My World in 60 Seconds is a film project for 11-14 year olds, set up by the Geographical Association, to create an alternative guide to our world, a guide that is created by you. The organisers want to re-present the world as people know it, so they are looking for young people to make short films that are thought provoking, insightful and engaging.

www.geography.org.uk/11-19/myworldin60seconds

60 seconds is just long enough to guide someone through part of your world, to show what it is really like for you. The best films can appear on BBC Big Screens across the country. A panel of judges will watch all the films and the ones that in their opinion best reflect what we are looking for could be shown. These films will also appear online as part of a guide to our world.

Find out more at the My World in 60 Seconds site.

Following on from my previous post about free teaching resources from My Money, the site has just announced two competitions for UK schools.

The competitions aim to get pupils engaged in personal finance education in an exciting way by combining their knowledge of personal finance with their opinions on the value and importance of money. They then produce a piece of artwork to represent their knowledge and opinions.

www.mymoneyonline.org

The competitions are supported by specially created lesson plans, which lead pupils from specific personal finance education curriculum learning materials into producing a competition entry.

Competition prizes include Nintendo DSs, iPod Touches, digital cameras, books, cash for schools and a private tour around the Bank of England and the British Museum! The closing date for the competition is 2nd April 2010.

Find out more on the My Money site.

Survival Rivals is offering free Science teaching resources to UK teachers of pupils aged between 11 and 19. Three kits are available:

• I’m a Worm, Get Me Out of Here – Discover what colour worms your local birds prefer.
• Brine Date – What do brine shrimp look for in a mate?
• The X Bacteria – Explore antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

www.survivalrivals.org.uk

A variety of online resources are also available and teachers can even enter a competition to take four students to the Galapagos Islands, allowing them to follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin.

Primary schools can sign up for the sister project, The Great Plant Hunt.

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.