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At the Montessori School of Silicon Valley, the children love to play outside, especially in the summer time so we take summer sun safety very seriously.
During the months of May through September sunscreen and sunscreen application becomes a part of our daily routine.
Here are some ways we help to “block the sun, and still have fun”.
Staying hydrated is important.
Children are encouraged to drink the filtered, cool and refreshing water that we make available all day both indoors and outside on the playground.
The children have access to pouring their own water all day long eliminating the need to send water bottles to school.
Every playground has shade, either from trees or built-in shade structures.
Many of our playground times are changed during the summer months to avoid being outside between 10 am and 2 pm. The children will go outside every for between 20 to 30 minutes at a time.
Water misters are installed on all playgrounds to help keep everyone cool and refreshed.
Sunscreen is provided at each of our campus locations and is available to parents for use daily at the sign in computers (a permission slip required).
20 minutes prior to going outside in the afternoon, all children have sunscreen applied to any exposed skin including their face, arms, neck and legs.
MSOSV has ordered Rocky Mountain Sunscreen for the past several years. Rocky Mountain Sunscreen is the trusted leader in school sunscreen.
No more individual bottles of sunscreen to keep track of * Saves staff time and energy applying sunscreen! * Conveniently dispensed from our bottle or our gallon pump * Broad Spectrum * Greaseless / Nut Oil-free * Paba-free * Fragrance Free * Refillable * Hypoallergenic * Water Resistant (80 min) * Dermatologist Tested
Children are encouraged to cover up, wearing hats and long sleeves. Please label all clothing.
Leave sunglasses, Chapstick, water bottles and personal sunscreen at home. It is very difficult for us to keep track of these items and we ask that you trust that we will sun-protect keep your child hydrated during the school day.
Check your cubby for summer appropriate clothing.
The strength of UV radiation varies with the time of year.
For most areas of California, it makes sense to heighten the focus on sun safety between May 1st and September 30th.
This is the time span during which the UV index routinely reaches or exceeds moderate levels.
Unprotected skin can be damaged by the sun’s UV rays in as little as 15 minutes and it can take up to 12 hours for the full effect of sun exposure to be visibly noticeable.
If your child’s skin looks “a little pink” today, it may be burned tomorrow morning.
To prevent further burning, keep your child out of the sun.
Children still need protection. UV rays, not the temperature, do the damage.
Clouds do not block UV rays, they filter them—and sometimes only slightly.
A sunscreen’s Sun Protection Factor (SPF) number refers to the factor by which it enhances a person’s natural sun protection.
If someone normally burns in 20 minutes, then a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 would protect them for 300 minutes (SPF 15 x 20 minutes = 300 minutes).
The minimum SPF number recommended is 30
Next time: Why it is good for children to be outdoors, even when the sun is out!
Until then, please view the links below for additional Fun Sun Facts: