It’s summertime now and you’ll be doing all kinds of fun things in the sun! Here are some important tips for staying safe in the sun on those hot sunny days.

1. In order to avoid painful and unhealthy sunburns, always wear sunscreen with an SPF rating of 15 or higher. SPF stands for sun protection factor. Put on sunscreen 15 to 20 minutes before going out in the sun. If you are fair skinned, you should use a sunscreen with a higher SPF rating such as SPF 30. To be safe, reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours. And reapply more often if you’ve been swimming, boating or sweating a lot because you can get sunburned more quickly because the reflection from the water intensifies the sun’s powerful rays. Also, don’t forget to protect your eyes from ultraviolet rays! Always wear sunglasses in the bright sun, and make sure they have a label saying that they block UV rays. Protecting yourself is especially important between 10:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon because that’s when the sun’s rays are strongest and most damaging.
2. Take frequent breaks from the heat and sun by going indoors or moving into the shade where it’s cooler.
3. Drink plenty of water, especially on hot days when you are sweating more. Your body needs a certain amount of water to work properly and it loses it when you sweat.
4. Be sure to tell an adult if you’re out in the sun and not feeling well, like if you’re hot and you have a headache or feel dizzy or nauseous, like you’re going to throw up. The grown-up will want to get you out of the sun, give you liquids to drink, and take you to a doctor, if necessary.

So stay safe this summer and always remember to wear sunscreen, drink plenty of water, and take breaks when you start to feel too hot or weak. Let’s have some “antastic” fun in the sun!

This entry was posted on Friday, June 20th, 2008 at 5:55 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.