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The Scottish Government and Education Scotland officially launched ‘The Bongles and the Crafty Crows’ at the cyberQuarter in Dundee on Monday 30th October, with the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Jenny Gilruth MSP present at the launch.

The unique and first-of-its-kind illustrated learning resource for children aged 4-7, demonstrates the importance of passcodes and passwords to help teach youngsters about cyber security.

The story follows the Bongles and the Crafty Crows on their adventure as they learn about passwords and how to keep their online information safe and secure. Through this story the book teaches young learners how to create passwords and passcodes using three random words, helping them to explore, play and communicate while using digital technologies, keeping their online information safer and more secure.

‘The Bongles and the Crafty Crows‘ story book will be part of the P1 Bookbug bags for every primary one child in Scotland. It is due to be distributed in November, ahead of Scottish Book Week from November 13-19, with Gaelic language versions also sent to schools delivering in that medium.

Scotland’s Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, who attended the launch, said:

“This is a fantastic story and a great opportunity to introduce young children to cyber security.

“Digital technology is going to be at the heart of these children’s lives and it’s so important to help them learn how to stay safe online.

“I’m pleased that every P1 pupil in our schools will be receiving a copy of the book ahead of Book Week Scotland.

“I hope that teachers, parents and carers will use this engaging story and the learning activities that come with it to help their children learn about the importance of online safety.”

According to a recent report by Ofcom1, 97% of children in the UK have access to the internet with 86% of 5-7-year-olds using tablet devices to go online. It is hoped the new book will provide parents and carers with a host of hints and tips on how to talk to their children about protecting their precious information online.

There is also a variety of practitioner-created learning and teaching resources to accompany the story, a downloadable PDF of the book and an animation on The Bongles website to help children learn about cyber resilience in a fun-filled way.

Frances O’Neill, founder and creative director at Story Learning, said:

“Using recognisable, well-known children’s characters is a fantastic way to educate young children about the importance of staying secure online.

“Until now, educational materials on cybersecurity have been targeted at older primary and secondary school-aged children, with no recognised resource for younger learners.

“The Bongles and The Crafty Crows equips teachers and parents alike with a vibrant and fun tool to talk to four to seven-year-olds about the importance of keeping their online information safer and more secure, and impart knowledge that will help foster a generation of responsible and internet-savvy citizens.”

Sophie Watson, aged seven, from the 18th West Lothian Beaver Scouts, enjoyed reading the book. She said:

“The book helped me learn all about passwords and passcodes. You need to make a responsible one and not make easy passwords that people will know.

“I had lots of fun learning about passwords and I want to read the book again.”

Professor Liz Bacon, principal & vice-chancellor at Abertay, University said:

“This ground-breaking resource for Scottish schoolchildren draws from global best practice in the cybersecurity sector and we are proud to be supporting its launch at Abertay cyberQuarter, Scotland’s centre for cyber security research, development and innovation.”

For more information on “The Bongles and the Crafty Crows” visit the official website here