Watch Out for Extreme Heat Effects at Church-Related Children's Events

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A United Methodist Insight Special

It's not enough anymore for church camp and Vacation Bible School to be times of fun and faith. Now churches also must plan to watch out for the effects of extreme heat on children, who are more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses that have been intensified by the worldwide climate crisis.

Entering into a second year of extreme summer heat, leaders and volunteers at church camps and VBS programs should learn how to protect children from heat-related illnesses, Climate Central urged in a recent report.

Extreme heat has become the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States today thanks to the worldwide climate crisis. "Children — especially babies, younger kids, and athletes — are among those most vulnerable to heat-related illness," says Climate Central's report.

The Associated Press also reported recently on the dangers of heat-related illnesses. Among the findings from Climate Central and AP:

Babies and younger children have difficulty regulating their core body temperature and can be more vulnerable to hot weather. Young children sweat less and acclimate to heat more slowly than adults. During outdoor sports or play, kids may ignore or miss symptoms of heat stress.

  • Outdoor activities, such as church camp and Vacation Bible School, should be carefully monitored, reducing the length of heat exposure and avoiding exposure during the hottest part of the day (usually midday).
  • To plan least-harmful activities, check temperature and heat risk forecasts. Take note of heat advisories or excessive heat warnings.
  • Plan for frequent breaks in the shade or in air-conditioned spaces.
  • Have plenty of water on hand and encourage kids to drink often.
  • Adult supervisors should learn the symptoms of heat-related illness for themselves as well as for children. Heat that reduces adults' physical and mental capacity can cause them to overlook the need children need to get out of the heat.
  • Heat confuses the brain, shuts down organs, abd overworks the heart, according to AP. Climate Central reports that heat illness symptoms can include headaches, nausea, cramps, or lethargy and may require urgent medical attention. Severe cases of heat stroke can cause organ damage or death.

The best ways to protect children from heat-related illnesses are to be educated and practiced before a church-related event.

For a quick reference on how heat harms children, download Climate Central’s fact sheet, Climate Change & Children’s Health: Extreme Heat.

Another Climate Central resource, Climate Change and Children’s Health, details how climate change affects kids overall. The series can serve as education for leaders and volunteers with church children's programs and as a study for older youths and adults on aspects of the climate crisis.

To see how extreme heat is affecting public health where you are, Climate Central suggests checking out these resources:

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers Heat and Health Tracker maps documenting heat-related illnesses at the census tract level in real time. This can help with planning when and where to hold church-related children's events.
  • Use the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) Heat Equity Mapper to explore the burden of extreme heat at the census tract level. This resource can help churches identify possible mission projects for family health that go beyond summertime children's events.
  • Check the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services monthly Climate and Health Outlook for extreme heat outlooks in a region throughout the summer.

Additional public resources detail how the climate crisis is impacting the current and future health of children. These include:

For more ways on how United Methodists are working toward alleviating the global climate crisis that's affecting children's health, check out resources from United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, United Women in Faith's Climate Justice page, and the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society's climate page.

Veteran religion reported Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, a media channel to amplify news and views for and by marginalized and under-served United Methodists that she founded in 2011. This article is part of United Methodist Insight's participation in Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of nearly 700 media outlets dedicated to enhanced reporting on the climate crisis and its solutions.