Words by Smiley Team
Buttercup Learning is putting the eco into e-learning, as it is educating young children and their families on sustainability and nature throughout the world.
The organisation's books and posters use augmented reality to achieve this – so children can use technology to combine the physical world with the virtual world using a device.
Children can can scan posters or books with a free scanning app on a smartphone or tablet to reveal animated content, videos, sound files and web pages.
Buttercup’s resources can be tailored to the UK national curriculum, early years foundation stage, key stages 1 and 2, as well as to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
(Read more about how The National Trust is donating half a billion to conservation)
Rachel Mills, the founder of Buttercup Learning said: “I was inspired to start Buttercup Learning after watching my own daughter’s voracious appetite for knowledge of the natural world around her.
“Being a mum, I felt that we could benefit from accessing online learning resources around sustainable living from an early age that would have an impact on the community as a whole.
“All of the phonics schemes intended for early years and young readers focus on narrative fiction stories. Children want to learn about the world they live in. We are going to change this with factual content that taps into children’s natural curiosity about how the world works. Buttercup Learning aims to change the way environmental science and sustainability for families are taught online and in books.
“We’re here to assist those who want their kids to grow up with a strong connection to nature.”
(Read more about how this school teaches harmonious living)
Butterfly gives 10% of every sale of their nature posters with augmented reality to conservation trusts, and their e-learning platform supports the work of Windle International, a charity promoting the education of people affected by conflict in Africa.
Additionally, their web hosting provider, Erjjio, plants three trees every month through the Eden Reforestation Project, and they are a plastic-free and positive impact company.
You can find out more about Buttercup Learning on its website.
