Thousands of primary schools across the country have a chance to win an amazing allotment makeover by taking part in the biggest ever Grow Your Own Potatoes project. Registrations are now open at www.potatoesforschools.org.uk for 2010’s Grow Your Own Potatoes project and this year there are 15,000 FREE packs available.
Potato Council’s Grow Your Own Potatoes project is linked to the curriculum and is a hands-on way for pupils to find out how things grow, and where their food comes from. Over 400,000 pupils will plant their potatoes in March 2010, carefully nurturing them from seed to plants, before harvesting their crop next June.
The pupils that grow the heaviest crop of potatoes will win an allotment makeover for their schools including design, build and all the plants needed to get started. There is also a whole host of fantastic runner up prizes available, including eco-friendly picnic tables and playground benches.
All schools that take part in the Grow Your Own Potatoes project will receive their FREE growing kit in March 2010, containing Rocket and Vales Emerald seed potatoes, supplied by the British potato industry, grow bags, water spout, stickers and an interactive classroom poster. Advice, support and downloadable resources, covering how to grow and cook potatoes, are available at www.potatoesforschools.org.uk.
Registration closes on the 5th February 2010 but packs are available on a first come first served basis. So register your school now for what is sure to be the most successful Grow Your Own Potatoes project yet, and see how many potatoes your school can grow.
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the recording of one of this year’s Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. These lectures have been inspiring children and adults alike since 1825. They were initiated by Michael Faraday at a time when organised education for young people was scarce.
As the Royal Institution site explains… “In this year’s Christmas Lectures, Prof Sue Hartley will show you plants as you’ve never seen them before. They are complicated, cunning, beautiful and with plenty of tricks up their sleeve. And what’s more, we humans are dependent on them in ways you’d never imagine. As well as much of our food, our drugs, medicines and materials are all by-products of this epic 300 million year war.”
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the recording of one of the lectures. It was full of practical demonstrations, amazing facts and Sue presented it with a huge amount of enthusiasm for the subject. It was one of the most enjoyable Science lessons I’ve ever had and I can’t wait to watch it all over again on TV!
If you would like to see the lectures yourself, they are on More4 from 21st to 25th December at 7pm. Find out more here.
A new website has been launched to help schools teach pupils about sustainable living and the key role that scientists and engineers will play in tackling the challenges of climate change.
The online resource, 3MWorldlyWise is designed to boost young interest in studying the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths from GCSE to A-level and on to university.
This free website contains lots of helpful tips for living a ‘greener’ life, along with resources for teachers, and is particularly aimed at students aged from 11-16 years old (although it could also be used by upper KS2 children, I’m sure).
Succeeding with Science is an extremely useful site for primary and secondary Science teachers with lots of free downloadable resources and online magazines.
The latest edition of the primary magazine, For Teachers By Teachers, is a twice yearly, free online magazine which encourages and supports science teaching in the primary classroom. Building on our previous online resource, Once Upon a Time in Cumbria, the current edition focuses on a local research project that helps Year 6 pupils to identify the events and innovations that can cause communities to change.
Along with a PowerPoint Presentation describing how Cumbria has changed over time, FTBT provides comprehensive notes and lesson plans enabling teachers to undertake projects about their own local area with their classes.
Moss Green Children’s Books are offering free colouring pages showing fruit and vegetables. They provide information about each particular fruit / vegetable, showing when they are in season, any pests who might attack them, and how they can be used in the kitchen.
Quantum Theatre provide educational shows for schools in the UK. The company was originally set up in 1988 with the aim of using educational drama to support schools with their teaching of numeracy and science. Over twenty years on, nearly three thousand schools each year see Quantum performances, using them to introduce or reinforce these topics.
Some of the shows currently available include:
The Big Drip - materials and their properties
Captain Cholesterol & the Grannies from Mars - health & nutrition
Bin Raider - the environment, re-cycling and energy-saving
Lights & Sounds of Tinseltown - light and sound
The Missing Link - animal & human biology
The Mysterious Disappearance of Mr. Winchlever - forces & mechanics
On the Trail of the Countback Kid – a new show which covers place value, number operations, the four functions, a variety of mental methods including approximation, partition and number bonds, times tables and written methods of addition and subtraction – a Maths lesson with a difference!
Following on from yesterday’s post about The Little Book of Goodness, here’s another resource linked to food and healthy eating…
National School Meals Week is the biggest national healthy eating awareness week about school meals in Britain. It takes place from 9th to 13th November 2009 with the support of the School Food Trust and ASSIST FM. It encourages everyone to “Get Involved” in promoting healthy school dinners in Primary and Secondary Schools.
The NSMW site offers lots of ideas, resources and activities for schools to use during the week, and throughout the rest of the year too!
The School Food Trust was set up in 2005. Its remit is to transform school food and food skills, promote the education and health of children and young people and improve the quality of food in schools.
They have recently produced a ‘Little Book of Goodness’ to help teachers and schools promote healthy eating to families and highlight to parents the huge changes which have been made to school food. Over 17,000 copies have been sent to schools in England, but you can also read it online below:
Head lice can be a common problems for schools. The headlice.co.uk site is a useful source of information and advice for adults and children with information about the lice, as well as recommendations for products to use.
There is a ‘Kid Zone‘ with games and fun things for children to do. Schools can also register to receive downloadable resources for use in the classroom.
The Two Thirty Volts website supports the key stages 3 and 4 of the national curriculum relating to electricity, and helps 11-16 years olds with everything they need to know to understand and stay safe around this energy source.
The site offers a range of material for Science and PSHE teachers, including lesson plans, revision notes, guides to practical experiments and revision quizzes. There is also an education zone which provides information on careers in the electrical industry, environmental issues and vital first aid tips.
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