The popular children’s brand Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir has partnered with the international non-profit organisation, The Breteau Foundation for the launch and roll-out of a special Plastic Changemakers Education Pack in time for Plastic Free July.
The Education Pack has been created by a team of educational and environmental experts and is a free of charge, comprehensive, and flexible set of lesson plans and activities for UK primary school teachers.
Aligned to the global curricula teaching children about plastic pollution, the Educational Pack is now available for pre-registration with resources to be available for download in September. The idea of the collaboration is to empower one million primary school children around the world to take action against plastic pollution.
The pack contains five modules and seeks to equip children aged seven to 11 with a comprehensive knowledge about plastics, empowering them to become ambassadors for change in their homes and local communities, and kickstart a global movement on responsible plastic use.
The launch coincides with research commissioned by The Breteau Foundation in which a survey of 500 primary school teachers nationwide found that UK primary teachers have collectively spent £13 million of their own funds to provide pupils with environmental education. The study also found that teachers dedicate an average of five hours a month to creating educational materials and lesson plans on environmental topics.
Primary school teachers that took part in the study identified plastic pollution as the most important subject to address when teaching children about the environment, followed by the climate crisis and sustainability. The demand for environmental education also stems from students, with 88% of teachers reporting that concerned pupils have specifically asked how they can make an impact in reducing plastic pollution.
It was 86% of primary teachers who argue that primary school children require more creative and engaging resources to foster active participation in discussions about plastic pollution.
Alongside the Education Pack, The Breteau Foundation, ZAG, and Mediawan Kids & Family have co-produced an episode of the Miraculous: Tlaes of Ladybug and Cat Noir called ‘Action’ in which the characters of the show seek to demonstrate how small efforts can make a big impact in the fight against plastic.
Sebastian Breteau, founder of the Breteau Foundation, said: “Our international experience in education has shown that children want to see more responsible plastic use in their homes and communities. We want to inspire over one million primary school children to become plastic changemakers, and by equipping them with the right knowledge, we believe we can kick start a global movement on responsible plastic use.”
The Plastic Changemakers Education Pack and ‘Action’ episode will be available on the Breteau Foundation website in September when all educators will be able to download the pack for free and stream the episode.
