At ISDIN, we are committed to preventing sun damage and skin cancer.
Exposure to ultraviolet rays and burns at an early age are a major risk factor for the development of skin cancer in the future. That is why teaching children to protect themselves from the sun has become one of the most effective strategies.
The School Project for Sun Protection aims to raise awareness about the importance of proper protection from the sun. In this way, we join schools to raise awareness among parents and pupils about the effectiveness of proper sun protection.
Set up in 1995, the School Project for Sun Protection has consolidated itself as one of the most important awareness-raising campaigns in Spain.
The general objectives for this stage are as follows:
- To present the main benefits of the sun for life on Earth.
- To make children aware of the consequences of being exposed to the sun without proper protection.
- To establish the main healthy behaviours and habits of responsible sun protection.
- Raise awareness about sustainability and recycling.
In this project we will work on the areas of knowledge regarding the natural, social and cultural environment.
Learning how to live together and inhabit the world implies, among others:
• Using scientific knowledge to understand future situations related to environmental issues, health conservation or the use of technological objects, thus making coherent decisions based on this knowledge.
Contributions of the subject to basic skills:
· Expressing ideas and organising information about geographical, historical, social, natural and technological spaces, facts, problems and phenomena in an efficient and understandable way.
· Communicating ideas and information orally, in writing, visually and through ICTs to inform, convince and discuss.
· Identifying relevant data related to the subject in texts from various origins that use different communication channels.
· Asking questions that can be researched.
· Using work planning skills.
· Using skills for gathering and processing information.
· Using critical and creative thinking for information analysis, problem solving and decision making.
· Sharing knowledge and skills with family and friends.
· Designing and implementing individual and group projects in a responsible and creative way.
Content about the natural environment stems from various scientific disciplines such as biology, physics, geology, chemistry and technology. This knowledge should enable primary school pupils to ask themselves questions about phenomena in the natural world and the effects of human activity on the environment, and to develop rational explanations that take into account the observations and guide their actions.
Science and technology should allow pupils at this stage to build:
· Knowledge about:
Living things: what characterises them and how they interrelate with each other and with the environment. In this way, it will be possible to understand the need to preserve their diversity and different habitats and the need for people to adopt lifestyles that make it possible to maintain their own and collective health.
· Skills and strategies to look for answers or solutions to scientific or technological problems by posing researchable questions and hypotheses; to design, as a team, processes to answer them; to collect data and organise them; to identify patterns and draw conclusions based on the evidence obtained; to build models or prototypes; and to describe and justify (orally, graphically and in writing) the process carried out and the results obtained.
In short, the scientific and technological knowledge that must be acquired during Primary Education should allow pupils to start looking for possible answers to problems or questions related to their environment that are socially relevant, making it possible to give meaning to their actions. At the same time, children should begin to appreciate the enjoyment in finding rational explanations for the facts and the usefulness of applying scientific procedures and attitudes.
· Using different communication systems to express and communicate the contents of the subject in a personal and creative way; selecting and interpreting data expressed through different codes (linguistic, numerical and graphic); and reflecting on the learning process itself.
· Acting in accordance with health and personal hygiene habits stemming from the knowledge of the human body, and showing an attitude of critical acceptance and respect for individual differences (age, gender, physical features and personality).
· Actively participating in group work; adopting a responsible, supportive, cooperative and
responsive attitude; arguing one’s own opinions and comparing them with those of others; respecting the basic principles of democratic functioning.
· Using language as a tool to build knowledge and share it with others, always based on the development of the skills related to the subject (description, explanation, justification, interpretation and reasoning).
· Appreciating the enjoyment of finding rational explanations for facts and problems identified in our environment and valuing the usefulness of applying scientific procedures and attitudes.
· Identifying and justifying habits related to hygiene, rest, physical exercise and a varied and balanced diet for a healthy life. Identifying messages and practices that are not conducive to good personal and health development.
Evaluation criteria:
· To positively value the practice of certain habits associated with hygiene, food, physical exercise and rest that it is advisable to maintain and, at the same time, to discern the activities that are harmful to health.
Connections to other areas:
· Understanding and producing oral, written and audio-visual messages.
