We all know that there are amazing free educational resources on the Web, in fact that is what Topmarks is about, but every now and again I come across a site which has the WOW factor.... and Mrs Pancake is one such site.

Firstly Mrs Pancake is beautifully designed, as are the free downloadable 'Doodads' which are suitable for children across the age range from 4 to 11.

The high quality resources range from original ideas for things you can make with your class to fantastic items for classroom displays. What makes Mrs Pancake different is that the featured resources are professionally designed and don't just make use of clipart. So I recommend that if you are an early years or primary practitioner you take a peek and see what gems are on offer.

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!

If you, like me, have upgraded to SMART Notebook software Version 10, then perhaps you are not yet familiar with all the new elements that are on offer.

I have been exploring the Object Animation feature and in particular how to make objects fade when clicked to reveal different things. I think this has the potential to make teacher created resources more interesting.

I set myself the task of creating a Shape Reveal SMART Notebook resource for 6 - 7 year olds which you are welcome to download and keep. I have always found children love seeing who can guess the name of a 2D shape first as it is slowly revealed from behind a screen. So I have created some shapes, each hidden behind a Screen Shade and made each shape clickable to reveal the name of the shape. The resource is intended for use in Full-Screen mode otherwise children will be able to see what shape is coming next in the page-sorter.

To demonstrate how I made the resource I have also produced another SMART Notebook file which provides step-by-step instructions on how I created just one of the shapes. Quite simply I made a sandwich of two identical shapes with the shape's name in between. When clicked, the top one fades to reveal the name. The resource can be used as a starter or plenary activity with Year 1 or Year 2 children. If there are too many shapes, simply delete certain pages. For older children you may like to add more complex shapes.

The same technique could be adapted for identifying 3D shapes too. I couldn't find an octagon in the SMART Notebook gallery, so I created a filled octagon in Microsoft Word using the Draw Menu and simply cut and pasted it into Notebook.

Even if you teach older children it won't take more than a few minutes to try the technique and see how it could be adapted for other uses. I have tried it on the map of the British Isles from the gallery. Each of the maps of the four countries of the UK fits perfectly into the outline map. The same technique could be used to make a clickable map which reveals the names of the countries.

I would love to know how you get on and if you are on half-term this week - enjoy!