WORLD EARTH DAY PRIMARY TALK SPECIAL - Our Earth Story - FREE
WORLD EARTH DAY PRIMARY TALK SPECIAL
Date: THURSDAY 22 APRIL
TIME: 1.30pm to 2pm
Cost: FREE
Full details below:
Our Earth Story
Introduction to Geology for Primary School Children
This session is to introduce students to the concepts of Deep Geological Time, the age of the Earth, and it's formation; when Life appeared, and what it looked like; when animals appeared and what they first looked like. And then, when did we humans appear.
We introduce questions like: why do we have 2 legs and 2 arms, and not 7? Why 2 eyes? What is the oldest rock? What is the Moon made of? What is the oldest crawling creature? Who is our ancestor?
Sandy has a collection of rocks and fossils to hold up and talk to which demonstrate key events.
We will be using Microsoft Teams which has inbuilt safeguarding features as webcams and microphones are disabled and the Q&A is moderated.
I hope you will be able to join us.
To book your place visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/live-career-talk-primary-earth-day-tickets-148569568579
If you have any questions or queries regarding the competition please e-mail: thestemhub@canterbury.ac.uk
British Science Week (BSW) 5th - 14th March 2021
There are lots of FREE online events and activities being held online for this 10 day celebration of science. As well as looking at the BSW website, do have a search for any specialist areas of interest as there is probably something being laid on. For instance, here's some information we received from The Royal College of Pathologists.
Viruses and Vaccines – events and activities for schools and families
The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is running an online discussion event about viruses, vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic for secondary school students during British Science Week. Join our panel of pathologists and scientists on 10 March: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/viruses-and-vaccines-discussion-event-for-secondary-schools-tickets-141270189941
The RCPath is also running a ‘Viruses and Vaccines’ art-science workshop via zoom on Saturday 13th March. Free and open to all: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/viruses-and-vaccines-art-science-activity-session-for-families-tickets-141308089299 . The session will be led by science-based artist Dr Lizzie Burns. Lizzie will be joined by two infectious disease doctors. The activities and topics being featured will be relevant for teachers and students, as well as families so please do share the link with whoever might be interested.
Do also have a look at our STEM Resource pages for other events and resources for BSW and beyond.
Blast From The Past: Our First Ever Major Effective Learning Award
As our total grants to Hertfordshire schools passes the £1/4 million mark (December 2020), we received some great photographs of our first ever Effective Learning Major Award back in 2018. The £10,000 grant went to Longdean School to develop a fantastic outdoor learning area. Here are some before and after photos featuring the latest shots of the finished area.
A snippet from the Award News Item reminds us about the bid:
Edufunduk are very pleased to announce we have awarded Longdean School in Hemel Hempstead the £10,000 Major Award in Effective Learning. The prize money will be used to set up a wildlife pond, observation tank and dipping platform on their site.
The huge benefits of outdoor learning were key to this winning application for Effective Learning. Tracy Doyle (Finance Director) coordinated an excellent bid which drew on research that showed learning outside can reduce stress, boost creativity and problem-solving skills and greatly increase engagement and motivation. For SEN children, other research has shown contact with nature can reduce symptoms of ADHD.
The pond facility will be used for practical science lessons and environmental studies of natural British plants and wildlife as well as a general open-air study area.
Space Talk with Libby Jackson: 11th December
Libby Jackson is an expert in the field of human space flight and has worked as Flight Director at Mission Control (Columbus) and been a key member of Tim Peake's team. This is a free online talk, aimed at primary school children. The attached photo gives a little more information and you can book a space at:
£1,500 - £2,000 Grant to Set Up and Train on Google or MS Office Learning Platforms
G-Suite for Education and Office 365 for Education are already free-to-use platforms, but eligible schools/trusts can register to receive funded support from an accredited partner to help get set up and trained on their chosen platform. You'll be assigned a partner once you register for support. One of the major partners is Herts for Learning which many schools are working with already for many aspects of their IT provision and training.
Set-up funding for individual schools varies across phase: eligible primaries will receive £1,500 and eligible secondaries £2,000. Funding for academies in trusts is capped at £1,000 per school.
In short, if you access this scheme and get set up on one of the platforms, you'll be able to:
- Assign and assess work, providing feedback remotely
- Communicate with staff, students and parents in real time, using written word, voice and video
- Facilitate collaboration between groups of pupils and teachers
Information and application forms can be found through The Key:
- details of the scheme
- information and comparisons of G-Suite for Education and Office 365 for Education
- apply for support to set up and be trained on either platform.