· Adopting health and hygiene habits.
The material created for the early childhood education level is based on the story “Our First Cross-Country Race”, which aims to encourage children and emphasise the importance of including sun protection in the child’s skin care habits, in addition to integrating sustainability criteria with the incorporation of recycling tips.
Using stories in the early childhood stage is the best way to work on adopting healthy lifestyles and learning daily routines. At the same time, the development of reading comprehension skills is encouraged, as pupils learn reading strategies, which facilitates their learning progress.
The story comes with some worksheets for the pupils to work on in the classroom. In an entertaining way with tasks that pupils are already used to, these worksheets present the key messages for responsible sun protection: the sun (benefits and dangers) and healthy habits.
To start these activities, you have this teacher’s guide, which includes the necessary guidelines and suggestions. The pupils have a researcher’s notebook in which they will find the tasks required to carry out all the activities (it can be downloaded in PDF format at www.isdinsunlab.com).
Once all the activities have been completed, we suggest that each pupil takes home the sun protection certificate. The aim of this is to involve their family so that they undertake the commitment to follow healthy habits in the future.
It is suggested that they hang the certificate in a visible place in the house (e.g. fridge, front door, etc.). The certificate can be found in the private area of www.isdinsunlab.com
The activities have been designed for pupils in their 3rd year of Early Childhood Education and 1st year of Primary Education.
Both years share the story resource. Based on this, two activities are planned for each year: one to be worked on using paper and the other to be worked on using a digital whiteboard or touch screen.
The activities for each year are scheduled to take place in two sessions of approximately forty minutes.
After reading the story, you will be able to ask questions about the narration not only to check the pupils’ level of understanding, but to find out which aspects they have been able to memorise and grasp correctly.
The aim of this activity is for pupils to work on their memory and be able to store as much information as possible. Pupils should be able to conclude that sun protection is necessary when spending time outdoors and in the sun.
Worksheet 1: We are going on a trip!
For this worksheet, pupils must cut out each of the items they need in order to be properly protected from the sun (cap, t-shirt, sunglasses, sunscreen and water bottles) and stick them on the characters or their backpacks. These items must first be selected from a set of objects where not all of them have the function of providing protection from the sun.
It is a good time to find out what they have learnt about caring for their skin in the sun when they are doing an outdoor activity (at the beach, at the pool, on a trip to the farm school, etc.).
Appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in the sun are compared on this worksheet. Of the four behaviours shown, pupils should be able to differentiate the two that are correct and healthy from the two that pose a risk in the sun. Pictures showing correct behaviour:
• A boy applies sunscreen at home and you can see the beach through the door. A boy wearing sunglasses, a cap and t-shirt is waiting for him with a surfboard in hand.
• A girl applies sunscreen at home and you can see the countryside through the door. There is a boy wearing sunglasses, a cap and t-shirt.
This worksheet is a short self-assessment that the pupils must complete in order to find out how much they have learnt and to remember it. The worksheet has two columns: in the first one, there is a happy sun that symbolises the benefits of the sun and an angry sun that symbolises the dangers; in the second column, the following objects appear: sunglasses, sunscreen, cap, a thirsty looking child and a hand with sunburnt skin.
The activity consists of matching the objects with the correct image: the happy sun with the benefits and the angry sun with the dangers.
Pictures showing dangerous behaviour:
• A child plays on the beach without any kind of protection when the sun is at its highest point. Another boy is also sunbathing without protection. Both of them have red skin because they are burning.
• A girl is hiking in the countryside in a tank top with no protection; her skin is burning and she is thirsty.
This activity must be completed with the digital whiteboard or touch screen. The aim of this activity is to stimulate the logic of pupils by having them arrange four pictures that make up a story. By doing so, the pupil will be able to identify the consequences of two different behaviours in relation to the sun during a day at the beach.
In the class, the four pictures will be shown in a random order and pupils must identify and number them chronologically from 1 to 4.
The correct sequence of pictures is as follows:
1. The boy is reading a book and the girl applies sunscreen at home.
After finishing this activity, you should explain to the pupils when the sun is most dangerous.
