Free lesson with a practice sheet
Sunscreen and drinking water
Learn how to protect skin from strong sun and why we need to drink enough water, especially in hot weather.
Let us begin
The big idea
The sun gives us light and warmth, but too much sun can harm our skin. Hot days can also make our body lose water. Two simple habits keep us safe: protect the skin and drink water.
Strong sunlight can burn the skin, even when it is not very hot. Sunburn makes the skin red and sore. The sun is strongest in the middle of the day, so try to play in the shade then.
We can protect ourselves with a hat, light cotton clothes with long sleeves, and sunglasses. An adult can also help us put sunscreen on the parts that are not covered, like the face, neck and arms.
Our body is mostly water, and we lose water when we sweat. If we do not drink enough, we feel tired, get a headache and have dark yellow urine. We should sip water often during the day, not only when we feel thirsty.
Plain water is the best drink. Fruit juices, lemon water, coconut water and buttermilk are good in hot weather too. Sugary fizzy drinks are not good for us.
Worked examples
See how it works
A hot afternoon
Ravi wants to play cricket at 1 p.m. His mother says it is too sunny, so he plays at 5 p.m. instead, with a cap and a bottle of water.
Water in school
Meena carries a water bottle to school. She drinks at break time, after games and with lunch. By evening she has had plenty of water.
Colour check
Light yellow urine means we are drinking enough. Dark yellow urine means we should drink more water.
Try it at home
My water bottle plan
You will need
- A clean water bottle
- A sheet of paper
- A pencil
What to do
Fill your bottle with clean drinking water in the morning.
Draw 6 small boxes on the paper, one for each glass of water in the day.
Tick a box each time you drink a glass.
Try to tick all six boxes by bedtime.
Wear a cap or a hat when you go out in the sun.
An adult can make sure the water is clean and help apply sunscreen if the family uses it.
Practice sheet
Check what you learned
Practice sheet: Sunscreen and drinking water (Classes 3-5, Health and safety)
- When is the sun strongest?
- Name two things that protect us from the sun.
- What does sunburn look like?
- Why do we need to drink water?
- Name two signs that we need more water.
- What is the best drink for a hot day?
- Name one drink that is not good for us.
- How many glasses of water did the lesson plan suggest for a day?
- Who can help you apply sunscreen?
- Why should you carry a water bottle to school?
Answer key
Answers: Sunscreen and drinking water
- In the middle of the day.
- Sample answers: a hat, light long-sleeved clothes, sunglasses and sunscreen.
- The skin turns red and sore.
- Our body loses water when we sweat and needs it to work well.
- Sample answers: feeling tired, a headache, dark yellow urine.
- Plain clean water.
- Sugary fizzy drinks.
- 6 glasses.
- An adult.
- So we can drink often and stay healthy.