SunWise Tools
Based on the activities you choose, you will receive free materials to help you implement SunWise.
SunWise Tool Kit
SunWise distributes a free Tool Kit (available in English and Spanish) containing cross-curricular classroom lessons and background information for K-8 learning levels. The Tool Kit consists of a variety of fun, developmentally appropriate activities that combine education about sun protection and the environment with other aspects of learning.
The kit includes activities focusing on:
- The science behind UV radiation and stratospheric ozone
- The health risks from overexposure to UV radiation
- The steps you can take to protect yourself
In addition to the lessons, the kit provides a UV sensitive frisbee, a comic book On the Trail of the Missing Ozone, and to award participation, we provide an easily photocopied Certificate of SunWisdom.
Sample Activities
- K-2 Sample Activity: Speedy Sun Relay Race (PDF) (5 pp, 711K, About PDF)
- 3-5 Sample Activity: Measure Your Shadow (PDF) (5 pp, 570K, About PDF)
- 6-8 Sample Activity: SunWise Surveyor (PDF) (4 pp, 444K, About PDF)
SunWise Video
SunWise: A Sun Safety Program for K-8 is a video designed for teachers, school nurses, parents, and school administrators who would like to learn more about the easy-to-use SunWise program. The video describes the SunWise program by:
- Illustrating the historical context in which Americans developed risky sun behaviors
- Using classroom footage and interviews
- Outlining sun safe behaviors to prevent long-term illness
You can also watch the video online.
The video also is available in Spanish and with closed captions for the hearing impaired. Contact us for further informaton.
Distribution Policy
The SunWise Program's goal is to help as many people as we can achieve sun safe behavior. Due to the growing popularity of the Program and increasing production costs, as well as to increase ease of use for educators, we have moved from distributing hard copies of our educational Tool Kit to a CD-ROM format. We have received feedback that the CD-ROM format is preferable. Limited hard copies are available if an educator is unable to use a CD-ROM format.
We encourage the Tool Kits to be placed in a central location within a school, such as the library or media center, where teachers can share and make copies of the materials (particularly if your school has received a hard copy Tool Kit). More than one teacher in a school may request to receive a CD-ROM, especially if the student population is large, and/or multiple classes or grade levels are participating.