts (continued – page 3)

OptionalActivity:HeatandUVAroundtheCountry(10–20 minutes)

ShareheatandUVMapsfromaroundthecountrywiththeclass.Printadozendifferentmapsofheat,UV,andhumidityforthesamedayfromonlineweathersitestoallowstudentstoseetherangeoftemperaturesaroundthecountryortheworld.Havestudentscalloutthelocation(whichyoucanfindonamap)andthenumbersandrecordthemontheboard.

DifferentpartsofthecountryorworldexperiencetemperatureandUVdifferently,buteveryoneexperiencesUV.

Sincewecan’tseparatethepotentialbadeffectsoftheUVrays(wrinkles,eyedamage,sunburn,skincancer,andimmunesystemsuppression)fromthegood,likevitaminD,expertsrecommendthatyoueatfoodswithvitaminDandtakevitaminDsupplementsratherthanseekingthesunforvitaminD.

WhataresomefoodsthatarehighinvitaminD?

Answer:Salmon,tunafish,fortifiedmilkandorangejuice,eggs,andlotsofcerealsandyogurtshaveaddedvitaminD.

Explain Butdoesn’tthesunfeelgoodsometimes?Don’tyouwanttogooutandfeelitonyourface?Youcertainlycan;butremembertowearsunscreen,sunglasses,andprotectiveclothing,likehatsandshirtswithsleeves,longpantsorlongshortswithhighsocks,topreventdamagetoyourskinandeyes.

Childrenareparticularlyatriskfromthesun.Whymightthisbe?

Children’sskinismoresensitiveandisgrowingmorerapidlythanthatofadults(thecellsaremultiplyingatamuchfasterrate).Andchildrenoftenspendalotmoretimeoutsideinthesunthanadultsdo.

(continued on other side)

2. Defining Terms and Sun Smarts (continued – page 4)

Childhoodsunburnsincreasetheriskforskincancerlaterinlifeandcanalsoincreasetheriskforskincancerasearlyasthelateteenyearsandearlytomid-20s.Asignificantamountofsunexposureoccursbeforeage18.Protectingtheskinandeyesduringthefirst18yearsoflifecanreducetheriskofsometypesofskincancerbyupto78percent.Similarly,wearingsunglasseshelpstopreventproblemswithyoureyeslaterinlife.

Howcanweprotectourselvesfromthesun?

DoExplain [Show Poster #2 (photos of turtle, muddy pig, camel’s face, meerkat, and lions in the

shade).]Therearesomesimplestepsthatyoucantakeandsomeanimalscanshowushow.Checkouttheseanimals—theyarealleitherusingastrategyortheirbodieshaveevolvedtohelpprotectthemfromthesun’spowerfulrays.

OptionalActivity:GroupWorkonAnimalSunscreen(10–15 minutes)

Dividetheclassintogroupstodeterminehoweachanimalisprotectingitselffromthesun.

[Review each animal.]Whatdoyouthinkeachoneisdoingtobesunsmart?

Prompts:Whichanimallookslikeit’swearingsunglasses?Hasanyanimalherelayeredsomethingontoprotectitself?Whichonehas“clothes”on?

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Theturtlewearsashelllikeashirt—itsskincan’tbeburntifit’snotexposedtothesun.Youcanwearclothingtoprotectyourskinfromthesun.

Thepigcoversitselfinmudasasunscreen.YoushouldwearsunscreenofatleastSPF15wheneveryouareoutside.

Thebumpsoverthecamel’seyesactlikeahat.Youshouldwearahattoprotectyourface,neck,andheadfromthesun.

Theblackringsaroundthemeerkat’seyesactassunglasses.Youshouldwearsunglassesifyou’regoingtobeoutsideforlongperiods.

Theselionsareusingtheshadowrule—whenyourshadowisshorterthanyouare,seekshade!

2. Defining Terms and Sun Smarts (continued – page 5)

Doallpeopleneedtoprotectthemselvesfromtoomuchsun?Dodark-skinnedpeopleneedtodothingslikewearinghats,sunglasses,andsunscreen?

Prompts:HaveyoueverheardthatAfricanAmericansorNativeAmericansorHispanicAmericansdon’tneedtoprotectthemselvesbecausetheirskinisdarker?

ALLpeopleneedtobesunsmartandwearhatsandsunglasses,seekshade,andwearsunscreen!Ultravioletrayscandamageeveryone’sskinandeyes.

OptionalActivity:SunSmartsPosters(10–15 minutes)

ColoringorcreatingSunSmartssignsforuseintheteachingspaceorathome.Nowthatweknowhowimportantitistobesunsmart,wewanttosharethatknowledge.Eachofyou(orinpairs)willmakeaposterthatexplainsonewaytobesunsmart.Thinkbacktoallthethingswediscussed.

