To mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Cycubix was delighted to offer primary schools in the Republic of Ireland a limited number of Garfield Cyber Safety Educator Kits – free of charge. These kits facilitate teacher-led lessons on internet privacy, safe posting, and cyberbullying through interactive cartoons and activities. The kits are recommended for students aged 6-12. Each lesson is 30 minutes long and is aimed at a group learning size of 30 children.

We were delighted with the response to this offer and are currently processing the requests to get the kits out to schools. For schools that are interested in these materials, the kits are available for purchase from the Center for Cyber Safety and Education.

At Cycubix we believe that education and knowledge are the most powerful tools for keeping everyone safe when engaging with technology. With children spending more time online, the risk of their exposure to potential harm increases. At Cycubix we believe it is important to teach children to be cyber safe from an early age to prevent and minimise the risk. Early cyber safety education can provide the skills and tools to help them:

• engage online in a safe and responsible manner
• identify and handle inappropriate behaviour
• promote positive interactions

What’s in the Cyber Safety Educator Kit?

• USB with Garfield Cartoon; Teacher Lesson Plan; Printable Handout Puzzles
• 30 Garfield Activity Comic Books
• 2 Posters (1 Large and 1 Pledge Poster)
• 30 Cyber Safe Student Stickers
• 30 Camera Privacy Sticker Cards
• 30 Garfield and Friends Trading Cards
• 1 Garfield and Friends Special Edition Trading Card – for you!
• 30 Letters for Parents

To provide these resources to as many schools as possible, there is ONE Lesson Kit – Privacy, Safe Posting or Cyberbullying  available per school, with enough kits for 1 entire year/group. For example if you have three classes in 6th grade, we will provide you with enough materials for all three classes in that year group. Here is some more information on each lesson to help you make your request:  

Privacy: Online Friends Are Not the Same As Real Friends
Nermal is determined to beat Cheesequest 7: Attack of the Cheddar Zombies no matter what. But when an online friend offers to help Nermal win in exchange for his user info and password, Arlene and Garfield decide to call in Dr. Cybrina, an online security expert. Join Garfield and friends as they learn about who to trust and what to share online. Lesson duration: 30 minutes

Safe Posting: Pause Before You Post
Nermal uses social media to show what he’s doing all the time, from what he’s eating for breakfast to how he’s celebrating the good grade he got on his giraffe report. But how much information is too much information? Join Garfield and friends as they learn what it takes to stay safe and secure online, from account settings to sharing personal information. Lesson duration: 30 minutes

Cyberbullying: Be Kind Online
Nermal is bored, so he decides to post a funny photo of his friend Otto. He thinks he is just joking, but as more people comment, Nermal begins to worry that he has accidentally become a cyberbully. Cybersafety expert Dr. Cybrina helps Garfield and friends choose their words carefully, think before they post, and understand what it means to be kind online. Lesson duration: 30 minutes