Making your outdoor excursion SunSmart

As part of your SunSmart membership, schools and early childcare services are responsible for helping protect all children and staff from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

Outdoor events like excursions, assemblies and day trips out in nature can leave wonderful, lasting memories for students, children and staff – unless you’re left with a painful dose of sunburn! When planning any outdoor excursion, particularly if students, children and staff will spend extended periods outdoors during peak UV hours, it’s important to consider how everyone can be protected from the sun and stay safe.

Implementing as many of these strategies as practical will help to ensure your planned outdoor excursion is protecting everyone from UV radiation.

Slipping and Slapping

• Covering clothing and hats offer the best protection from UV radiation. For any outdoor excursions or events, encourage students, children and staff to wear a broad-brimmed, legionnaire or bucket hat and sun protective clothing such as collared shirts, elbow or full-length sleeves, longer shorts, skirts or long pants.
• If the day out involves water activities, rashies should be worn – encourage longer sleeves, matched with boardies.
• For staff , brimmed hats are best. Ditch the baseball caps to ensure that areas vulnerable to skin cancers (like the back of the neck and ears) are protected.
• Don’t forget the sunnies!

Shade

• Scope out the details of the location of your outdoor excursion beforehand to consider shade needs and how existing shade can be utilised.
• If appropriate, consider providing temporary shade such as marquees, portable gazebos, or umbrellas if the existing shade is inadequate.

Keep an eye on UV

• When picking a date for an excursion or event, consider the amount of time that students and children will be outside and the forecast UV level. The maximum UV will be higher in terms one and four – around summer.
• UV levels peak during the middle of the day so try to schedule events to avoid this time. Consider offering shaded/indoor alternatives or hold twilight events in the evening.
• Remember that when the UV Index is 3 or above, it is high enough to cause skin damage, so sun protection is required. In Western Australia, this is every day of the year in most of the state.

Sunscreen

• Ensure that SPF50 or SPF50+ sunscreen is available and accessible to all students, children and staff.
• If your outdoor excursion or event is intended to last longer than 2 hours, don’t forget to make a ‘time to reapply sunscreen’ announcement or reminder.

Make it fun!

• Reward and encourage students and children for being SunSmart. Try special awards such as ‘Best Sunscreen Application’ or ‘Biggest Hat’.