In late May 2009, the pupils from the primary school Milutin and Draginja Todorovic from Kragujevac, a town in central Serbia, joined the project Living with the Sun. This is one of the subjects proposed by the « Hands in pastry » project, lead by professor Stevan Jokic in Serbia.

Kragujevac is a town with the population of 250000, 120 kilometres far from Belgrade. There are 800 pupils in our school, one of the biggest in the centre of the town, on the bank of river Lepenica.

Together with 20 pupils of the 7th grade, members of the “Physics and biology lovers”, Verica Pavic, biology teacher and Natasa Milinkovic, physics teacher, worked on the project. The task was to confirm the existence of the UV-radiation to determine when the intensity of the radiation is the biggest, how a man can protect himself from the UV-radiation and what the effects of that radiation are.

First group

The pupils had a task to expose the papers sensitive to UV-rays to natural and artificial light.The time of exposure was 5 and 10 minutes.

Second group

The pupils had to measure the length of the shadow at a particular time – 10h,12h,14h,16h – and to expose the UV paper to sunlight for 30 minutes in that place.The results were presented in tables.

We can see from the tables the times of measurements,the length of the shadow and the conclusion depending on the time of the measurement.

Conclusion: the shorter the shadow, the closer we are to the Sun’s noon, when the intensity of the UV radiation is the biggest.That’s what we should take into account when exposing to sun’s rays during the summer. When the shadow is shorter than a person’s height, you should get out of the Sun, because the UV-radiation is intensive.

Third group

They had a task to check the influence of some kinds of protection to the UV- radiation, and what the best protection from the UV-rays is. The UV paper was covered with different materials to see their influence to the UV-radiation intensity.The results are presented in the picture where we can see the sort of the material, the time of exposure,the colour of the UV paper and the conclusion.

Conclusion: Different materials have different effects on the UV radiation intensity. From the experiment we can see that a cap and cotton are the best protection,which means that they let the least UV rays pass through.Some kind of sunglasses are not good for the Sun,we should also take that into account,and the creams with the low SPF are not efficient. During the summer people should wear cotton clothes with long sleeves, sunglasses, a hat -this is the conclusion.

The fourth group had a task to mention all the effects of the Sun’s radiation, positive and negativefor the living world.

Positive effects: creating of vitamin D,skin darkening,mood, photosynthesis.
Negative effects are: dehydration, UV-radiation, blindness, heat stroke, Sun stroke, skin’s getting old, cataract and burnt skin.

The pupils used available literature, textbooks, magazines, internet. It was very interesting and funny during the work, they easily came to the conclusions. They made an exhibition of their work in the school hall to remind other pupils of the danger that long-lasting exposure to the Sun brings.

Since the theme is current and interesting, pupils made a presentation from the best works called “Living with the Sun” in order to get more pupils acquainted with the effects of the Sun’s radiation. “Prevention team” will use the presentation. It functions in our school with an aim to educate pupils and to get them familiar with addiction diseases, proper nutrition and from the beginning of this school year with the problems that exposure to the Sun causes.The team consists of the school teachers who are interested in particular themes.

If we obtain UV papers, it will be more interesting that pupils by themselves come to the specific conclusions and to include much more pupils in the project next year providing that they can make experiments by themselves.

Verica Pavic, biology teacher
Natasa Milinkovic, physics teacher
Primary School “ Milutin and Draginja Todorovic”, Kragujevac, Serbia.

From skin cancer to melanoma and cataract, the diseases linked to sun overexposure are a major health issue. That’s why, in 2005, WHO Collaborating Center Sécurité Solaire (Sun Safety) created Living with the Sun, a pluri-annual program for solar education in France.

Under the auspices of French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot and Education Minister Xavier Darcos, the program has expanded in schools. 12 000 primary school teachers have already run the program activities, which link sun safety tips with official school programs in France. An interdisciplinary program, Living with the Sun covers numerous sujbects, from science to language, geography or geometry.

