Childhood Obesity Project

What do I need to play outside?

California Early Childhood Sun Protection Curriculum


Learning Goals To identify items that can keep you safe while playing in the sun.

Materials Needed A picture of a child, mounted on a board, or use a felt board.

Cut out pictures of hats, sunglasses, long-sleeve shirts and pants,
sunscreen, and a glass of water. Include a picture of the sun and
something to represent a child’s cubby. If you are using a felt board,
the items will need to be mounted on felt to stick to the board.

Time Needed 15 to 20 minutes

Appropriate Group Size Small Groups or whole group at circle time.

Doing the Activity

  1. Ask the children to look closely at the picture.
  2. Ask “What do we need to protect us from the hot sun?”
  3. Ask “Let’s pretend we are going outside. What do we need to have before we go outside?”
  4. Say, “Now it’s time to come in. What do we need to put away and where do we need to put it?”

Comments/Suggestions

This activity reinforces all of the primary concepts we want children to know in order to protect themselves from the sun.

Modifications

You can make up and story that that will capture the imagination of the children. Go on a trip to the beach or describe other adventures. You may want to use this activity at the end of the circle time to remind children how to prepare for outdoor playtime.

Things to talk about

  • Why do we need to be protected from the sun.
  • What we do to protect ourselves.
  • What does the sun feel like? – is it hot?
  • What party of the body does a hat cover.
  • Why do we need water, sunglasses, ect.
  • Why do we need sunscreen, ect.

 

What you can do extend this activity to other areas

  1. Have an assortment of items and ask the child to find all the sun protection item they need before going outside to play.
  2. Have a picture of a child ready to go outside and cut-outs that match all of the items. Ask children to match the items.
  3. Make a lotto game with all of the items so there is a board with squares and four to six things that relate to sun protection with matching cards to put over the squares. To the list of items above, add pictures of plants growing in the sun, shady areas, and swimming pools, ects. These are readily available in magazines and can be cut out and glued to cardboard, then covered with plastic.

How well did the activity work and how will you do it differently next time?

 

Funding for the curriculum was made possible by cooperative agreement U56/CCU910995-03 with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The project was administered by the Skin Cancer Prevention Program, Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section, of the California Department of Health Services.

 

This curriculum may be reproduced without prior permission. Source acknowledgement is appreciated.

 

Additional copies from:

Skin Cancer Prevention Program

Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section

California Department of Health Services

P.O. Box 942732, MS-7204

Sacramento, CA 94234