********************************************************************
>If you can read this message, but the rest of the email contains strange characters,
>your email program is not HTML capable. You can switch to the plain TEXT version
>of this newsletter at https://www.surfnetkids.com/emailedition.htm
>******************************************************************* –>
Instructions on changing your email address or canceling this newsletter can be found
at the bottom of this message.
 |  |
 |
 |
Today’s newsletter is made possible by:
https://www.surfnetkids.com/sunscreen.htm Schools out! Summer sunshine is here. But don’t leave the house without your sunglasses, brimmed hat, and sunscreen. Why bother? Because despite the sun’s beneficial effects on our mood, even a small amount of daily exposure can lead to skin damage and cancer. Learn more with these five best-bet sites for summer safety. Ozone Kidzonehttp://www.ec.gc.ca/ozone/tockidzn.htm
About fifteen miles above the Earth is a “giant umbrella made of a layer of ozone gas.” This protective ozone layer (usually about twelve miles thick) blocks us from much of the sun’s harmful radiation. Unfortunately during the last fifty years, parts of the ozone layer have thinned, leaving us more exposed to the sun’s UV rays than we were years ago. This Canadian site explains what the ozone layer is, how it was damaged, and what is being done about it. Science under the Sunhttp://www.scienceunderthesun.com/
This marvelous site has separate tracks for teachers and families. In either section you’ll find a Glossary, a Sun Safety Quiz and Twelve Sun Safety Tips (“Pucker up! Use a lip balm with sunscreen for your lips.”) For families, there is also a science activity page, titled At Home Fun, that is equally valuable for classroom or youth group use. And just for teachers, there are elementary lesson plans, a printable poster, and ideas for creating a Sun Safety newsletter. Sun Protectionhttp://sunprotection.org/
Sun Protection, from the research department of L’Oréal cosmetics, is my pick of the day. Divided into five sections, Sun Protection starts with an excellent explanation of the short- and long-term effects of sun exposure. Next it delves into our body’s natural defenses (the production of melanin, the tanning pigment,) skin types, and sun solutions. This site is so good, every page is a best click! If any of the scientific words stump you, you’ll find a glossary link at the bottom of every page. Sun Safety Infohttp://www.americansun.org/pages/SunSafetyInfo.htm
Skin cancer caused primarily caused by sun exposure is the most common type of cancer in the United. “Someone dies of melanoma every hour in the United States. In 1930, an American’s lifetime risk of developing melanoma was 1 in 1500. Today, it is 1 in 75.” But skin cancer is largely preventable, and you and your school can do something about it. Download the free twenty-page Sun Safe School Guide that outlines how your school can become sun safe. You’ll also find a single page handout for elementary students filled with tips and puzzles. Both are found under Fun Free Sun Safety Downloads. American Sun also sells a Sun Safety CD-ROM game and K-5 curriculum. Tanning Taboohttp://www.kidshealth.org/teen/body_basics/tanning.html
When I was a teen growing up on the California beach, we greased ourselves with baby oil to attract the sun’s rays. My mother told me not to, but that didn’t stop me. Maybe reading this article (since it wasn’t written by your mother) will help get the point across that tanning is not healthy. In fact, our culture’s tanning infatuation is rather new. Years ago being pale was a sign of wealth, because only those who labored outside were bronzed by the sun.
|
