Kids and Media is a new charitable organisation which gives information and advice about children’s use of digital media. Their aim is to ‘help parents to guide and guard their children in a digital world, different from the media world they themselves experienced as children’.

Although the site is still very new, there are lots of useful articles and resources online already. I particularly liked the game and film review sections, which give detailed descriptions and information about appropriate age ranges.

This is definitely something to share with parents and colleagues at school. You can also follow the site on Twitter, Facebook and via their blog.

Plan is one of the largest child-centred community development organisations in the world, helping children and their families in 48 of the poorest countries to break the cycle of poverty. In the countries where they work, one out of five children die before the age of five, and the ones who survive often go hungry and have no chance of learning to read and write.

www.plan-ed.org

Plan also offer a comprehensive site for teachers which offers free teaching resources, video clips, photos, fact sheets and more, all linked to the countries where they work. You can also find out about the projects that Plan are supporting, as well as find out how your school can support the work that they are doing.

Go Givers is a free site for primary and middle school children (aged 5 to 14). It contains a wide range of free, engaging, and interactive citizenship-rich cross-curricular resources.

www.gogivers.org

There are areas for teachers, parents and children. The teachers’ section has free lesson plans and downloadable resources, which all aim to develop a sense of personal responsibility and concern for the world that we live in.

The BBC recently reported an increase in children’s book sales, which they say is partly due to the success of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. Sales of picture books have also increased.

The top selling books were:

• Top 5 – all Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series – various editions
• 6 – Beano Annual 2010
• 7 – Miles to go by Mylie Cyrus
• 8 – Mr Gum in the Hound of Lamonic Bibber /Sephir the Storm Monster by Andy Stanton and Adam Blade
• 9 – Peppa Pig official annual
• 10 – New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
• 11 – Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K Rowling

Image - Reading in the round

The best selling books for younger children were:

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• The Tyrannosaurus Drip Song by Julia Donaldson
• Stick Man by Julia Donaldson
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sandak
• The Gurffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson

My Year 3 class are currently enjoying the books in the Beaver Towers series by Nigel Hinton. I’ve also been gripped by the books in the Percy Jackson series, which I’m trying to read before the film is released soon!

Which books are popular with your children? What are your own favourite books?

First News create a weekly newspaper for children with articles in an easy and digestible format for younger readers. You can buy newspapers in the shops, or subscribe and have it delivered. Special subscription rates are also available for schools.

www.firstnews.co.uk

The First News website also has a lot of useful content for schools to use. A selection of news articles are available, along with competitions and games to play.

I’ve always been a fan of the BBC’s Newsround TV show and website, as they provide current news which is more appropriate for children to read. Simon Widdowson recently shared this fantastic version of the site which is even more accessible.

www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/newsreader

The site has a much simpler interface with less distractions and it will even read the news to you. It is also accessible to those to use switches to use a computer and you change the settings to make the site even more appropriate for your needs.

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!

The aim of Relax Kids is to help children to become confident and calm adults. They have a selection of CDs, books and cards which can help individual issues that children can suffer – such as anxiety, stress or sleeping problems.

There is also a library which is full of articles, tips and exercises to help children relax, de-stress and bring a sense of self-worth and confidence.

learndirect has launched two FREE online storybooks to help families make the most of their time together and have fun while learning.

learndirect research has revealed that almost one in three parents admit to wanting to brush up on their basic English and maths to support their children’s learning and development. Backed by celebrity mum and Waterloo Road actress, Angela Griffin, the new storybooks “The Journey to Darkest Somewhere” and “The House of Scary Words” let kids become the lead characters and change details within the stories.

Here’s a video which gives more information about the project:

The books also encourage readers to use basic English language while they play, so kids and parents can learn together. The new storybooks are available at www.learndirect.co.uk/readtogether. Kids also have the chance to win a professionally printed version of their book. Entrants simply need to register their personal storybook on the website before 31 December 2009.

Triangle is an independent organisation, working directly with children and families, giving expert opinions to the courts and teaching / advising parents and professionals.

They have recently produced a DVD called Three Way Street which shows how to get communication going with a child in the presence of another adult, using their skills and knowledge when you need to. It also teaches a range of practical strategies and a model of three way communication in which the child is central. Find out more…