Passoutlargesheetsofpaperorthecoloringpageandmarkersorcrayons.

Lesson 4: Be Sun Smart

Poster #2

U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Children’s Health ProtectionEPA-100-K-13-002www.epa.govApril 2013

Printed on 100% recycled/recyclable paper with a minimum 50% post-consumer waste using vegetable-based inks.

Lesson 4: Be Sun Smart

3. Close and Take-Home Talk (8 minutes)

DoExplain

Closeyoureyesandtakeanicedeepbreath.We’vecoveredalottoday.Wetalkedaboutthesunandwhyweneedit.

Rememberhowwetalkedaboutneedingcertainingredientstomakeourenvironmentshealthyalittlewhileback?Thesunisakeyingredientinourenvironment,butweneedtobesunsmart.Welookedatsomeanimalsthatwerepracticingsunsmarts.Therearefivethingsthatwecandotobesunsmart—whocannameone?[Go through all five: Wear clothing to protect your skin from the sun; wear sunscreen of at least SPF 15 when you are outside; wear a hat to protect your face, next and head from the sun; wear sunglasses outside; and when your shadow is shorter than you are, seek shade.]Youcanopenyoureyesnow.

DoExplain Forthenextfewweeks,we’regoingtocharttheUVIndexeachday.We’regoingto

chartthetemperatureandtheUVIndexandtakeafewnotesontheweather.Let’sseeifwenoticeanythingaboutultravioletrays.[Show Poster #3 (Charting the UV Index).]

Thecoolestpartaboutlearningsomethingnewissharingtheknowledge.Tonight,whenyougethome,Iwantyoutotalkwithyourfamilyaboutthethingsthatwelearnedtoday.Talkwithyourfamilyaboutwhyisitimportanttoprotectyourskinandeyeswhileoutsideanddiscussthestepsthatyoucanalltaketobesunsmart.

DoExplain [Pass out Take-Home Talk.]ThisTake-HomeTalksheethassomethingsthatyoucan

sharewithyourfamilyandsomeactivitiesthatyoucandoathome.Seewhatyoucanaccomplishonthesheetandwe’lltalkaboutitthenexttimewemeet.

Lesson 4: Be Sun Smart

Poster #3

U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Children’s Health ProtectionEPA-100-K-13-002www.epa.govApril 2013

Printed on 100% recycled/recyclable paper with a minimum 50% post-consumer waste using vegetable-based inks.

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Recipes for Healthy Kids and a Healthy EnvironmentKids Building a Safer and Healthier Community

Take-Home TalkLesson 4: Be Sun Smart

To Share:

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ThesunisthestaratthecenterofourSolarSystem.Thesunis109timeslargerthantheEarthandprimarilyconsistsofhydrogenandhelium(gases).

Wefeeltheheatenergyofthesunwhenwewalkoutside,andit’shotouteventhoughthesunis93millionmilesawayfromtheEarthbecausethecoreofthesunismorethan28milliondegrees!

ThesunisessentialforlifeonEarth.Justasplantsneedthesuntogrow,humansandotheranimalsneeditaswell.Wehaveevolvedovermillionsofyearsalongwiththesun.

Whileweneedthesun,wealsoALLneedtoprotectourselvesfromitsstrongultravioletradiation,whichcancausesunburnsand,sometimes,cancer.

Peopleofallcomplexionsneedtopracticesunsmarts.Thesun’sultravioletrayscandamageusall.

To Do:

• Sun Smarts Spotting!Wesawthatalotofanimalsusenaturalsunsmartstoprotectthemselves:

Turtlesweartheirshellslikeashirt—itsskincan’tbeburntifit’snotexposedtothesun.Youcanwearclothingtoprotectyourskinfromthesun.

Pigscoverthemselvesinmudasasunscreen.YoushouldwearsunscreenofatleastSPF15wheneveryouareoutside.

Thebumpsoverthecamel’seyesactlikeahat.Youshouldwearahattoprotectyourface,neck,andheadfromthesun.

(continued on other side)

Theblackringsaroundthemeerkat’seyesactassunglasses.Youshouldwearsunglassesifyou’regoingtobeoutsideforlongperiods.

Lionsusetheshadowrule—whenyourshadowisshorterthanyouare,seekshade!

Where do you see these same kinds of ideas being used by people every day in your community? Where is there extra shade? Who wears sunglasses? How many different kinds of hats are out there? Is anyone using an umbrella for shade?

To Take Back:

• Whatwasthecoolestthingthatyoulearnedfromtalkingaboutthistopicwithyourfamilyandfriends?