Coasts for Kids – a series of 5 short educational videos

Posted 17th July, 2021

Coasts for Kids is a collaborative experience between children and their parents, coastal scientists, community artists, teachers, animators and coastal managers, through which five short animated videos have been created.

The scripts were developed by a group of scientists working with teachers and community writers. Children were an integral part of the process, prompting questions and adding their own expressions and ‘cool phrases’ to the final episodes.  

The series trailer below introduces the topics covered:

Launched in June 2021, the series is aimed at kids aged 6 and over, but each episode covers important concepts of interest to all age groups – including coastal processes and coastal evolution in Episodes 1, 2 and 3, followed up by analyses of how people affect the coast in Episode 4 and what can we do about it in Episode 5.

The overall goal of the project was to empower children (and adults) to understand some of the complex interactions regulating coastal dynamics at a variety of temporal and spatial scales, and to trigger awareness and interest in coasts from an early age.

All episodes are available below, or can be found at YouTube (links included further down this page).

Episode 1 - What is the Coast?
Episode 2 - Our coasts like moving
Episode 3 - Our coasts are connected
Episode 4 - How do people affect the coast?
Episode 5 - We need to plan!

Summer activity suggestion:

Please consider sharing this page content with family and friends; we think you could plan an interesting summer holiday learning activity around the knowledge you collect from the videos.

After all, the work we do through FCERM projects such as beach replenishment and groyne repairs are aimed at protecting beaches now and for generations to come. It would be great to think the videos could be sowing the seeds of enthusiasm for coastal science and management.

  • At home you might like to choose a section of Christchurch Bay or the Harbour that interests you most, and make a list of the issues that you think should be considered by the current Strategy Study. If you join in before 15th August you can contribute to the Online Survey that starts at www.haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/christchurchstrategy
  • On your next visit to the beach; take a look around you with ‘new eyes’ and see how many potential problems you can identify. Consider, for instance, the way cliffs might (or might not) be able to supply our beaches with new material, the condition and position of our sand dunes, and how some of the issues raised in the videos such as storm surges and coastal squeeze may affect us locally.
  • If you are concerned by any of the potential problems you do identify, then why not take a look through our current and completed projects to see what we are doing about them. 

The series at YouTube: