Gulliver’s Dinosaur and Farm Park is calling upon schools, clubs and individuals to help create a scarecrow spectacle in exchange for free tickets to the attraction.

The Milton Keynes attraction is challenging schools, groups, clubs and individual children to build their own scarecrows, and promises to swap them for free tickets to Dinosaur and Farm Park, which is the perfect venue for a school trip or a group day out. Scarecrows can be created to look like their favourite singers, sports personalities or TV stars, or they can simply be based on a creative homemade design.

The scarecrows will be displayed in a large field in the Farm Park area of the attraction.

Managing director Julie Dalton said: “We’re looking for weird and wonderful scarecrow creations to form part of our big scarecrow display. Anyone can get involved – from school classes to badge groups, and any other kind of organisation keen to take part.

“We’ll exchange every scarecrow for five free tickets to visit the park, and groups can make as many scarecrows as they like.”

The offer for free tickets in exchange for scarecrows will run until the end of July, and groups and individuals can call and book in to claim their five free places, stating that they will be bringing a scarecrow along, on 01925 444888.

At Gulliver’s Farm Park, which is situated next door to Gulliver’s Land theme park in Newlands, Milton Keynes, new animals arrive every season, including cows, horses, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens, plus furry friends like bunnies, guinea pigs and more in Cuddle Corner. As well as activities like a milking challenge, visitors can plant seeds, dig up vegetables, see crops grow and learn how a real farm works.

Education packs are available to help teachers integrate a visit to the Dinosaur and Farm Park into the teaching syllabus.

Gulliver’s Dinosaur and Farm Park will be open throughout the summer holidays.

For more information, opening dates and times or to book online, visit www.gulliversfun.co.uk or call 01925 444888.

Gulliver’s is holding an open day for teachers at its Milton Keynes Dinosaur and Farm Park this weekend show how a visit to the attraction can be integrated into the teaching syllabus.
 
The open day will be held on Saturday, 13 June.
 
Teachers can call to book their place, and every teacher can bring a child along with them free of charge.
 
Groups will be welcomed with refreshments, then given a guided tour of the park, as well as presentations on how a group visit can be incorporated into the national curriculum, from foundation up to key stage 2.
 
Gulliver’s website features a new education zone, which provides educational packs full of fun activity sheets for teachers organising a visit to the attraction, information to help teachers complete risk assessments and plan their day.
 
All of the information on this section of the site has been written or overseen by Gulliver’s education officer, a teacher who works with Gulliver’s to ensure the company’s educational services meet realistic teacher requirements.
 
To book a place at the Dinosaur and Farm Park open day, or for more information, contact Gulliver’s group sales manager Sharon Blake by emailing sharon@gulliversfun.co.uk or calling 07974 974344.
 
To check out the new online education zone, visit www.gulliversfun.co.uk

Gulliver’s is holding teachers’ day at its three sites to show how a visit to Gulliver’s can be integrated into the teaching syllabus, as the family theme park attraction company prepares to launch a new online Education Zone.

The first teachers’ day will be held at the company’s Warrington site on Sunday 26th April, and will see teachers given a guided tour of the theme park attraction. Gulliver’s staff will also give talks on how a group visit can be incorporated into the National Curriculum, from Foundation up to Key Stage 2.

The new Education Zone section of the Gulliver’s website will provide educational packs full of fun activity sheets for teachers organising a visit to the attraction, information to help teachers complete risk assessments and plan their day.

All of the information on this section of the site has been written or overseen by Gulliver’s education officer, a real teacher who works with Gulliver’s to ensure the company’s educational services meet realistic teacher requirements.

Dates for teachers’ days at Gulliver’s other two sites, Matlock Bath and Milton Keynes, will be announced soon.

