Can your students design a comic strip to show their vision of a future Olympic or Paralympic Games? Aldi, Team GB and ParalympicsGB want to hear from you!

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Aldi, Team GB and ParalympicsGB are marking the 10th anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by launching the Get Set to Eat Fresh Design a Comic Strip competition. School children aged 5–14 are invited to bring to life their vision of a future Olympic or Paralympic Games in a fun and creative way – creating a comic strip! Winners will receive £1,000 cash for their school, a £100 Aldi voucher and a whole host of Team GB and ParalympicsGB goodies. The overall winner will also have their comic showcased in Aldi stores nationwide!

The campaign has been launched by ParalympicsGB rower, Lauren Rowles MBE, and Team GB diver, Jack Laugher MBE. The athletes will work alongside a judging panel from Aldi, Team GB and ParalympicsGB to select a winner from three different categories: ages 5–7, 7–11 and 11–14 – alongside one overall winner. The panel will be on the lookout for exciting, inventive and fun designs, which showcase a clear vision for the Games and include at least one healthy food! The deadline for all entries is Friday 24 June.

To help get students inspired, teachers can download the free competition resources from the Get Set to Eat Fresh website. Alongside the entry and cover sheets, the supporting resources have been created to get children thinking about how the Olympic and Paralympic Games have changed – and remained the same – over time. Students will also be encouraged to discuss the different foods people eat at the Games and how the sport, events and food may change in the future.

By entering the competition, students will be challenged to get creative and incorporate feedback to create a truly eye-catching, futuristic design.    

Enter by Friday 24 June for your chance to win!

“Come on, kids! Let’s get creative,” remarked Lauren Rowles MBE. “We want to see your amazing ideas of what we might be able to see, do or eat at a future Olympic or Paralympic Games. There’s only one rule. Your entry must include one item of food. That can be an athlete’s breakfast or a fruit stall for fans at the stadium. That really is it. Oh, and don’t forget to send your entry by 24 June!”

“We can’t wait to see your ideas” added Jack Laugher MBE. “Perhaps you think a future Usain Bolt will be breaking records for a 100m sprint on the moon. Or new technology will mean new sports are invented! Or maybe we’ll come together to find more sustainable ways to travel to the Games. There really is no limit to your imagination. I’m so excited to see what you come up with. Good luck!”     

Adam Zavalis, Marketing Director of Aldi UK, said: “We’ve been fuelling Team GB with healthy food since 2015 and I’m delighted that ParalympicsGB has joined our great Get Set to Eat Fresh programme. The Design a Comic Strip competition is just one of the ways we hope to inspire children to think about healthy, active lifestyles and explore their best futures. On your marks, get set – draw!”

Get Set to Eat Fresh is a nationwide healthy eating initiative from Aldi, Team GB and ParalympicsGB. The programme creates free teaching materials for teachers and families to support young people aged 5–14 in developing their love and curiosity about healthy food and the skills they need to cook nutritious, low-cost meals. Since its launch in 2015, the Get Set to Eat Fresh programme has reached over 2.2 million young people and, with ParalympicsGB joining the programme this year, aims to further expand to reach 3 million by 2024. The programme has been well reviewed by teachers, with 92 per cent of those surveyed saying they would recommend Get Set to Eat Fresh to a colleague.

To find out more about the Get Set to Eat Fresh Design a Comic Strip competition, please visit: getseteatfresh.co.uk/resources/designacomicstrip

 

Opening of the Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre

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The Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre ­– a new, state-of-the-art Learning Centre at the Roman Baths – will open on 16 June and is now taking bookings for the autumn term. 

A former Victorian spa laundry building, along with an area of Roman remains beneath street level, have been sensitively renovated to create a new Learning Centre that will allow pre-booked school and community groups to learn about history and heritage in a hands-on and accessible way.

  • Learn amongst the remains of one of the great sites of the ancient world
  • Have a go at being an archaeologist! Excavate your own finds in a new underground Investigation Zone surrounded by real Roman remains
  • Handle real artefacts and walk on the pavements where Romans walked 2,000 years ago

A highlight of the Clore Learning Centre is a pioneering new learning space called the Investigation Zone – an atmospheric underground environment set amidst real Roman remains. Here, children will be able to explore, investigate and record archaeological materials in a hands-on way, becoming mini-archaeologists and mini-curators as they participate in learning sessions amongst real Roman archaeology.

The floors above contain two stunning new learning spaces. The Sulis room is geared towards primary school groups, with photos of Roman characters on the walls and views across the street to the Roman Baths. The Minerva room is a flexible space that can be used for a variety of activities – from gathering around large tables for a handling session, to sitting theatre-style to watch a presentation.

The Clore Learning Centre offers stress-free school visits, with new facilities including a lunchroom inspired by the laundry’s former Water Tank, a designated coach drop-off point, and an underground tunnel which will create a dramatic, direct route from the Learning Centre into the Roman Baths.

Teachers can choose from a range of inspirational teaching sessions and activities, with opportunities to handle Roman objects from the museum’s collection and investigate historical sources. The sessions are closely linked to the National Curriculum and cover subjects such as Roman bathing, religion and belief, Latin language, and life in Roman Britain.

Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming school children and local community groups into the Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre. Once established, about 15,000 people per year are expected to use the Centre. The amazing new, purpose-built facilities will greatly improve the quality of their visit to the Roman Baths.”

