Mousetrap Theatre Projects is an independent charity dedicated to creating opportunities for young people with limited resources, opportunities, support or disabilities to engage with the best of London’s theatre. They are currently offering lots of theatre offers for school groups which you can take advantage of. You can find out more about the project in this Youtube video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The charity also run a project called the Teacher’s Preview Club. This club aims to make theatre more affordable, allowing teachers to preview a show prior to taking a school group – or simply enjoy theatre productions with friends or colleagues. For an annual membership of £25 teachers can buy two reduced priced tickets each time they book. Find out more in this Youtube video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’re interested in taking part, you can register for the club here.

Would you like to have a library of relaxation resources in your school that are easily accessible to all staff at any time?

Relax Kids has just released CLOUD which is an online relaxation resource for school. CLOUD resources are suitable for children of all abilities including those who have ADHD, SEN, hyperactivity, anger management, stress management and anxiety. You can incorporate CLOUD resources into SEAL, PSHE or as a designated element of one of your other classes.

CLOUD resources vary from 1 minute to 10 minute exercises. The resources include breathing and stretching exercises, visualisation scripts, peer relationship tasks and MP3 downloads. These activities help pupils develop their concentration, listening skills, self-awareness, emotional resilience and creativity.

Visitors to Teaching Ideas and Teaching News can now access £15 worth of free credits by following these instructions:

1. Sign up here: http://www.relaxkids.com/cloud/register.aspx
2. Wait for confirmation of your email address, then click here: http://www.relaxkids.com/cloud/voucher.aspx
3. Enter the voucher code: teachingideas

The free credits will be applied to your account.

Show My Homework is a simple online homework calendar. Teachers can post homework questions, display homework in a simple calendar with deadlines, and assess it online. The site was originally set up for Henry Compton School and its community, but has now become popular among teachers across the world. Find out more in the video below:

Visitors to Teaching Ideas and readers of Teaching News can now get a free 30 day trial and a 50% discount. Read about the other features of Show My Homework and take advantage of this special offer by signing up at http://homeworkdiaryonline.com/teachingideas.html

Terracycle have started a new programme for schools where all money raised through it goes to the school. It also teaches children about social responsibility and encourages them to think about their own impact on the environment.

The programme is simple: a teacher (or a parent) registers their child’s school online and the school is sent a funky collection box with some posters and flyers. Children then drop all used pens, markers or mechanical pencils in the box, and when it is filled, the parent or teacher prints off a free Royal Mail label and ships it to Terracycle free of charge.

For each writing instrument collected, Terracycle donates 2p to the school, and another box is sent so the collection doesn’t need to stop. With the collected pens and markers, they create new eco-friendly products which range from desk organisers, to rubbish bins and even clocks. Sign up to get started!

PleaseCallMum is a new child safety initiative which has recently launched a promotion to help teachers taking young children out to crowded locations on school trips. PleaseCallMum supplies temporary tattoo transfers that can be personalised with a designated mobile number and applied easily and discreetly to a child’s forearm.

PleaseCallMum is offering over 1,000 free tattoo transfers to schools organising trips.  They are easy to order and personalise with a designated school mobile phone number and the transfers will be despatched on the day of order.

PleaseCallMum can also be used as a fund raising tool for PTAs. Participating PTAs are given promotional codes and receive a donation from every order processed quoting its personal promotional code. Visit www.pleasecallmum.com to find out more or watch this Youtube video which gives more information about the product:

The Sorrell Foundation is launching the YOUNGDESIGNCLUB to give pupils and their teachers an exciting new resource to inform and stimulate knowledge and debate about design.

The YOUNGDESIGNCLUB is free to UK primary and secondary schools, to run in lunch breaks or as an after-school activity. Each meeting will focus on a piece of design from any discipline, providing a growing menu of over 100 design stories. They will be structured around presentations and supported by flexible resources, including print, film and audio materials and PowerPoint slides (available as downloads). This will be followed by a discussion, and the pupil members will have the opportunity to produce their own crit in response, the best of which will be published by the YOUNGDESIGNCLUB. There will also be an annual awards ceremony at Somerset House, London.

www.thesorrellfoundation.com/young_design_club.php

Are you a teacher interested in running the YOUNGDESIGNCLUB? To register your interest, please complete the online registration form. The club will begin in January 2011 and the Sorrell Foundation will contact you in September with detailed information.

A free giveaway of the History Channel’s documentary ‘Inside the Body of Henry VIII’ is available for teachers. The DVD explores life in Tudor Times and is aimed at upper KS2 children, although it also works well with secondary students.

Image – Henry VIII miniature

To receive your free copy, please email thepeoplespeak@iamtomorrow.co.uk by 17th July with ‘DVD King Henry Order’ in the subject line. Also include your name, school, school address, postcode and telephone number. Only 1000 copies are available and postage is free.

ROKTalk, a text-to-speech service for websites designed to ‘make websites talk’ through converting written text on websites into real-time, audible speech, has announced it is to gift the service to up to 5,000 primary and secondary schools across the UK this year.

www.roktalk.com

Under the terms of the plan, the first 5,000 schools to apply for the free service before 31st July will have it installed and operational on their websites in time for the next school year in September.

Schools may apply for the free ROKTalk service to be added to their websites by completing the online application form at www.roktalk.com

National Schools Film Week (NSFW) provides teachers and their students the opportunity to see a wide range of films at local cinemas entirely free-of-charge. This year will be the 15th annual festival and it is available to any school. They welcome bookings of all sizes. Some schools will bring an entire Year group or Key Stage while others attend on a class-by-class basis. They do not limit places to any number of students or schools to any number of bookings. As long as there is space in the cinema, you are welcome!

The National Schools Film Week is the world’s largest festival for cinema & young people. This year’s dates are:

• England, Wales & Northern Ireland – 14-22 October 2010
• Scotland: 28 October-5 November 2010

Although these dates are a few months away, they are asking for requests now. My school put in our request this week, so get planning and see how you can get involved too!

Travelling to Teach is an exciting summer travel programme aimed specifically at teachers interested in volunteering and teaching abroad. The project is currently looking for dedicated teachers who would like to use the opportunity to volunteer abroad to really change lives teaching English, Maths, Science, Art or Drama.

What’s involved?

The Travelling to Teach programme works with a number of charity/community schools in India, Nepal and Tanzania which provide education to children from some of the poorest backgrounds.

This is a three week long trip which will see selected volunteer teachers visit and work in a school in India, Nepal or Tanzania educating the local children and working with the existing teaching staff. The aim of the volunteering programme is to provide interactive and interesting lessons to the children, bringing amusement to their classes.

Here is a video where teachers share their experiences from previous trips.