The nonprofit Center for Cyber Safety and Education launches new “Garfield at Home” program to teach children ages 6-11 how to be safe and secure online from the comfort of their homes.
“COVID-19 has shown us that internet safety education needs to be a priority, especially when it comes to younger kids. The Center is here to help parents eliminate the guessing game of how to teach their children cyber safety and what resources to use,” said Patrick Craven, director of the Center.
“Garfield at Home” will feature award-winning Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures in a new digital platform where children will be able to learn internet safety lessons on privacy, gaming, cyberbullying, and illegal downloading through animated cartoons, game-based learning, and find and click storybooks. Children will earn digital badges as they test their knowledge through the different levels. Children will also have access to physical internet safety materials such as Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures Coloring Book and the newly released Movie Adventure Comic Book.
“This is a comprehensive program that all children, no matter their preferred learning method, can enjoy. We are excited to bring parents peace of mind, knowing their kids are safer online thanks to Garfield and friends,” said Craven.
In addition, “Garfield at Home” will feature a new Parents Internet Safety Guide to help families continue the conversation of internet safety beyond “Garfield at Home” activities.
“At the Center we believe that internet safety is not a one-time conversation, rather a series of conversations to keep reminding children of best cyber safety practices,” the director continued. “We want to equip parents with the knowledge to teach their loved ones how to be safe online.”
With the uncertainty of how schools will operate in the fall of 2020, “Garfield at Home” is the perfect summer tool to educate children of the dangers online with fun and relatable content as a preventive measure. The new program is available for purchase here.
Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures was originally introduced in the fall of 2016 by the Center and legendary cartoonist Jim Davis in the form of an Educator Kit to help teachers worldwide teach internet safety. The Kit includes cartoons, comic books, posters, trading cards and stickers that show Garfield and friends tackling cyber safety issues such as privacy, the dangers of posting online, online etiquette, cyberbullying, and more.
Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures has already delivered over 170,000 safety lessons worldwide and the series received the national Learning Magazine 2019 Teachers’ Choice Award, 2019 Academics’ Choice Smart Media Award and the 2020 Modern Library Award.
Visit www.IAmCyberSafe.org to learn more about the Center’s programs and resources.