For the teachers, a great involvement

The teachers’ opinion is surveyed online every year. Thousands of answers are gathered. With an 8-hour per year average dedicated to the program in classes, every indicators given by their answers are positive :

• 100% of the teachers find the program « interesting on a personal level« 
• 96% find it « easy to implement« 
• More than 90% say the pupils « embrace » the program. For them, the kids’ behavior under the sun, their science knowledge and their citizenship « improves » thanks to Living with the Sun

For the pupils, a tremendous impact

The Biostatistic Unit of Languedoc-Roussillon’s Fight Againt Cancer Center and Epidaure, the Prevention Department of Research & Action in Montpellier both led an evaluation with 1500 pupils (cluster-randomizer trial). Between spring 2007 (before the activities were ran in class) to summer 2008, more than 500 of them replied to four back-to-back surveys.

Compared to the results gathered from children who didn’t follow the program, the conclusions brought by these evaluations are highly encouraging :

• An statistics-proven improvement of the overall global knowledge of the Sun, its effects and the ways of protection. The pupils are more aware of risky situations – especially when their shadow is shorter under the Sun.
• Behaviors under the Sun get better : the pupils don’t forget to wear a T-shirt anymore and look for shadow to protect themselves.

After being presented and discussed in numerous congresses in 2008 and 2009 (1), these results will be soon published in a science revue led by a editorial comitee.

More info

Bruno Pereira
bruno.pereira@valdorel.fnclcc.fr
Phone : 04 67 61 30 88

Press

Pierre Cesarini – La Sécurité Solaire General Manager
Phone : 01 42 58 00 60 – 06 03 06 6000

(1) IEA World Congress of Epidemiology – Brasil, UICC World Congress 2008 – Switzerland, Annual Conference of the International Society for Clinical Biostatistics

The result of a cooperation between the French Ministry of Education, the Academy of Sciences and the WHO Collaborating Centre La Securité Solaire, Living with the sun is an education programme started in 2005. It aims to give teachers and their trainers a turnkey, 10-session activities module. « Thus, we raise the pupils’ awareness through a scientific study of the sun’s effects on health, on skin colors and naturally, on the way to protect ourselves » stresses Pierre Cesarini, managing director of La Sécurité Solaire.

The success of Living with the sun goes way beyond France’s boundaries. « Today, there are teachers in over a hundred countries who subscribe to our program. A lot of them are French in foreign countries, but also french-speaking teachers in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland or in the Maghreb. » Translated versions of the program are also currently developed in Germany and Serbia.

In spring 2008, physicist Stevan Jokic – already known for his translation work for ten books of the La Main à la pâte project – started working on a serbian version of the program. « A colleague from the Free University of Berlin first told me about it. I found interesting to spread this method here.« , he explains. The translation finished, Stevan Jokic struggled to find funds to publish the program. But the scientist held on. Using the UV-paper furnished by La Sécurité Solaire, he introduced the module during seminars about science at school. There, 1500 teachers came from every corner of the Balkans to lent an attentive hear to his exposé.

In April, about thirty teachers started applying the method to their pupils – « 11-15 year-old kids, for the most part, sometimes older« . Their reception was excellent : « this first contact worked as a template for the teachers who had never heard about the program. They were able to see their colleagues at work with it. » For Stevan, the near future will be dedicated to the search of funds to publish the module, with 70 teachers being expected to jump on board for the year 2008/2009.

In Krusevac, a city of 57 000 inhabitants located 95 miles away in the south-east of Belgrade, Natala Ralic, a physics teacher in the city’s electrotechnic high school, tested the project out. « It started in may 2008« , she explains, « I worked with a group of twenty-five pupils, aged 15. » Here’s her approach : « First we run an inquiry in the class, asking what the links are between the sun and our health, in connection with the steps 8, 9 and 10 of the method. Then I ask each student to search for information in dictionaries, newspapers or websites. At the end, I introduce the Living with the sun program. Afterwards, my pupils can start the experiences. » Taking initiative is encouraged : « they have a lof of imagination, especially when testing the UV-paper in different places : under a tree, a parasol, in the sun light… »

