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Twinkl and CANSA partner up to offer free educational resources that promote sun safety

South Africa experiences high solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation due to the country’s geography. That also means that UV exposure is not limited to the summer, but should be taken into consideration all year round.

Twinkl South Africa and CANSA aim to highlight the importance of sun safety this festive season by providing parents and educators with free resources and educational activities.

Every year, hundreds of articles tell us to be mindful of our UV exposure, to apply our sunscreen, and to stay in the shade. According to the National Cancer Registry, melanoma is the 5th most prevalent cancer among South African men, and the 6th most prevalent among women.

Keeping in mind that excessive UV exposure is linked to the three most common types of skin cancer, it is worth having the conversation about sun safety over and over again.

South Africa experiences high solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation due to the country’s geography. That also means that UV exposure is not limited to the summer, but should be taken into consideration all year round.

It is also important to understand that you don’t have to be in the sun for hours to get sunburn, or to cause permanent damage to your skin. Sunburn can occur within fifteen minutes. It is also important that sunburn can occur even if it is overcast, so you should take the necessary precautions either way.

Children who are exposed to excessive UV radiation, especially children who have blistering sunburns, have an increased risk of melanoma later in life. It is therefore essential that we keep sun safety in mind at any time that children are exposed to UV rays.

Educating ourselves about ways to stay safe in the sun is the first step to protecting our children too. Teaching kids to seek shade, cover up and apply sunscreen diligently starts with adults around them doing the same.

You can learn more about sun safety and teach kids about it in an age appropriate way by using the free sun safety resources that Twinkl created in partnership with CANSA.

These resources aim to support educators and parents to engage children in exploring why sun protection is important and developing independent skills on how to best protect from UV.

“There are easy ways to protect yourself from harmful UV exposure, you just have to know how,” said Lisa van Blerk from Twinkl South Africa.

“We hope that this partnership with CANSA will inspire kids to be sun safe and reduce the risk of skin cancer later in their lives.”

To read more about this campaign, visit Twinkl’s website at https://www.twinkl.co.za/blog/stay-sun-safe-all-year-round-with-twinkl-and-cansa.


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