Year 3 – 4 | No Such Thing as Windburn

Protecting My Skin full resource download  |  Concept 3: Our seasons download

Background

After being outdoors on a cool, cloudy and windy day, you often hear people refer to burning red skin as windburn. Windburn
often happens when the temperature is cool, but UV Index is high. It is UV radiation exposure that produces a sunburn and
it can be mistaken for windburn. The aim of this lesson is to challenge this view and encourage children to make healthy
lifestyle choices based on evidence rather than myth.

Key messages

• While it may seem that the wind is responsible for burning your skin on cooler, windy and cloudy days, it is actually
  caused by UV radiation from the sun.
• ‘Windburn’ is actually sunburn and can be prevented by using sun protection such as protective clothing, sunscreen,
  broad-brimmed hat and seeking shade.
• The UV Index is a more reliable measure of when to use a combination of sun protection strategies than temperature.
• Skin damage is caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, not temperature. A cool or overcast day can have similar UV levels
  to a warm, sunny day.

Resources

• Activity sheet: SunSmart Paper Windmill Template
• Is Windburn Real or Myth?
• Windburn Wikipedia
• Frequently asked questions
• Square paper
• Scissors
• Paper straw
• Push pin or split pin

Instructions

1. Allocate an area of the room for the answer YES and the opposite side of the classroom for the answer NO, with
   students standing in the middle of the classroom.
2. Ask students ‘Do you think windburn is a real thing?’ Students move to the relevant section of the room if they think the
   answer is YES or NO.
3. Record the results on the white board.
4. Watch the video ‘Is Windburn Real or Myth?’ and discuss any key points or questions.
5. Students research Windburn using the links provided.
6. Class discussion and brainstorm facts learned on the board.
7. Students write 4 facts about windburn on each triangular corner.
8. Follow instructions on the template to construct the windmill and test outside.

Key questions

• Do you think windburn is real?
• What do you think causes the skin to turn red?
• Why do you think people get confused with windburn?
• Do you need sun protection when it is cold, overcast and windy? Why? How do you know?
• Why is it important to protect our skin?
• What are the best strategies for protecting our skin from UV radiation?

When completing activities and lessons outdoors when the UV Index is 3 or above, please remember to be SunSmart