Summer Fair ideas

Outdoor events, such as summer fairs, are a great opportunity to incorporate sun safety.

It is strongly recommended that all pupils are shown the Sun Ready Challenge assembly presentation before doing these activities so that they understand the basics of sun safety.

Here are some simple, fun ideas for incorporating sun safety into a summer event, such as a summer fair:

1.  Sun Safety Stand

1. Get pupils involved in creating a sun safety stand for your summer event, which communicates the importance of sun safety in a fun way. You may wish to use the Summer fair worksheet, which you can download using the button below.
2. Decorate the stand with sun-safety slogans, posters and images made by pupils beforehand.
3. Challenge people by having a sun-safe quiz with prizes (one for adults, one for children). Older pupils could help to write the quiz questions. Information from the families section of this site can be used to create the questions.
4. Attract people with a simple game or challenge (with small on the spot prizes):
   - Can you throw the cap onto your head?
   - Can you walk the plank wearing the top-heavy hat without it falling off?
   - Can you do the sun cream challenge: place both hands palms down on the table, a bottle of sun cream is balanced on the back of each hand. Players must catch both bottles at once after a count of 3.
5. Sun Brain: answer three sun safety questions correctly to win a small prize.
6. Flyers: take a sun-safe flyer to get your name entered into a prize draw. Ideally the flyers could be designed by older pupils or could be a photocopied collage of key sun-safety messages created and illustrated by children, with their names included.
7. Sun Fun Selfie Selection: have a big collection of funny hats and sunglasses for people to try on for selfies. Photos can be taken next to a sun-safe message poster!

2. Kids’ sun safety games and fun

1. Using a big collection of fun hats and sunglasses, children can get their photo taken wearing the hat and shades of their choice and holding a sun safe message. Parents can take the photos on their phones.
2. Fundraiser stall: what is under the hat? A mystery object is hidden under a big hat (inside a bag in case anyone peeks). Nearest guess wins the item. Players pay 20p or 50p to have a guess.
3. Fundraiser: washing line! Have lots of small envelopes pegged to a string. Five have pictures of a bottle of sun cream inside. Charge 20p to pick an envelope off the line with winners receiving a small prize.
4. Fundraiser: human fruit machine. Three older children or adults act as the fruit machine. Each has a carrier bag containing sun cream, sunglasses and a hat. Players pull the lever (someone’s arm) and the machine counts down from 5, each fruit machine person pulling one item from the bag. Players win if 3 items the same appear. Money can be charged and prizes awarded as appropriate, for example 3 goes for 50p, win £2.
5. Have a Sun Hat Challenge: give each pupil an empty cereal box (or alternatively two sheets of A3 paper) with scissors and a piece of tape to makes joins.  Ask them to make a desert island hat that would protect them from the sun if they were shipwrecked castaways. Discuss how effective the results are.
6. Best hat competition: home-made hats can be judged on the day. A parade can be included and sun-safety messages emphasised over the loudspeaker when prizes/winners are announced.
7. Make Teddy sun ready! For younger children. Have a table with paper, card, glue, tape, scissors, pens etc. Children make and decorate a small hat for teddy. The best three win a prize.

3. Download the Sun Ready Challenge app

The Sun Ready Challenge app is a fun and interactive app which encourages pupils to get active by carrying out tasks and challenges across the playground.