July is UV Safety Awareness Month – a time to raise awareness about the importance of protecting your family’s skin and eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Protecting you and your kids is key: No matter your skin tone, UV radiation can damage your skin and raise your risk of skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the U.S. and worldwide. UV radiation can also damage your eyes, even on cloudy days. The best defense is to wear sunglasses that block 100% of UV-A and UV-B rays, and a broad-brimmed hat to protect your eyes. Make sure to get these for yourself and your kids, and remind them of the importance of wearing them.
What else can you do? Raise your awareness by checking the UV Index (UVI), which tells you how strong the sun’s UV rays are. You can use this information to decide how much time you and your kids should spend in the sun and what type of protection to use. Want to learn more? Read on!
How to Check the UVI
You can look up your local UV index forecast by ZIP code or city and state through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website. There, you’ll find daily maps and information about the UVI. You can also download and install the UVI app on your mobile device and sign up for UVI email alerts. Most weather websites and weather apps also provide the UVI for your area.
The UVI is a number on a color-coded scale from 1 to 11+ that tells you how intense the UV rays from the sun are predicted to be at a particular time and place. It works like this:
- Low exposure (green): 1-2.
- Moderate exposure (yellow): 3-5.
- High exposure (orange): 6-7.
- Very high exposure (red): 8-10.
- Extreme exposure (violet): 11+.
The Five S’s of Sun Safety
Are your kids Sun Safe Superstars like George? Show them this animated storybook and have them watch for the Five S’s of Sun Safety that George learns to become a Sun Safe Superstar:
- Slip on a T-shirt to cover your shoulders.
- Slop on sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more.
- Slap on a wide-brimmed hat to shade your head.
- Slide on a pair of sunglasses with 100% UV protection.
- Shade from the sun wherever possible – especially between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
More Links to Fun Activities that Teach Sun Safety
- For sun safety worksheets, posters and coloring pages, check out these printable resources from education.com, TeachersPayTeachers.com, Tedy Printable Activities and eParenting.co.uk.
- For more videos for kids about sun safety, check out this SciShow Kids video about the importance of sunscreen and this episode of The Dr. Binocs Show that explains in depth why UV rays are harmful.