We are in the dead heat of summer, in some places extremely sunny and hot outside. Whether the sun is beaming down strong or hidden behind a sheet of clouds, it is important to make sure and take the proper precautions to preserve your precious skin and avoid overexposure.
According to The American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, but also one of the most treatable. Of course they recommend taking the right measures to prevent skin cancer from developing.
Here are some tips that can help keep your skin safe during UV Safety Month and throughout the year:
Wear SPF30 or higher with broad spectrum protection on all uncovered parts of skin and make sure to reapply if out in the sun for long periods of time.
Cover up with protective clothing such as long sleeves, swim shirts for the kids, big floppy hats and sunglasses.
Avoid spending too much time in the direct sun, usually between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, when the sun’s rays are most intense.
Even if it’s cloudy, make sure to follow the same rules, it doesn’t mean the sun’s rays aren’t getting through!
Do your best to never let yourself get burned.
Make sure and use a good moisturizer following a day in the sun to rehydrate your skin.
Take this sun safety IQ quiz from The American Cancer Society to make sure you are savvy when it comes to protecting yourself from those harmful rays!
It’s no secret that in order to be healthy, fruits and vegetables need to be at the top of the list of foods you eat. While it may be difficult at times to get kids (even adults, too!) to eat these essential foods, it is still important to constantly offer and expose them to these all-important foods.
First, here are three simple fruit and vegetable tips to stay healthy:
Tip 1: Use to-go bags.
At the beginning of the week, clean and cut up fresh fruits and vegetables and place them in small, to-go bags. This provides you and your family with quick, healthy snacks throughout the day.
Tip 2: Keep fresh veggies readily available.
Have vegetables like spinach, tomatoes, avocados, and onions on hand to add to your favorite sandwiches and feel fuller longer.
Tip 3: Fill the kitchen with bowls of fruit.
Keep bowls of fruit like apples, oranges, bananas, and grapes in your kitchen. Grab one for a healthy snack next time you feel hungry.
Next, watch as Hardy Heart learns the importance of eating fruits and vegetables to stay healthy:
Now, make sure and download this fruit and vegetable-themed coloring sheet for the kids:
We continue our series promoting healthy behaviors to be implemented and tracked for an entire month (and hopefully beyond). The behavior to implement in July is the importance of hand washing regularly to prevent germs from spreading. While summertime typically seems to offer a little break from the common illnesses, it’s still super important to remind your kids to wash their hands after using the bathroom and before they eat. We know that kids can get excited about playing and oftentimes do not want to slow down to consider hand washing, to assist with this reminder, you can download and print your July Behavior Tracking Sheet and use in your home, summer camp setting, or childcare center to encourage and track behavior change.
Watch as The Kidney Brothers sing about the importance of hand washing for good health:
We hope this month offers you many fun-filled memories with friends and family, without having to waste any time on sickness! Happy Hand Washing!
The month of June is a busy one for most! Between upcoming Father’s Day celebrations and family beach vacations, it can be easy to veer away from making healthy decisions. But, just because it’s summer does not mean that you have to be unhealthy. June plays host to National Dairy Month and there is nothing that Calci M. Bone likes more than talking about how to have strong bones.
Calcium for Strong Bones
Teach the kids from an early age the importance of eating foods that are high in calcium. Calci M. Bone has a fun discussion with Grandma Bone in this fun video. Make sure and share with the kids so they can see why they need to take in a lot of calcium so they have strong bones even later in life.
So, help a bone out this month (really all year round, too!) and grab an extra glass of low-fat or skim milk! Calci M. Bone is sure to thank you!
Summer is in full swing and it’s quite possible that the kids may even have a little bit of that summer boredom setting in. Maybe it’s too early for that, but nonetheless, we have a simple and healthy idea for the kids. Berries, an OrganWise Guys Foods of the Month, are a fantastic food to be eating all summer long because of their refreshing taste and also the health benefits that come along with eating them.
First, here are some tips and helpful information about berries:
Summertime is when berries are in peak harvest.
Berries are packed with vitamin C, potassium, fiber and are full of antioxidants.
They should be dry, firm, well-shaped, and eaten within a week after purchase.
Berries freeze well and can be used frozen for yummy smoothies.
To save money, buy ‘in season’ berries for a more ripe and flavorful taste.
Eat your favorite berries at room temperature for fullest flavor.
Now, to cure that summer boredom, try this interactive taste test worksheet to have the kids sample some of these tasty berries! This is a really fun way to introduce new foods to kids where they may typically be more close minded about trying new things.
We would love to hear about your at-home taste tests! Share with us how it went and include any pictures of the finished worksheets on our Facebook page!
