Super Scientist and the Testing of the Sun

Little Miss Keanna likes a project.  She figures out her approach and moves full speed ahead until it is complete.  This is the case unless she needs help from her mother or father.  Science Fair is one of those occasions.  Last year, as a third grader, she expressed interest in completing a project (not required until fourth grade).  I didn't veto this desire but it was also not encouraged.  I admit to celebrating internally when she changed her mind.

We (means Tina in this instance) have an unwritten rule at our home:  Science fair projects are the responsibility of the father.  Science was never my forte and so I graciously remove myself from this assignment.  I'm happy to help create a board but otherwise want to be left out of the process, let it be a great bonding moment between father and child.

This year though, Keanna chose to do a project based on a myth I was interested in busting.  The project:

Sunscreen SPF -- Does It Matter?

When you are stopped in front of the sunscreen aisle contemplating which brand and SPF to purchase, expensive or cheap? a 15, 30, 45, 60 or 100 SPF?  My brain begins to debate, "If I'm going to spend the money should I buy the most expensive or is this just like throwing money to the wind".  On the other hand, "If I buy the cheapest sunscreen available will it work well enough for my children to avoid becoming lobsters?"  Keanna chose to test the SPF factor.

After Keanna begged, pleaded and constantly reminded her father, he purchased sunscreen (we now have our three year supply).  On a Sunday right after church, the sun was shining, clouds were absent and the project was ready for testing.

Step-by-step Directions according to Keanna: 1. Fold each piece of construction paper in half.  2. Smear a different SPF rated sunscreen on half of four of the sheets of paper.  3. Make sure you label each piece of paper with SPF used.  4. Put them in the sun for 6 hours (make sure they don’t blow away).  5. Evaluate which SPF worked best.

Conclusion according to Keanna:  My hypothesis was correct.  The highest SPF rated sunscreen offered the most protection.  Although the lower SPF ratings offered good protection there doesn’t appear to be much difference with their results.

My conclusion:  Unless your children have extremely fair skin and always burn, save your money and buy an SPF 15 rated sunscreen.  The results were as good with this as with the SPF 30 and 45.  But, the SPF 100 was amazing, the paper protected with this was almost unchanged.  It must have been designed for red heads with freckles.

We place the finishing touches on Keanna's board this morning.  The date it was due -- she would have been finished weeks ago but I needed just as much coaxing to buy a board as Andy did to buy the sunscreen.

If all kids were as homework motivated as this girl, teaching would become a career of ease.