The animated series “O Litoral para Crianças”, a science communication product, can already be seen on YouTube.
“The Coast for Kids” is the tagline for a cartoon series that launched on the YouTube Kids channel on November 17. This is an initiative of the Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIMA) of the University of Algarve (UAlg), in collaboration with the University of Cadiz (Spain), and University of Stirling (Scotland) and Algarve Living Science Center🇧🇷
The series explores different aspects of coastal dynamics and is aimed at children in the first cycle of basic education. The episodes are narrated by children whose parents are affiliated with the university’s research centers.
In five short episodes, he explains what the coastline is, its dynamics, the different environments it is made of (highlighting those in the Algarve), how people influence the coast and what can be done to protect it.
The videos and their content are freely accessible, and can be viewed with or without parental supervision and also in an educational context.
In fact, pilot episodes are already being used by a class at the school EB1 / JI n.º 6 in Olhão, to develop the topic in the areas of curriculum autonomy (DAC).
The animation is a Portuguese-Portugal adaptation of the original English version “Coasts for Kids”, produced in 2021, at the initiative of Irene Delgado-Fernandez, in Edge Hill University (England).
The original version was developed as part of a collaborative experience between children and their families, researchers, educators, artists, managers, and illustrators. Further adaptations in other countries and in other languages are planned.
“Many children associate the coast with play, holidays and freedom, and they associate entertainment with relaxation and fun,” says the researcher in charge of this series, Ana Matias. The two things together open the doors for us to stimulate curiosity and knowledge about coastal areas and draw attention to the challenges they face.”
Irene Delgado Fernandez, creator of the original series, adds, “The coast has amazing landscapes, a great variety of habitats and is constantly changing. Through these animations, our goal is for children from an early age, as well as the adults who accompany them, to develop a better understanding of the dynamics of the coastal region And greater awareness of the threats to the coast, and even who knows inspired them to be scientists and teachers in this scientific field ».
Coast for Kids, a science communication product, has received financial support from the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) through the project Link – Exploring new approaches to simulating long-term coastal development🇧🇷
The Playlist All episodes available over here🇧🇷
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