Microplastics and Superheroes – Learning through a Playful Activity

The introduction of plastic wastes into the marine environment is a grown concern in the recent decades. Specifically, the presence of plastic fragments - called microplastics - represents the most relevant impacts onto marine environment, such as food suppression of biota.1 In order to contribute to one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - "Life on the Water", the University Extension Program "Divulgation and Popularization of Chemistry in the Fulltime Education Center Green Valley" led by the Chemical Engineering Department of UNIVALI (Universidade do Vale do Itajaí) accomplished an approach on microplastics with a group of twelve children (10 to 14 years old). After a brief explanation how these solid residues reached the coastal area, they were asked to recognize and collect microplastics in the sands of Atalaia Beach, a local beach located in Itajaí City/ Santa Catarina State/Brazil, during 20 minutes. Having previously known that children were fond of superheroes, they form teams of 2~3 students in order to develop a story creating a character and designing it with microplastics. There was much excitement and interaction in the book-cover illustration and in the story writing. Among the different stories, were created the "Super-Plastic-Cat", the "Plastic Fairy" and the "Plastic Super Man", which owned super-powers on the whiskers to collect microplastics, to transform microplastics into toys and to fight against a trash man.