EDIT: The Matlock Bath teachers' day will be held on Saturday 2nd May

This year, Gulliver’s will unveil a new water play attraction, Splashzone, and an indoor play experience, Gully Town, at its Warrington site. A new dinosaur discovery attraction has been launched at Gulliver’s Matlock Bath, while the family-run company’s Milton Keynes site has seen its Eco Park undergo a makeover – it has now been separated into sections, Farm and Dinosaur Park, and Eco Park and Waterside Plaza, to offer more to families and groups.

To book a place at any of the teachers’ days, or for more information, call 01925 444888 or email gullyshotline@gulliversfun.co.uk

To check out the new online Education Zone, visit www.gulliversfun.co.uk

Ed Balls last week signalled the end of the red tape culture that can surround school visits as he announced the first 65 organisations to be awarded a Quality Badge for the provision of learning outside the classroom experiences.

The Quality Badge scheme is part of the Government’s £4.5m Out and About package which, along with the badges, provides guidance and information for teachers on how to plan and organise high quality activities that enhance teaching in subject areas.

Ed Balls said he wanted to see as many children as possible taking part in learning outside the classroom as part of their school lives and called on teachers to use the scheme to make informed decisions about suitable venues.

Under the scheme, organisations will display the badge as a signal to schools that their venue has met the required standard, so teachers do not need to carry out their own risk or quality assessments.

The Big Bang is the UK’s first national fair celebrating young people’s achievements in science and engineering. The Big Bang is celebrating both science and engineering talent in the UK to ensure this talent is nurtured for the future.

The event is being held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London from the 4th-6th of March 2009, just prior to National Science and Engineering Week. The Big Bang’s aim is to motivate schools and young people from diverse backgrounds to embrace science, technology, engineering and maths, especially those that do not have achievements in these subjects.
 
Over the three days, nearly nine thousand young people; teachers; representatives from science and engineering organisations and employers; government ministers; members of parliament; and peers are expected to attend this event. It will span seven floors of the QE2 Centre, featuring compelling theatre shows, activities and hands on investigations, and opportunities to see the many real world applications of science and technology. School groups arrive for half-day sessions, where they will see one theatre show, and take part in one activity and one workshop from a huge choice.
 
The Big Bang is free to all who attend but spaces are limited, maintained schools have been especially encouraged. Only visiting school groups are able to register and those interested can do so at www.thebigbangfair.co.uk, Already 20 London schools and approximately 500 students have confirmed their attendance.
 
The Big Bang also features the newly established National Science Competition. Featuring 200 project stands showcasing highly innovative science and engineering projects. A number of prizes will be awarded on March 5th, including UK Young Scientist of the Year and UK Young Technologist of the Year.

Children’s Minister Beverley Hughes today called on all schools and local authorities to do more to develop out of hours activities for children and young people, and make sure that all sections of their communities are aware of what’s on offer.

Two reports on the Extended Services programme, published today, show that there have been significant achievements with many schools offering a good range of services, which are welcomed and valued by parents. However more needs to be done to ensure that every child in every community has access to good quality out of school activities.  Beverley Hughes said:

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is holding a special VIP Teacher Event for accredited school teachers to celebrate the launch of ‘Oddly Educational’, its’ educational program designed to support school visits and classroom activities.
The preview event on Thursday 13 November, 18.30 to 20.30 will allow teaches to explore for themselves the wonderful world of Ripley’s and demonstrate how the attraction
can add impact and excitement to teaching English, PSHE, humanities, art and design and help inspire students in an unbelievable way.

All teachers attending the event will receive free copies of teaching resources produced by Ripley’s to support its Oddly Educational drive to attract school visits. One teacher will also win the prize draw on the night of a free class trip for up to 50 pupils.

