After a successful first edition, the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) released the second edition of BioNews Kids. BioNews Kids is a free printed and online nature magazine for children of ages 9 to 11 on the six Dutch Caribbean islands. It was designed to increase reading, spark curiosity, and educate kids about the extraordinary nature on the six Dutch Caribbean islands, including its threats. This is in support of the nature education programs of the Protected Area Management Organizations on Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten. Around 17,500 printed copies in Papiamentu, Papiamento, English, or Dutch were distributed to children on the Dutch Caribbean islands.

Supporting Nature Education and public awareness

The mission of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) is to support the Protected Area Management Organizations (parks) on the six islands of the Dutch Caribbean. One of DCNA’s goals is the promotion of educational outreach and public awareness. Therefore, in 2021 the first edition of BioNews Kids – a branch of BioNews, which is for adults – was created. 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.

Multilingual nature magazine for kids

BioNews Kids is a freely available magazine in English, Dutch, Papiamento, and Papiamentu for youth aged 9 to 11 on Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten. The magazine is made available through the nature education programs at the Protected Area Management Organizations (parks). The aim of BioNews Kids is 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. 

Theme: Terrestrial

The main theme for this second edition of BioNews Kids is the terrestrial environment. Kids can read amongst others about the Caribbean flamingo and the Red-billed tropic bird and meet Barry the Bat. The magazine also includes activities such as coloring pages, puzzles, and a craft activity. Besides these activities, readers can begin grasping environmental words and use the photo ID of terrestrial animals continuously.

Contact your local park organization education officer for a hard copy of BioNews Kids. For questions, please contact projects.assistant@dcnanature.org. 

BioNews (Kids) is generously sponsored by the National Postcode Lottery and created by the DCNA.

DCNA