Last week I taught a lesson about sun safety and sunscreen application for my Mom’s second and third grade students . It was fun for this former teacher to get back into the classroom and talk about something I am so passionate about. Since that lesson went so well, and I recently purchased a children’s book about Melanoma and sun safety written by a fellow Melanoma warrior, I offered to teach a similar lesson in my children’s first and second grade classes. Today I taught in Joey’s second grade class. Joey loved being the model for me to demonstrate sunscreen application. I think the kids learned a lot about sun safety and proper sunscreen application. I didn’t focus on the best type of sunscreen to wear, because most second graders don’t have a lot of influence in their parents purchasing decisions, but instead I showed them tips for best applying stick, lotion, and spray sunscreens. We also talked about how important it is to reapply sunscreen and wear hats and sunglasses. I also discussed how to politely share what they learned with their parents. I sure hope that part got through!
I am dreaming about how to expand teaching sun safety to more elementary age students. I want to make hats available for students to wear on the playground. I’ve been doing lots of thinking about the best way to make this happen. Ideally we would raise money for hats and educational materials. Do we form a foundation? Do we create a non-profit? Is a non-profit the same as a foundation? Do I try to work with an existing organization such as the Skin Cancer Institute? It sure is fun to dream about the possibilities!