The animation series “The Coast for Children”, produced by the Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIMA) of the University of the Algarve (UAlg) and by the Centro de Ciência Viva do Algarve, in conjunction with partners in Spain and Scotland, debuted on the YouTube Kids channel, on the 17th of November.
The two Algarve entities, in collaboration with the University of Cádiz (Spain) and the University of Stirling (Scotland), produced this series that “explores different aspects of the dynamics of coastal areas and is aimed at children in the 1st Cycle of Basic Education. The episodes are narrated by children whose parents belong to UAlg research centers».
«In five short episodes, it explains what the coast is, what its dynamics are, the various environments that make it up (highlighting those located in the Algarve), how people affect the coast and what can be done to protect it», framed the UAlg.
The videos and their content are freely accessible and can be viewed with or without parental supervision and also in an educational context. Moreover, «the pilot episodes are already being used by a class from the EB1/JI n.º 6 school in Olhão, for the development of the theme in the Curricular Autonomy Domains (DAC)».
The animations are an adaptation for Portuguese and Portugal of the original English version “Coasts for Kids”, produced in 2021, under the initiative of Irene Delgado-Fernandez, at Edge Hill University (England).
The original version was developed as part of a collaborative experience between children and their families, researchers, teachers, artists, managers and illustrators. Further adaptations are planned for other countries and in other languages.
Ana Matias, researcher responsible for this series, considers that «many children associate the coast with play, holidays, freedom and associate entertainment with relaxation and fun. The two things together open 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 that “the coastline has amazing landscapes, a huge variety of habitats and is constantly changing. With these animations, our objective is that children from an early age, as well as the adults who accompany them, develop a better understanding of the dynamics of the coastal zone and a greater awareness of the threats to which the coast is exposed, and even, who knows, inspire them to be scientists and teachers in this scientific field».
“O Litoral para Crianças”, a science communication product, received financial support from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through the ENLACE project – Exploring new approaches to simulate long-term coastal evolution.
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