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.

www.potatoesforschools.org.uk

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.

The site ‘What a Hullabaloo‘ is running a poetry competition for children under 11. To enter, pupils should finish a poem that has been started by the author Phillip Whittington.

To find out more about the competition, which closes on 8th January 2010, visit the site at www.whatahullabaloo.com.

Phillip has also contributed a set of plans and poems to Teaching Ideas which you can download here.

Young Brits at Art is our national arts awards competition for 11-19 year olds from all backgrounds and walks of life who live in England, Scotland and Wales. It has been launched by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

This academic year, they are asking young people to show us what the world would look like if we lived without prejudice. Watch this Youtube video to find out more.

Entries must be submitted by March 2010, so if you want to find out more about the competition, or you would like to enter, visit the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The team from Sparkteaching are aiming to put together an online advent calendar, which schools are invited to take part in.

As their website explains, “each day, from December 1st to 25th, the calendar will display a piece of artwork uploaded by elementary / primary aged children from anywhere in the world on the theme “What Does Christmas Mean To You?”

Any children can take part, the incentive being that they could see their artwork online, viewed by hundreds, as part of the advent calendar.

It’d be great to see you get involved, particularly if the children in your class might provide a different perspective on what Christmas means to them. Obviously we’re looking for the first pieces of artwork by the 1st and then on throughout December (if you get in first, your artwork will be displayed for longer!)

Any artwork will be accepted (if it’s scannable, it’s acceptable!) Please scan and send as an attachment to: competition@sparkyteaching.com together with the artist’s first name and location (and age if you wish) and your school’s website address (we’d be happy to link to this if you’d like us too!)”

Even if you don’t take part, don’t forget to visit the online advent calendar from the 1st onwards to see what Christmas means to those who do…”

Find out more about the competition on Sparkyteaching’s site and view the calendar here.

Teachers TV has launched a nationwide competition to find TAs with Talent. They are looking for the gems of the classroom to feature in a special programme to be transmitted in the New Year.

They want to know about inspiring Teaching Assistants and what talent or skill they bring to their classroom or school. Do they run a fantastic school club? Are they a captivating story teller? Maybe they are a gifted musician that has transformed the school choir or productions?

The competition runs from now until 7th December 2009.  The panel of judges will shortlist three finalists, who will be visited in their schools in January 2010. Teachers TV will make a short video of each finalist and upload it to the Teachers TV Facebook page, where the audience will vote for an overall winner. Voting will open on 27th January 2010 and shall close on 8th February 2010.

All the details and terms and conditions can be found on our website at www.teachers.tv/ta.

Image - kindergarten, in session

DK.com have kindly offered a set of fantastic DK children’s books as a competition prize for readers of Teaching News and visitors to Teaching Ideas. The books up for grabs are:

• Ask Me Anything – stuffed with trivia, facts, fun, and incredible info on just about everything you can think of. What’s the most dangerous spider? How much would you weigh if you lived on Venus? Where can you post letters underwater?
• Open Me Up – takes kids on a gutsy, cheeky, sick, hip, nosey and eye-catching tour of the human body!
• Train Your Brain to be a Genius – packed full with mind boggling puzzles, quizzes and games.

This competition has now closed. The winner will be announced soon!

Here is some information about an exciting competition from Dell’s Edu4U blog…

“Today, learning is no longer limited to the four walls of a classroom. Students around the globe, no matter how young or old are developing 21st Century Skills and are increasingly comfortable with technology. You can look up the definition of a word, learn about current events happening hundreds of miles away and connect with people on other continents with one touch of a button. In this digital age, we are learning continuously.

Starting from October 15, we are bringing you the Where Do You Like to Learn photography competition. We are kicking-off the month-long contest, where we want you to show us where you like to learn!

Whether it’s in your favorite bookstore or on your living room floor; in your neighbourhood park or your best friend’s backyard, we can all be a little more creative with where we choose to study. Learning can take place anywhere!

Entering is easy. And, the reward even bigger! Simply email your photograph(s) to edu4u@dell.com for the chance to win the competition. The winner nominates a school and student under the age of 18 to receive the grand prizes – a tablet PC for the classroom and Dell’s new Latitude 2100 netbook for the student.

You can also follow us on Twitter @edu4u and send us a link to your photo sharing site. Each contestant is allowed up to four photographs. You have until November 15, 2009 to enter. A group of judges will determine the top 5 finalists. And, starting November 20, 2009, you’ll have a chance to pick your favorite photo! The photo with the most votes at the end of the voting period will be our winner. The grand prize is a Latitude 2100 for the student and a tablet PC and projector for his or her classroom. Parents or teachers must enter for children under 18 years of age. Full contest rules, judging criteria and answers to frequently asked questions about the competition can be found here.

Let the photo sessions begin! Be sure to join the Edu4U community and check back to vote.”

See Dell’s blog post for more information.

An exciting competition is now open to young film makers. The Young Minds Digital Times Film competition is open to students in American grades 6-12 (or their international equivalents) and registration is free.

From their site… “The Second Annual Young Minds Digital Times Film Competition (YMDT) is a collaboration between KidThrive.org and Converge magazine to offer an innovative film competition for students around the world to showcase their work, compete against their peers and tackle pressing social issues. Kids have lots to say, ideas to share and talent to showcase, so we’ve created this competition as a learning opportunity for participants.”

Prizes include attendance of the Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, along with cash prizes for individual entries, for teachers and for schools with the most entries! Registration closes on 19th February 2010 and all entries should be submitted by 19th March, 2010.

If you’re entering the competition, good luck!

Do you love baking cakes? Or making bread, cookies or other tasty food? If you do, get involved in National Baking Week from 19th to 25th October 2009.

The National Baking Week site is a wonderful resource for schools, containing recipes, teaching packs for KS1 and KS2, baking tips, a free baking booklet and online games. There is also a national competition running where schools can win £350 worth of Pyrex equipment for their school.

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.