Program Summary

The SunWise program is a free environmental and health education program to teach K–8 children about sun safety, UV radiation, and stratospheric ozone. Educators who join the SunWise program receive a FREE tool kit of over 50 cross-curricular, standards-based activities and a UV-sensitive Frisbee for hands-on learning and physical fitness.

• See what's in the tool kit
• Preview sample activities:
  • Grades K-2 (PDF)
  • Grades 3-5 (PDF)
  • Grades 6-8 (PDF)

SunWise Tool Kit

• Available in English or Spanish
• Contains over 50 cross-curricular, standards-based activities for K-8 learning levels
• Activity topics include:
  • UV radiation and stratospheric ozone science
  • Health effects from overexposure to UV radiation
  • Sun safety action steps to protect your health
• Includes videos and background information about sun safety
• Includes a UV-sensitive Frisbee for hands-on learning and physical fitness

 

Distribution Policy

The SunWise program distributes the educational tool kit on a CD.  Limited hard copies are available upon request if an educator is unable to use a CD.

 

We encourage the SunWise tool kit to be placed in a central location within a school or organization, such as the library or media center, where educators can share and make copies of the materials (particularly if your school or organization has received a hard copy tool kit). More than one educator in a school or organization may register for a tool kit, especially if the student population is large and/or multiple classes or grade levels are participating. There is no need to re-register each year. One-time registration will keep you in the SunWise database.

Who May Join?

You may register for SunWise if you are:

• An educator of at least 10 students in grades K–8 (such as a teacher or a school nurse)
• A single class, a school, or an entire school district
• An afterschool educator, a teacher trainer, a university professor, a camp counselor, or other group or individual working with at least 10 students in grades K–8 (student teachers may contact us for electronic access to the kit)
• A 501(c)(3) organization (such as a science center or camp, children's museum, or scouting group)
• A county or state health, recreation, or education department

Requirements for Participation

To participate in the SunWise program, you must adopt at least one of the following SunWise activities:

• Cross-curricular classroom lessons
• UV measurement and reporting on the Internet
• School infrastructure enhancements (school policy changes and/or sun-protection structures)
• Community outreach (inviting guest speakers and forming business partnerships)
• School-wide sun safety activities (school assemblies or other programs)

Help Evaluate the Program (optional)

After implementing the SunWise program, we invite you to complete a program evaluation survey. Your feedback about the usefulness of the educational materials helps improve the SunWise program.