When the children in an elementary class prepare to go outside for physical activity, the time savings and tidiness that clothing affords will prove to be a great advantage over total reliance on sunscreen.
The parents of young children should be asked to provide a “playshirt,” with long sleeves and a collar, that can be kept in the child’s backpack or stashed at school. To avoid the time and mess of applying sunscreen to the neck, shoulders, upper back, and arms, children can simply slip on their playshirt, right over whatever they are already wearing, before going outdoors. (It would not need to be buttoned down the front when worn over a tee shirt.) Children can remove the playshirt when they return indoors. If the shirt is lightweight and well ventilated, it should not cause overheating. However, during extremely warm weather, sunscreen could be used instead.
By wearing a hat and covering the arms and legs with clothing, sunscreen need only be applied to the lower face, neck, and backs of the hands. What a great savings in both time and cost!