The first two pages of the first edition of Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance’s (DCNA) “Bionews Kids” magazine.
~ ‘Bionews Kids’ designed to educate about nature in Dutch Caribbean ~
KRALENDIJK--The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) released the first edition of Bionews Kids, a free printed and online nature magazine for children of ages 9-11 on the six Dutch Caribbean islands. It was designed based on increasing reading, sparking curiosity and to educate kids about the extraordinary nature and its threats on the six Dutch Caribbean islands, stated DCNA’s press release on Tuesday, February 15.
This in support to the nature education programmes of the Protected Area Management Organisations on Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and St. Maarten. The first Bionews Kids edition includes a drawing competition centred on the theme “Why I love the ocean and why I want to protect it” and DCNA encourages all kids to participate, stated the press release.
The launch of the magazine fits with DCNA’s mission to support the Protected Area Management Organisations on the six islands of the Dutch Caribbean. One of the organisation’s goals is the promotion of educational outreach and public awareness.
Hence, DCNA created the first issue of Bionews Kids, which is a branch of Bionews (for adults). Bionews is a free monthly digital newsletter that gives updates on the latest nature news with a focus on research and monitoring, events and overall activities concerning the members of DCNA, explained the organisation.
According to the press release, Bionews Kids is a magazine comprising of various elements that is made freely available to youth between 9 and 11 years old on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten in the languages of English, Dutch, Papiamento, and Papiamentu.
The magazine will be made available through the nature education programmes at the Protected Area Management Organisations. The publication aims to promote reading on the islands with a magazine that is applicable to the experiences of the children on these islands with the nature they can find in their own backyards, stated the press release.
In this first edition, DCNA introduced their new marine mascot of the magazine, Tara the Turtle, who will make a reappearance in future issues.
The main theme of the first issue of Bionews Kids is the marine environment. Young readers can read about coral reefs, tidepools and mangroves that are particularly specific to some of the islands and about many creatures that they may or may not encounter, said DCNA.
The magazine also included activities such as colouring pages, a beach journal, and puzzles. Besides these activities, readers can begin grasping environmental words and use the photo ID of sea animals continuously.
Young readers can participate in a drawing competition in the first edition of the magazine. It is centred on the theme “Why I love the ocean and why I want to protect it” and the chosen drawing will be featured in the next Bionews Kids magazine. DCNA said that it hopes to encourage reading and learning of nature on the islands to empower our children and continue the investment of nature education.
To participate in the drawing competition, readers must include their name, age, island, and phone number and upload their drawing or hand it in to the local park organisation education officer on their respective island. Deadline for the drawing is March 18, and the winner will be announced on the DCNA website and social media by April 1.
The magazine can be accessed online via https://dcnanature.org/bionews-kids/. Interested persons can also contact their local park organisation education officer for a hardcopy version of Bionews Kids.
