In partnership with colleagues in France and Sweden, the free resource helps children with special needs to navigate the internet safely and learn how to protect themselves online.
In the game, Bao: It’s A Jungle Out There, players are introduced to Bao the panda who lives in the jungle, who is a keen explorer and wants to share information and photos of his adventures online but is unsure how to do it. Players are asked to help Bao navigate his way safely through the jungle which, like the internet, poses risks and challenges along the way.
As players make decisions on what Bao should do when faced with each new challenge, they are given scores to indicate whether it was a good or bad decision. The game is designed to be played with teachers or parents and includes guidance on how to discuss the issues raised and support young people in knowing what to do when faced with real-life interactions online.
Children from Stony Dean School in Amersham also helped out, by testing the concept and giving feedback which was used to further develop the resource.
Thomas Boardman, a teacher at Stony Dean School who helped test the game said:
"Online safety is an integral part of the ICT/Computing curriculum at Stony Dean. Pupils are taught about the unpredictability of the internet and discuss the best ways to cope with this along with how this can affect a person's mental health or wellbeing. There is a real lack of SEN-based resources that are readily available for teachers and most resources have to be made in-house."
Tom continued: "The great thing about Bao is that it can be used by pupils, teachers and parents and is easily accessible on all devices.
"Here at Stony Dean we have trialled the game in a number of different ways. We have used the tool to hold whole class discussions, working in small groups and individually. Feedback from pupils has been incredible and we hope that Bao can be used by other schools and the best thing is, it is FREE!"
The game has achieved international acclaim having been chosen by the French government as one of the best education projects of 2021. It is currently being used in mainstream schools in France and Sweden and is being rolled out to schools in the UK.
Bao: It’s a Jungle Out There is available online.
Guidance for parents and teachers is available on our website.
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