2. They pack the bag to go to the beach and you can see all the items that the girl is going to take.
3. The girl applies sunscreen again while the boy plays in the water (he is starting to get red).
4. They play in the sand. The girl is wearing sunglasses and a cap and the boy (who has not taken any precautions against the sun) is very red, he does not feel well and cannot play. After putting the images in order, we can tell the girl’s story first and then the boy’s. During the activity, we can see and point out the differences in their behaviour and, therefore, note the different consequences.
Worksheet 1: Path to life
While the sun has many benefits, it also has a lot of dangers; the pupils can discover these using this maze. The four benefits of the sun shown in this worksheet aim to clarify that:
• The sun helps to strengthen our bones and teeth (represented by a skeleton and healthy teeth).
• It helps plants grow.
• It helps our skin look better and improves our sense of well-being (reflected by smiling children).
• Failing to protect yourself from the sun can cause burns on the skin (a burnt hand is shown) or dehydration (represented by a thirsty child). Moreover, plants cannot grow without sunlight.
Once the worksheet is completed, you can talk to the pupils and explain that, although the sun has many benefits, it can also be dangerous. After this, pupils should start brainstorming to add examples of the negative consequences of sun exposure.
With this worksheet, we will review the items required to protect and hydrate ourselves in different daily situations that require it. For each of the five pictures contained on this worksheet, the sun protection element not included in the illustration must be selected from the different items shown beneath each picture.
Once the worksheet has been completed, it is important to make a summary of the sun protection items and the places where it is necessary to be protected from the sun. The pupils should be taught that, for complete sun protection, we must use a suitable sunscreen, wear sunglasses to take care of our eyes, a cap to avoid sunstroke, a t-shirt and carry a water bottle so that we are always hydrated.
This worksheet is a short self-assessment that the pupils must complete in order to find out how much they have learnt and to remember it. There is a sequence of objects on the sheet:
- A happy sun that symbolises the benefits of the sun, strong bones, two happy children, a healthy plant.
- An angry sun symbolising the dangers, a thirsty looking child, a hand with burnt skin, a withered plant.
- A pair of sunglasses, sunscreen, a cap, a t-shirt, a water bottle.
The activity consists of identifying the benefits of the sun and placing them into a green set; identifying the dangers of the sun and placing them into a red set; and identifying the objects that must be packed in the bag when doing an outdoor activity and placing them into a blue set.
This activity must be completed with the digital whiteboard or touch screen.
The aim of this activity is to stimulate the logic of the pupils by having them arrange five pictures that make up a story. By doing so, the pupil will be able to identify the consequences of two different behaviours in relation to the sun during a day in the mountains.
In the class, the five pictures will be shown in a random order and pupils must identify and number them chronologically from 1 to 5.
The correct sequence of pictures is as follows:
1. The boy is playing with a toy and the girl applies sunscreen at home.
2. They pack the bag to go to the mountains and you can see all the items that the girl is going to take.
3. The girl applies sunscreen again while the boy plays by a lake (he is starting to get red).
4. They play in the field. The girl is wearing sunglasses and a cap and the boy (who has not taken any precautions against the sun) is very red, he does not feel well and cannot play.
5. Once home, while the girl can play quietly, the boy is in pain and after-sun has to be applied.
After putting the images in order, we can tell the girl’s story first and then the boy’s. During the activity, we can see and point out the differences in their behaviour and, therefore, note the different consequences.
It is just as important to learn to protect yourself adequately from the sun, as to be aware of the need for responsible management of empty sunscreen containers.
The project adds sustainability criteria, incorporating the responsibility of recycling. Remind your students that recycling correctly helps reduce the impact on the environment and turn waste into new resources.
The following table provides the tools to evaluate the pupils according to the project objectives. The indicators provided will allow you to assess the level of achievement of the different objectives.
Objectives To present the main benefits of the sun for life on Earth.
Indicators The pupil can identify the main benefits and dangers of the sun.
To make children aware of the dangers of being exposed to the sun without proper protection.
The pupil understands and can identify the dangers of being exposed to the sun without proper protection.
To establish the main healthy behaviours and habits of responsible sun protection.
The pupil understands and knows the habits and behaviours for responsible sun protection.