First contact, first positive feedback. As the pupils start a new school year, the stakes rise up. « This year, I try to make more pupils embrace the program – 50 of them, probably. I also try to convince my colleague from other schools to be a part of it, most notably biology, physics and chemistry teachers. The goal is to spread the action to a maximum of pupils, from primary school to high school. »

Stevan Jokic :
A 62 years old, nuclear physics doctor, teacher at the Belgrade University and Scientific Director of the Vinça Institute. His scientific formation program for teachers in Serbia and Montenegro, Ruka u Testu, has been created in 2001. Three years later, the program was in action in 250 of the 500 serbian primary schools. In 2007, this action earned him to share the Purkwa Price of scientific literacy teaching with chilian biochemist Jorge Eduardo Allende. This award was given to him by Saint-Etienne’s Ecole des Mines et the Academy of Sciences. Stevan Jokic translated numerous « La main à la pâte » books and taught a lot of teachers to this method created by Georges Charpak, the 1992 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics.

The internet pages of the German version of La main à la pâte, a part of which was anticipated to be online in September 2007, are conceived as a tool for educators and primary school teachers, and are meant to help the teachers implement the science curricula.

The main objective of La main à la pâte is to promote and to renovate the teaching of science in primary school: Children should acquire their scientific knowledge by themselves (inquiry-based learning) – by observing and exploring objects and phenomenons of their environment, asking questions, making experiments, discussing and documenting their observations and results. The project is carried on on site, mainly in the schools and kindergardens.

One of the most interesting teaching modules of the French La main à la pâte website is Living with the Sun, an interdisciplinary module, in which scientific knowledge, health education and citizenship education play an important role and whose goal is the prevention of riscs due to an excessive solar exposure. Due to the partnership with the World Health Organisation and its collaborating centre La Sécurité Solaire, the program spread out and reached almost 10 000 enthusiastic French teachers.

Contact for the German La main à la pâte project :
Dr. Jenny Schlüpmann and Dr. Jens Thoms Törring
Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Physics,
Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin
Tel.: (030) 838 56055
Email: info@lamap.de

More than 900 teachers have already completed a survey to determine the exact number of pupils who effectively took part in the program, the number of sessions and the opinion of every teachers involved.

For 2009, 1500 subscriptions are already recorded. The number adds up to the 15000 education professionnals who take part in the program. The main novelty expected : the start of a cycle 1 & 2 modules, for children from 1th to 3rd grade.

But there was one downside to those positive results : only 81% of the teachers found the UV-paper easy to use. A honorable rate, still it deserved our attention.

Listening to the critics, we worked on a new UV-paper that will progressively replace the old one.

A pre-cut sheet

The former UV-sheer stood in one block ; the new one is pre-cut in 100 squares (10 x 10), each of them usable for an experience. Teachers, you don’t need to hesitate like you did before : the paper size doesn’t matter anymore ! Plus, it is way easier to compare two equally-sized UV-paper.

An easy-to-cut film

The main issue with the UV-paper was the difficulty to take the protecting film off. A cutter was often requisite, making it impossible for the children to use it without assistance. Problem solved : a circle is now pre-cut in the protecting film. Taking it off is easy as 1-2-3.

Last but not least : once the paper has been exposed to the sun light, one must protect it from the UV to prevent it from reacting. All you have to do is put the pre-cut circle back, and you can be sure your paper’s color won’t change anymore !

Sophie -
Here’s a funny yet quite pessimistic story about our struggle against day-to-day racism : one day, while I was working on the connection between skin color and solar risk with my pupils, one of the girls in the class raised her hand and said : « Madam, now there’s an avantage of being black ! ». No comment….

David Wilgenbus : Thanks for sharing this story with us. It reminds me of a similar experience we had two years ago in a Paris-area class. An indian kid,  really dark-skinned, didn’t want to hear us saying he was black. He would have felt truly insulted – and his fellow white and arab classmates would have, too. Then we worked on the origins of skin colors, and after that, he was proud to discover he was « adapted » for a sunny environment. Parents wrote a letter to the teacher to thank her for dealing with this issue. We understand that fighting racism is an everyday struggle though, and unfortunately, the end of the battle is not even close.