Free videos, NEA grants & more - Contests, Giveaways & Grants

Instructor, August, 2003

Contests

4th Annual Organic School Garden Contest

Schools or individual classes can enter The Rodale Institute's garden contest.

Grade level: K-12

Deadline: October 31, 2003

How it works: Students and their teachers submit a one-page essay about and four photographs of their garden.

Prizes: First place receives $1,000, second place $500, and third place $250.

To enter: For contest guidelines or to register online go www.kidsregen.org/contests

Sydney's Star Invention Contest

Inspired by the inventor mouse in Peter H. Reynolds's Sydney's Star (Simon & Schuster, 2001), kids create an invention that can "solve a problem in our world."

Grade level: 1-8

Deadline: December 1, 2003

Sponsors: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Science Weekly, and Fable Vision.

How it works: Individual students, classrooms, or groups can submit in any of these four categories: a. description of a creative idea; b. sketch/ design; c. prototype; or d. working invention.

Prizes: Grand prize winners in each category will receive Science Weekly subscriptions, autographed copies of Sydney's Star, and more.

To enter: For contest guidelines and entry forms, visit www.fablevision.com/sydney

The Vinny[TM] Awards

Students create a one-minute video that explains how science, technology, engineering or mathematics can help solve common global problems.

Ages: Elementary, middle, and high school.

Deadlines: October 31, 2003 (application), March 15, 2004 (video and materials).

Sponsors: NASA Center for Distance Learning, with Christopher Newport University and IEEE.

How it works: Teams of one teacher and three students submit a one-minute video, script, and short report.

Prizes: Cash prizes for both students and teachers.

To enter: For contest guidelines and online registration, visit http://vinny.pcs.cnu.edu

Know Your Rights! Poster Contest

Students design posters on protecting children's rights.

Grade level: All

Deadline: November 1, 2003

Sponsors: FACES magazine and Cobblestone Publishing.

How it works: Individual students choose a specific children's rights issue to research and create a poster summarizing their findings.

Prizes: First place receives a Hewlett Packard 1-MP Photo smart 120 Digital camera.

To enter: For contest guidelines visit www.cobblestonepub.com/pages/contest.htm

Giveaways

Avi Audio Cassette

Free to teachers: Cassette recording of award-winning children's author Avi reading from his book Tales from the Dimwood.

Available: While supplies last.

How to get it: Send a request on school letterhead to: Avi/Cassette, 859 S. York St., Denver, CO, 80209

Community Volunteering Video and Teaching Unit

Free to teachers: Down the Street and Around the World, a free educational video sponsored by the International Association of Lions Clubs, is designed to help students understand the benefits that come from volunteering in their school or community. Includes teacher's guide with lessons and activities, a poster, and student activity sheets.

Grades: 3-12

To order: Visit www.vpw.com to register and order online.

I Will Be Your Friend CD & Activity Book

Free to teachers: Available from Teaching Tolerance, this 26-song package invites students to sing along on a musical journey through Native American chants, African American poetry, and songs of friendship and belonging from immigrant communities across the United States.

Grades: Recommended for grades 2-5.

Available: While supplies last.

Why you need it: Focuses on themes such as "Building Community" and "Honoring Traditions." Includes a 128-page activity songbook with complete lyrics and flexible classroom activities.

To order: Have your principal or department chair send a request on school letterhead to: Teaching Tolerance, 4200 Washington Ave., 36104, or FAX 334-956-8468.

"I'm Gonna Like Me" Poster and Guide

Free to teachers: Sign up to receive electronic updates on new HarperCollins Children's Books and receive a poster and teaching guide for I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem by Jamie Lee Curtis; illustrated by Laura Cornell.

Grades: PreK-3

To order: Go online to www. harperchildrens.com/teacher and click on "Free Posters and Newsletter."

Weather Activity Guide

Free to teachers: Weather Insights, a bi-monthly newsletter and activity guide for educators, available from The Weather Channel[R].

To order: Call 1-800-471-5544 to receive Weather Insights, or go to www.weather.com/education to print the online version.

Dole 5 A Day CD-Rom, Kid's Cookbooks

Free to teachers: Dole's Nutrition Education Program offers free education materials including the 5 A Day Adventures CD-ROM, Jammin' 5 A Day Songs cassette tape, Fun with Fruits & Vegetables Kids' Cookbook, magnetized charts, certificates, and more.

Available: After August 15th.

To order: To view the complete list of available resources and to place an order online, visit www.dole5aday.com and click on "Teachers."

National Forestry Service Fossils

Free to teachers: This poster from the National Forestry Service, "Fabulous Fossils of Your National Forests and Grasslands," depicts fossils and prehistoric animals of North America.