With the warm weather either here or on its way, most of us will be spending more and more time outdoors. My family is extremely, EXTREMELY pale, so sun safety is very important to us. I invited Adam, from the Sun Authority to tell us how to keep safe in the sunny weather.
Sun Safety
When preparing for a camping trip, most of us have a list that includes basic necessities such as tents, sleeping bags, portable grill, food, and the list goes on. When creating a packing list, many forget to include appropriate items to protect yourself and the family from the sun. While some of us might have sunscreen on the list, that’s not always enough to protect you, especially when the UV Index is very high at a 10 or 11. It’s even more important to protect your kids, since their lighter skin is more likely to burn. You don’t want to start them down the wrong path to sun safety; after all, they have their whole lives ahead of them to be out in the sun!
At this point, you might be wondering what exactly the UV Index is. The National Weather Service reports the UV Index every day to inform the public on how strong the sun’s rays are that day. It is on a scale from 0-11, with 0 meaning you are not at risk of harm from the sun’s rays, and 11 meaning that you need to take extreme precautions to protect yourself. When outdoors for an extended period of time, you should take extra precautions if the UV Index is over a 6. For children, you should take extra precautions when the UV index is over a 3.It’s also important to remember that the UV Index can be very high on a cloudy day. Just because it is overcast doesn’t mean you won’t get a sunburn.
If it is really hot out, you aren’t going to want to wear a long sleeved shirt and pants; you’ll risk overheating and will feel really uncomfortable. The first step to protecting yourself from the sun is to apply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. If you are going to be jumping into water or sweat a lot on a hike, you will want to re-apply often, per the bottle’s instructions. In addition to sunscreen, you should also consider wearing a wide brimmed hat to protect your face and neck from sunburn. A straw fedora will allow your head to breathe while providing an added layer of protection to the areas of your body closest to the sun! If your kids refuse to wear a wide brim hat, allow them to pick out their own baseball cap to at least protect their face.
In addition to protecting yourself from sunburn, it’s vitally important to protect your eyes. Many are unaware of the damage that UV rays can cause on your eyes, which can lead to vision problems in the short term and future. If you are going to be at a higher altitude, the rays will be even stronger, making it vitally important to protect your eyes. Many are also unaware that UV rays reflect off water and snow, making it extremely important to protect yourself from the sun when out for a swim or while skiing. Sunglass with polarized lenses that block 99-100% of UV rays will keep your eyes safe while providing crisper vision while outdoors in the sun. Even if you are just relaxing with a book by the beach, every time you look out on the water, the UV rays are reflecting back at your eyes. These reflected rays can be even stronger than the ones coming straight from the sun!
We hope these tips help you protect yourself and your family the next time you go camping. Do you have any sun safety tips that you and your family live by? Share them in the comments with us!
Bio: Adam enjoys providing families with all the information they will need to stay safe in the sun.
Pin It
- I read these all over three days. Admittedly, I stayed up way past my bedtime to do so, but they are really quick, but good, reads. I'm not going to bother with a synopsis, because if you don't know what the Hunger Games are, you have been living under a rock for the last few months. The books are the top 3 books on the NYT best seller list, the movie is number 1, and the soundtrack to the movie is number 1.There's a ton of action, some dystopia, just enough romance, and some really evil villains. 
and the rest of the series by Lauren Willig - Look at this cover. That is the reason I chose to read them, and I wasn't disappointed. They follow a series of spies during the Napoleonic Wars. Eloise, the main character, is an American grad student who is in England doing research on spies for her dissertation. The books alternate between modern day and the Napoloenic era. If you would like a little Austen-esque fix, these are a great choice. There are I believe nine books currently, with a final book in the works now. 
by Charlaine Harris - If you are looking for something extremely light, no brain required, with a bit of sex and the paranormal, this is for you. The basis of the True Blood series, the books are about a dumb blonde waitress who has the ability to read minds, except for those of vampires. Vampires who, in the series, have "come out of the coffin" and admitted their existence to the world. 
by Maggie Steifvater - If werewolves are more your thing, the Shiver trilogy is awesome. I am not really a big fan of paranormal YA these days, so I wasn't expecting much from this story. It is a love story with a paranormal twist, but it isn't done in an obnoxious way. I'm in love with the main characters Sam and Grace. I also love the covers with the wolves just barely peeking out of the woods.
- Whether or not you have children, you need a copy, preferably the boxed set, of these books. They are classics that everyone needs to read. A magical land of talking animals hidden away behind cupboards and stairwells. If you do have kids, you must read these to them. I'm trying to re-read them all this year, which isn't too hard as each book is about 120 pages. DON'T READ THE ANNOTATED BASED ON THE MOVIE VERSIONS! You have to read the original words of CS Lewis. If you are worried because you've heard that they are "Christian-based", you really don't have to. Yea, as an adult, you'll be able to get that Aslan is very much like Christ, but your child will just think he's a magical talking lion.
by Arthur Conan Doyle - Thanks to the show Sherlock on BBC, Sherlock's books are becoming popular again, and I couldn't be happier. There are 4 full length (but short) novels and I think 56 short stories. They're all great detective fiction. When I was in Egypt, I bought an awesome edition to read because I was sort of lonely for the written English word. Reading Sherlock is like visiting an old friend. You should definitely have some, if not all, in your library. 
by John Steinbeck - Reading Steinbeck always intimidated me. I thought all of his books were great long clunkers like The Grapes of Wrath (450 pages) or East of Eden (600 pages). Then I got the free edition of Of Mice and Men on my nook and I accidentally clicked on it. When I saw it was only 107 pages, I decided to give it a try. And I was pleasantly surprised. As short as it is, there's a great story in there. So if you too are intimidated by classics or Steinbeck, give this one a try. You can probably finish it in an hour or less. Then you can go impress all your friends with your learned-ness. 
by Steve Kluger - This book is written in epistolery form, a series of letters between a young kid and a famous baseball player. It all takes place before, during, and after World War II. It is a coming-of-age tale with a ton of humor and wit. Kluger has another similar book that is also a quick read called My Most Excellent Year. These are probably meant for middle graders and up, but they deal with some heavy stuff. 
by Oscar Wilde and 
by SE Hinton. As far as I'm concerned, these two books should be required reading for the human race. I've read both of these numerous times, and unlike when I re-read Gone with the Wind, it doesn't take me a week to finish. Every time I read Dorian Gray, I find some new awesome thing that Wilde put in there. He is the master of subtle humor and dry wit. There's a new unedited edition that I can't wait to get my hands on. If you have a teenager in your life, you should get them The Outsiders. It will help them see that they're not alone and that others have it a bit tougher than they do.
