Year 3 investigated which materials block ultraviolet (UV) light. To help them, they used special UV beads that change colour when exposed to sunlight. The darker the colour, the stronger the UV light.

They tested the beads in different conditions: with sun cream, without sun cream, wrapped in foil, cling film, cotton and paper. We spoke about making it a fair test by only changing one variable at a time.

The children used a UV index chart to measure how much the beads changed colour and recorded their results. They discovered that some materials are much better at blocking UV light than others, helping them understand why sun protection is so important.