Lindsey Braidley, Learning and Participation Manager at the Roman Baths, added: “Learning outside the classroom is an essential part of children’s education. Studies have shown that cultural trips significantly improve the health and wellbeing of students – something that, after successive lockdowns and reduced access to trips, is more essential than ever.”

The offer for schools will be complemented by a vibrant community engagement programme, which will build new relationships with local community groups, and offer student placements, apprenticeships, and volunteering opportunities. Outreach events will allow a wider range of people to engage with the unique history and heritage on their doorstep.

The Clore Learning Centre is part of the Archway Project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players, which also includes a brand-new Bath World Heritage Centre and a new Roman Gym at the Roman Baths.

Stuart McLeod, Director, England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re delighted to see the Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre open. Thanks to National Lottery players, school groups will be able to engage and connect with the history of Bath in a new way. They can discover more about its rich heritage through hands-on learning, and walk through Roman archaeology in real life. This experiential learning will be very memorable to these young historians and offer a glimpse into the fascinating history of this World Heritage Site.”

The Clore Learning Centre is kindly supported by Clore Duffield Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation and The Roman Baths Foundation.

Kate Bellamy, Director, Clore Duffield Foundation, said: “We are delighted to support the new Clore Learning Centre at the Roman Baths. It will bring Roman history to life, provide an inspirational day out for all the children who visit, and enthuse the next generation of historians.”

For more information, please visit www.romanbaths.co.uk/schools.

COBIS AND DISCOVERY EDUCATION 2022 CODING CHALLENGE: INTERNATIONAL COMPUTING COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED

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COBIS (Council of British International Schools) and Discovery Education are delighted to announce the winners of the 2022 Coding Challenge – a competition for British International Schools which sees students compete with their peers around the world to create a computer game or app.

 

Now in its third year, the prestigious challenge invites students aged 5-12 to unleash their creativity by designing an app using Discovery Education Coding – the award-winning resource for primary schools. Open to COBIS member schools in 76 countries, the competition reaches over 165,000 students globally. 

 

The theme of this year’s competition was ‘A Difficult Journey’ and students taking part were encouraged to create an app simulating a quest. The judges were highly impressed by the wide range of entries and the programming skills shown by entrants as young as 5. 

 

The 2022 winner is 12 year old Kobe, a Year 7 student from Doha College in Qatar. Kobe’s winning app was ‘Fit the Gap’ – an impressive block coding game which sends players on a journey in search of a missing star. The user-friendly app was described by the judges as “sophisticated and mature” with a “very professional and authentic design.”

 

Kobe said: ” I am ecstatic that I won the COBIS App competition, I didn’t believe I could do it, I thought I had a small chance of winning second or third prize, but never imagined that I would come first! My game was based on games like Tetris that I love playing in my free time. I finished the game with only a few hours to spare and I didn’t think much of it. After a while, I had almost forgotten about it, I even wondered if I had submitted it correctly, then I got the email that I had won, and honestly, I’m surprised out of my wildest dreams!” 

 

Kobe’s teacher Ruhul Chowdhury said, “We are very pleased to learn that Kobe has won first place. We would like to thank COBIS and Discovery Education for giving our students an amazing opportunity to participate in this event. It provided them with a platform to create an app based on the theme given. I believe all our students should learn how to create apps, and other digital products and services by learning to program. They need to become creators of technology rather than just the end-users.” 

 

The second place winner was 12 year old Ojas from The Arbor School in Dubai. Ojas’s winning app was ‘The Adventures of Indiana Jones’ – an exciting game in which players search for missing treasure. The game was described by the judges as “exceptionally well designed and authentic.” 

 

Ojas said, “Discovery Education Coding  provides an amazing platform for the students’ interest in programming and STEM. It is an honour to learn and compete with the best and brightest of students across the world. My game program was based on the adventures of Indiana Jones where I attempted to combine fiction with joys of programming. I am really thankful to my teachers at The Arbor School who have always taught me to go that extra mile.” 

 

The third place winner is 11 year old Gosha from English International College in Marbella, Spain. Gosha’s winning app was based on Minecraft, with 3 levels of exciting play. The highly creative app was described by the judges as “complex, inventive and really immersive.”

 

Gosha said, “I loved participating in this year‘s coding competition. I love coding and my teacher, Mr Carlos.Coding is very important to me and I want to be a programmer of games when I grow up. I worked really hard on my game and I’m really proud of myself for achieving this award.”

 

The three winning students were presented with their certificates at special school assemblies this week. First prize winner Kobe also received a $250 Amazon voucher, with the runners-up Ojas and Gosha receiving $150 and $100 vouchers respectively. 

 

Colin Bell, CEO of COBIS, said:

 

“As a student-centred organisation, we are committed to offering enriching opportunities for students worldwide, and so we were delighted to partner with Discovery Education to deliver our third Coding Challenge for students at British international schools. The competition allowed students as young as five to learn how to code and develop valuable skills such as problem-solving, computational thinking, digital literacy and creativity. It was fantastic to see so many students take part, and we were once again blown-away by the impressive talent that the competition showcased.”

 

Howard Lewis, Discovery Education’s Managing Director UK and International said:

 

“Today’s students will do jobs that we can only imagine, so it’s vitally important that we equip them with future-ready skills. Discovery Education is delighted to partner with COBIS to deliver the Coding Challenge to British international schools for the third year running. The competition helps teachers to introduce coding in a fun and accessible way, encouraging a love of computer programming in children from an early age.”