Year 1-2 | Skin is Amazing

Protecting My Skin full resource download  |  Concept 1: The Sun and Our Skin download
Background

The story in this lesson not only explores different skin types, it also looks at the purpose of our skin and that it is important
to protect our skin from heat, sharp objects and sunburn. This text is a great way to start a conversation about the
importance of our skin and how we can best look after it and protect it from the sun.

Key Messages

• Skin provides us with the sense of touch and protects our body.
• Skin is the body’s largest organ.
• Skin is an important tool for protection, not only for people but also animals and fruits.
• Skin is beautiful no matter the colour, and it is important to protect it from overexposure to UV radiation from the sun.
• There are 5 strategies to protect your skin from the sun: Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide.

Resources

• Apple, orange and kiwi fruit
• Magnifying glass
• The Skin You Live In
• Activity sheet: Skin is Amazing

Instructions

1. Read the story The Skin You Live In, by Michael Taylor and David Lee Csicsko.
2. Discuss the purpose of skin and what other things have skin (animals, fruit, etc).
3. Distribute magnifying glasses, fruit and Skin is Amazing record sheet.
4. Teacher to model observing the skin of an apple. Share and discuss observations. Is the skin thick, smooth etc. Why do apples have skin?
5. Draw observations of the apple skin on the record sheet. Label with any keywords such as smooth and shiny.
6. Repeat for an orange, kiwi fruit and students’ own skin.
7. Re-group for summary of the lesson and key questions. Why is skin so important?
8. Students record their answer on the space provided on the worksheet.

Key Questions

• Why do we have skin?
• Why is skin so important?
• What are some ways we can protect our skin?
• Why is it important to protect our skin?