The teacher’s resources, inspired by the extraordinary story of Robert Ripley and his penchant for the unexpected, have been developed to complement and enhance classroom visits and help teachers make learning thought provoking and engaging for pupils. The activities and worksheets are mapped to the National Curriculum for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to use with pupils before, during and after a visit to the attraction.  For primary teachers there is:

• ‘Exciting Exploration’ – cross-curricular teaching resource lets pupils follow Ripley’s travels with a journey of discovery through the artefacts. This provides teachers with over 8 hours of classroom activities, covering subjects from English to art.
• ‘Curious Cultures’ – a humanities resource that lets students explore different cultures, places and people at different times from around the world.
• Poster for classroom display
• Teacher’s Notes with full curriculum mapping for teaching 8-11year olds, 11-13 year olds and 14-16 year olds
• Interactive whiteboard content
• Photocopiable lesson plans
• Family discount vouchers

Teachers can register to attend the free teacher VIP event, find out more about ‘Oddly Educational’ and request resources by emailing education@ripleyslondon.com or telephoning 020 3238 0022.. Teachers will need to bring accreditation with them on the evening.

For more information on London’s Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, please visit www.ripleyslondon.com.

More children and young people will be able to go on educational school trips thanks to new measures slashing red tape and giving teachers more support, Children’s Secretary Ed Balls and Children’s Minister Kevin Brennan said today.

The Out and About package, launched this morning and backed with £4.5 million of funding, is designed to give schools much clearer information to organise effective learning outside the classroom activities for all pupils.

It includes a new Quality Badge scheme which will cut paperwork for teachers by helping schools and local authorities to identify organisations that provide high quality experiences and manage safety effectively.
Mr Balls said learning outside the classroom – whether within school grounds, locally and on visits further afield or even abroad – should be part and parcel of every child’s school career.

But he said it was wrong to deny children valuable learning opportunities or wrap them in cotton wool because of risk assessment paperwork or fears over compensation culture.

And he stressed it was time to allay teachers’ fears about litigation over incidents on school trips once and for all.

Another positive step for those that like taking children on school trips…

Teachers will find it easier to take pupils on school trips with more help and advice, less bureaucracy and quality badges for popular destinations, according to the new ‘Staying Safe‘ Action plan launched today.

The new guidance makes it much easier for teachers to take their pupils out of the classroom. Organisations that host school or other youth group visits such as museums, historic houses, field study centres and farms will be encouraged to qualify for quality ‘badges’, which will help teachers identify places that provide high quality learning outside of the classroom, and are managing safety effectively. This will help reduce the bureaucratic burden of risk assessment on teachers.

Ed Balls said:

“Learning outside the classroom helps pupils understand their subjects better and increases their self-confidence. School trips also help young people explore and learn about risk and how to manage it. I hope that by making it easier for teachers to take their students outside the classroom we will help a generation of pupils develop their independence and raise their attainment.

We should not let a fear of a compensation culture prevent pupils from learning outside the classroom. On school trips – as in other areas covered in our staying safe action plan – we need to help parents and teachers strike the right balance between protecting our children and allowing them the freedom to develop and enjoy childhood.”

Children’s Minister Kevin Brennan said:

“If children are not safe, they cannot be happy, healthy, or reach their full potential. But we can’t wrap them up – they need to learn about taking risks so they can protect themselves.”

Tom Mullarkey, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said:

“This is a major step in the right direction towards simplifying regulation and reducing bureaucracy. The important thing is that children have a safe and excellent learning experience and any impediment to that objective needs to be revisited. Teachers need support and guidance, not endless, unnecessary form-filling and this initiative will be widely welcomed in staff rooms throughout the country.”

The Out and About guidance on school visits will be available from May 2008 and the quality badge in September 2008.

National Schools Film Week takes place on 15th – 19th October.  This gives school children 1,750 free screening and events in cinemas throughout the UK.  The central theme of this year’s NSFW is The World We Live In.  This is reflected through a range of current and forthcoming films that focus on the environment, social and racial injustice, bullying, politics and more broadly, the world as shown from a variety of different perspectives.

With the only cost being transport to the cinema this is well worth looking into.  The website (http://www.nsfw.org/) allows you to choose your area, pick a film and book it, or you can ring NSFW booking line on 0207 439 4880.