|
|
Kids Walk Across Arkansas
Education and Safety
Sun Time
Goal: To protect the skin from the sun.
Objectives:
Participants will:
- Learn the main risk factor for skin cancer is sun exposure.
- Describe three types of skin cancer.
- Discuss ways to prevent sunburn.
Key Teaching Points:
- Sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer.
- Skin cancers include basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and malignant melanomas.
- Malignant melanomas are the most serious skin cancers.
- Anyone can get skin cancer regardless of his or her skin color.
- Precautions should be used if you are going to be in the sun for more than 15 minutes.
Introduction:
Sunburn is usually a first-degree burn that involves the outer layer of skin. Sunburns can be painful but are usually not dangerous unless they are extensive. Repeated sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer. Sunburn also causes the skin to age faster. Too much sun exposure is the number one cause of skin cancer. Skin cancer is half of all new cancers, making it the most common cancer. It can occur anywhere on the body but is most commonly found where the skin is exposed to sunlight, such as the face and hands.
There are three main types of skin cancers:
- Basal cell carcinomas are 80% of all skin cancers. It is the easily treated type and usually appears as a slow growing, raised area that may crust and bleed. It occurs mostly on the face, hands, and neck.
- Squamous cell carcinomas are 16% of all skin cancers. It is a red or pink, scaly bump, typically appearing on the face, hands, and ears.
- Malignant melanomas are 4% of all skin cancers and the most serious type. It can be successfully treated if caught early. Signs to look for are light brown or black flat spots with irregular edges that can become red, blue, or white. It often grows from a mole. If you burn just six times, you could double your risk of malignant melanomas. People with light, fair skin have a higher risk of getting skin cancer than those with dark skin. However, anyone can get skin cancer regardless of skin color, so it is important not to get too much sun.
Sun Protection Tips:
If you are going to be in the sun for more than 15 minutes, you should take precautions to prevent sunburn:
- Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.
- Apply sunscreen fifteen minutes before sun exposure and reapply ever two hours or as directed.
- Wear a hat with a 3-inch brim to shade your face when possible.
- Drink lots of water because sweating helps cool the skin.
- Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the burning rays are strongest.
- Use a lick-proof sunscreen stick specifically designed for the lips.
- Wear UV-blocking sunglasses. Eyes can get cancer too.
It is important to remember that even if you wear a cap, you should still put sunscreen on your face, hands, and neck. When wearing shorts, put sunscreen on your legs to protect them. Precautions now mean healthy, young-looking skin when you are older.
Activities
Activity 1:
Use fruit, such as grapes and raisins, to demonstrate the effects of sun on the skin. Point out that the grapes are smooth and juicy. When grapes are left in the sun, they get wrinkled and dry like the raisins. Our skin is like grapes. We are born with smooth, moist skin. When we get too much sun, our skin becomes dry and wrinkled like the grapes. The more sun we get, the drier and more wrinkled our skin will become as we grow older.
Ask: How can you protect yourself from the effects of the sun?
Answers:
- Limit time spent outside between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Wear protective clothing such as a shirt, hat, and sunglasses.
- Wear a sunscreen with a SPF of at least 15.
Activity 2:
Give the participants each about six grapes. Have them keep three of the grapes inside and put three of the grapes in the sun for about four to seven days. (The grapes outside will need to be protected from birds and ants.) Then make comparisons to see the effects of the sun.
Activity 3:
Prepare enough cookies for all participants to have one. Include additional six burned cookies. Pass the tray around. Tell participants to take one cookie but not to eat it until you tell them. Point out that the burned cookies are left on the plate.
Remember, no one likes to be seen with someone who looks like a burned cookie. Notice that the smaller cookies are more burned than the larger ones. Children burn easier than adults – use sunscreen.
Back to Kids Walk Across
Arkansas Education and Safety
|
Printer Friendly (PDF)
