If you are a primary school teacher on the lookout for a different idea for written work on describing characters, you may be interested in this clever website called Build Your Wild Self. You can create your own characters which range from relatively normal individuals to zany alien-like creatures.

It is really easy to choose from a range of characteristics and when you are happy with your creation you can produce a print-out. This is a useful feature if you want your pupils to work individually. Alternatively, you could have some fun together creating a character as a class activity as it works very well on an interactive whiteboard.

You can select from a range of backgrounds, which is helpful if you want to establish a setting for the character should you wish your pupils to produce narrative writing.

The website works well in conjunction with the My Monster website which I featured in a previous blog post or with the 'Monster Shopping Trip' animated story for Key Stage 1 pupils which has alien characters. The 'Build Your Wild Self' site is suitable for either Key Stages 1 or 2 (ages 6 - 11) because it lends itself to more detailed descriptive writing. 

Registrations are open once again for the next Big Schools' Birdwatch run by the RSPB. It is open to schools and youth groups such as Brownies and Scouts. A free teachers' pack is available with all the details and the RSPB site is packed with information and resources to support the event. Children will need to observe birds that visit the school grounds.

It is being held between the 19 and 30 January and a new feature this time is that you can build your own graphs and charts when you submit your results. The new interactive whiteboard tools mean that you can display your own data and a series of questions provided by the RSPB will get your class exploring and interpreting their results.

This is a really good opportunity for your pupils to see data handling in action and you will also be helping the RSPB to monitor bird numbers too.

You will need to do some preparation before hand, especially if you don't generally feed the birds at your school. There is good advice as to how you can encourage birds to visit, including how to 'make a speedy bird cake'. And, if it encourages children to take an interest and look after the birds in their own gardens then that can't be bad!

By the way, if you like birds don't forget the Big Garden Birdwatch which gives you an excuse for putting your lesson preparation on one side for an hour. All you will need to do is sit down, relax with a cuppa and enjoy watching the birds come into your garden. Whether you are an 'expert' or 'beginner' just submit your results and you will be taking part in the world's biggest garden bird survey!

I've just got back from Rome, sadly not in 2008, but from a virtual Rome in ancient times.

I downloaded the Ancient Rome 3D layer into Google Earth. I must admit it took me a while to get to grips with the controls to get the best 3D view, so if you are thinking you may use it in a lesson on an interactive whiteboard, be sure to have a trial first. I found the most success by zooming in while in birds eye view before tilting to eye level view.

You can visit places such as the Colosseum and Roman Forum and get really close views. It certainly helps you to appreciate the grand scale of Ancient Rome's architecture. If you want historical information it is available by clicking on the yellow information points. The facts are quite detailed and suitable for older students and adults.

All in all, it is fun and definitely worth a virtual visit!