Sun protection and younger children: lessons from the Living with Sunshine program

Results are reported from a formative evaluation of Living With Sunshine, a teaching resource to help teachers encourage positive sun-related conduct by children ages six-eight. Results indicate children who used the materials were knowledgeable about the sun's effects and aware of various ways to protect themselves. On a set of four tasks designed to test knowledge, children who used the materials performed as well as or better than similar children who had not used the materials. Both teachers and students responded to the teaching resource with enthusiasm, and teachers were able to use it without special training. The evaluation also raised two general concerns about cancer education for young children. First, should teaching/learning activities avoid direct mention of cancer or should the activities be related directly to the threat of cancer? Second, should the locus of responsibility for sun protection habits rest primarily with children or with the adults and institutions responsible for the children?