Sun safety activities for children (Grades 4 to 6) in day camps and schools.
Design a Hat
Learning Goal
This activity reinforces the importance of covering up with clothing.
Category
What’s Needed
- Hat to decorate
- Art supplies e.g., markers, glitter glue, construction paper, embellishments, ribbon, etc.
- Tape
Time Needed
What to Do
- Have children decorate their hat. Make it fun by awarding hats that are the most creative, the ones that provide the most shade, and best group with matching hats.
- Ask children why it is important to wear a hat.
- After the hat is designed, have children talk about the different features of their hat that protect them from the sun e.g., large brim, neck flaps.
Variations
- Have children decorate a t-shirt
(This content may be reproduced with permission from Toronto Public Health.)
Find the Rainbow
Learning Goal
Children will learn about the invisible sun’s rays, and how a rainbow is made.
Category
What’s Needed
Time Needed
What to Do
- Have the children stand with their backs to the sun.
- Aim the hose with a steady spray around the children (in the direction of their shadow).
- Look for the rainbow that forms between their shadow and the spray of water. They can move around when the rainbow appears and disappears.
- Ask the children:
- What is a rainbow?
- How does it happen?
- How many colours do you see and can you name them?
- What do we need to have a rainbow?
- Talk about how we cannot see some damaging light called ultraviolet (UV) radiation, how water reflects the light and the relationship between light and colour.
Variations
- Each day, check the UV Index reading for your area
- Have one child mark or circle the UV Index reading on the class poster board with a dry erase marker
- Talk about the day’s sun safety measures, using the pictures and drawings on the poster
- You may use this activity for the Air Quality Health Index
(This content has been adapted/sourced with permission from the California Department of Public Health.)
Hot Potato with the Sun
Learning Goal
This activity reinforces sun safety messages with children while also involving them in physical activity.
Category
What’s Needed
Time Needed
What to Do
- Have the children sit in a large circle and pretend the ball is the sun.
- Have the children pass the ball to each other as the music plays.
- When the music stops, the child with the ball will say one way to protect oneself from the sun.
(This content has been adapted/sourced with permission from United States Environmental Protection Agency, Sun Wise Program.)
Shade Play/The Shade Game
Learning Goal
This activity will utilize children’s love of active play to remind them to take advantage of shade while outdoors.
Category
What’s Needed
- Outdoor space with both sun and shade
- Optional: blankets, sheets, tarps, other shade-creating materials
Time Needed
What to Do
- Take children to an outside area that has both sun and shade. Walk from one area to another and talk about the differences in how the space looks (darker or lighter) and feels (warmer or cooler).
- Play a game where you call out “shade” or “sun” and have children run from one to another based on what you call out.
Variations
- Call out different body parts e.g., put your toes in the shade
- Have children create shade by using blankets, sheets, parachutes, tarps or other materials
(This content has been adapted/sourced with permission from Sun Safety Alliance.)
Shadow Pictures
Learning Goal
Children will learn about the power of the sun while learning science.
Category
What’s Needed
- Dark coloured construction paper
- Flat opaque objects e.g., keys, coins, leaves, stones, etc. (enough for each child)
Time Needed
What to Do
- Take a sheet of construction paper and cover it with the flat objects.
- Place the paper with the objects on top, outside in the sun.
- After 2 hours bring the sheet in, take off the objects and the object’s shadow will be visible.
Variations
- Each day, check the ultraviolet (UV) Index reading for your area
- Have one child mark or circle the UV Index reading on the class’ poster board with a dry erase marker
- Talk about the day’s sun safety measures, using the pictures and drawings on the poster
- You may use this activity for the Air Quality Health Index
(This content may be reproduced with permission from Toronto Public Health.)
Sun Protector/Shade Collage
Learning Goal
Children will make a prominent visual aid that can be used to promote sun protection and the use of shaded areas.
Category
What’s Needed
- Construction paper
- Poster board
- Magazines of outdoor scenes, shade and sun safety
- Child safe scissors
- Glue or tape
Time Needed
What to Do
- In groups of 2 – 4 children, make a small collage with pictures from the magazines.
- Put all the collages together on a poster board.
- Have children discuss sun protective strategies including the importance of shade. Perhaps have this discussion outside in a shaded area.
- Display the sun safety poster in a prominent area at the school/camp site.
Variations
- For very young children, cut out pictures in advance to avoid them using scissors
(This content may be reproduced with permission from Toronto Public Health.)
