Cartoon Networking
Cartoon Networking

Cartoons are an entertaining and effective way to teach children about the power journey, the importance of energy saving and sustainability from an early age, gifting them with knowledge and values that will last a lifetime.

 

Children are our future – and it’s never too early to start teaching them about the conservation and importance of protecting our environment. 

 

But capturing their interest can be challenging when they’re young. So, CLP Power is using animation as a smart way for teachers and parents to get the message across.

 

By combining moving images, simple text, sound effects and engaging storylines, cartoons take young children away into a world of entertainment and learning.  

 

Here are three ways in which animation can play a key role in early education:

1. Cartoons make abstract concepts simple

Environmental issues such as renewable energy and carbon emissions are technical and complex and difficult for parents and teachers to convey to children in understandable terms. Cartoons break down those barriers.

CLP Power has provided 3D cartoon videos on its Power Kid Channel since 2018 to help kindergarten pupils explore the world of electricity and learn about energy saving in a fun way. The channel has attracted more than 16 million views so far.

 

In February, CLP Power launched the Power Kid Channel Advanced Series to teach primary school students about Hong Kong’s fuel mix and the concept of the smart grid. The series features the popular POWER FOUR cartoon characters whose adventures bring the learning process vividly to life for children.

 

POWER FOUR cartoon video
The popular POWER FOUR cartoon characters in a video explaining the different fuel sources used for electricity generation.

“Simple animation can effectively bring knowledge and experiences in daily life to pupils, explains SKH Yautong Kei Hin Primary School teacher Tsang Wing Man. 

 

“Every teacher appreciates quality, interactive teaching materials, particularly during the pandemic when students are learning from home.”

2. Cartoons are easy to remember

Cartoons stick in the minds of young learners – and studies have found they are effective in getting lessons through to pupils.

 

Forrester Research estimates one minute of video equates to approximately 1.8 million written words. About 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual and is processed by the viewer 60,000 times faster than text. 

 

Cartoons – like a catchy pop song – can say a lot in a short time and have a lasting impact, says Wong Pui Shan, Prinicpal of TWGHs Liu Yan Tak Memorial Kindergarten.

 

“If you asked our pupils what the optimal temperature for air conditioners is, many of them would answer 25.5°C straight away,” she says. “This is because of the songs that go along with the videos, which also help them easily internalise abstract concepts.

 

“It is something that sticks with the children as they grow up.”

Click on the video and see how a catchy song in a cartoon helps get a message across.

 

3. Cartoons go beyond the classroom 

Learning today doesn’t just happen in the classroom. Technology means education materials must be available to students wherever they are, especially during a pandemic.

POWER YOU Kindergarten Education Kit
Students can create their own Power Kid video by colouring pictures and uploading them on CLP’s website.

The animated videos on CLP’s Power Kid Channel are part of the interactive POWER YOU Kindergarten Education Kit. It has been distributed to 180,000 students from more than 1,000 kindergartens, and parents can download digitalised versions through Power Kid mobile app, which includes audible story books and online games, to teach children at home.

Learning about environmental concepts is only the first step: Children must also be able to apply the lessons they learn into their daily lives in a practical way.

 

CLP Power collaborated with environmental protection groups The Green Earth and Green Power to produce videos which show students how to upcycle products and reduce waste. The videos have also been made available to more than 580 primary schools so students, teachers, and parents can explore ways of adopting greener lifestyles.

Upcycling tutorial
The video co-produced by CLP Power and green groups teaches students how to upcycle a plastic bottle and make it into a toolbox.

Education is a lifelong journey – and animation is making the first miles of the journey engaging and memorable for children as the challenges of climate change become increasingly central to their future.