BBC iPlayer for children launches

This Christmas the BBC is to offer younger viewers their own version of BBC iPlayer that allows them to watch shows they love on-demand in a specially designed child-friendly service. Designed for children aged 6 to 12, BBC iPlayer for CBBC – BAFTA Children's Channel of the Year – gives children the chance to choose when they watch programmes such as Blue Peter, MI High, Sarah Jane Adventures, and many other shows they love.

SCOOBY-DOO & THE MYSTERY INC. GANG RETURN TO THE STAGE

Following the sell-out seasons of 2005 and 2007, Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang are back by popular demand in a brand-new, all singing and dancing “spook-tastic” show, which opens at the Theatre Royal in Norwich on 17 February 2009, just in time for the half-term holidays

McFly to the Woods!

The superb McFly have announced a trio of dates next Summer when they will be performing in fantastic woodland locations as part of the Forestry Commission’s annual live music series.  The Forestry Commission is committed to taking woodlands to new audiences and making them relevant to people in new ways.

WORLD PREMIERE OF LITTLE PRINCESS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ON FIVE'S MILKSHAKE!

A royal treat is on offer to all in the kingdom this winter as two brand new TV specials of the hit pre-school show, Little Princess will be gracing Five's Milkshake! in time for the Harvest festival and Christmas. To add to the occasion, much-loved British actor and TV personality, Brian Blessed will be bringing a feast of entertainment as the voice of 'Great Uncle Walter' in the Christmas special.

High School Musical Ice Tour Details

The musical phenomenon ‘High School Musical: The Ice Tour’ is returning to the UK due to an unprecedented sell-out UK tour in 2007.  This ice spectacular is kicking off its UK tour on 18th December at The Braehead Arena, London.

Alton Towers Resort auctions rollercoaster ride car on eBay

Hundreds of rollercoaster fans across the UK will be extraordinarily excited about opening their presents this Christmas, after the Alton Towers Resort announced they will be auctioning a ride car from the recently closed Corkscrew rollercoaster on eBay

Winter Bird Survival Guide

The Birdcare Standards Association (BSA), which exists to ensure that wild bird feeds sold in the UK meet an acceptable quality standard, has issued a plea to all people across the UK who feed garden birds – including the huge number of young people who care about our garden birds - to provide a plentiful supply of food and water to help the birds get through the winter.

Junior Painters of the Year

Four UK primary school children have been selected by Professor Maurice Cockrill RA, Keeper of the Royal Academy of Arts, as the Sightsavers International Junior Painters of the Year.  Their paintings, depicting ‘the sight I would most like to see’, beat entries from almost 9,000 primary school children from across the UK to become amongst the youngest artists exhibited in a special exhibition in the cafe gallery at the world-renowned Royal Academy of Arts in London this November

Recycled art talent PUT TO THE vote

Six recycled artworks, created by schoolchildren, are going head-to-head in an online vote to win the Big Yellow Pages Art Competition 2008 and claim the £1,000 first prize. This year’s finalists include a Dalek, a desert island, a dragon, an octopus, a spacecraft and a Spitfire aeroplane. All imaginatively created by pupils using old Yellow Pages directories their schools collected for recycling.

Stars line up for Amnesty International

This autumn Amnesty International joins forces with leading actors and world-renowned illustrators to bring to life the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) for a new generation of young children. A new book, a short film and an exhibition form part of a series of celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the UDHR, which set out for the first time the human rights and fundamental freedoms to which everyone is entitled without discrimination

Same Difference Website

Same Difference have launched a kid friendly website which is great fun, click on the link above to find out more and have some fun with their games section.

Disney On Ice presentsDisney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo

UK audiences will for the first time be able to submerge themselves with one of Disney/Pixar’s favourite and lovable characters, Nemo, the clownfish. The innovative new production of Disney On Ice presents Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo plunges audiences into the amazing underwater world of “lucky”-finned clownfish Nemo, his overprotective father Marlin and cheerfully optimistic Dory.

UK Hi-5 Launch Party Competition Winner

Last month Primary Times Online offered you the chance to win tickets to the launch party of the UK version of global TV phenomenon Hi-5. The lucky winner was Tia Cable from Essex who came down to the Hi-5 launch party at ZSL London Zoo on Sunday 12th October.

The hunt is on for England’s MagNext Champion Builder!

To celebrate the launch of its award winning new construction kit, toy company Mega Bloks has linked up with top toy store The Entertainer to hunt for construction crazed kids to compete in The Entertainer MagNext Challenge during the October half term holidays!

Blue Peter announces charity partners for largest ever Christmas Appeal

Blue Peter, the longest running children’s TV show in the world, will mark its 50th anniversary this year by launching its biggest ever appeal. With three charities benefiting from the money raised by viewers, the appeal aims to be the most ambitious to date.

Little Princess TV Specials

Celebrate the seasons with Little Princess and her Harvest and Christmas specials on Five plus her brand new toy range. A royal treat is on offer to all in the kingdom this autumn/winter as two brand new TV specials of the hit pre-school show, Little Princess will be gracing Five's Milkshake! in time for the Harvest festival and Christmas.

Prepare for the Arrival of Big and Small

Variety is the spice of life and Big and Small are set to spice up CBeebies in the new pre-school show due to air this Autumn 2008.  Celebrating the delightful differences between two best friends, every episode contains BIG fun which will keep little kids, big kids and parents learning and laughing together. 

New 21st Century Make Over for Postman Pat

The nation’s best loved postman, Postman Pat is set for an exciting makeover to bring him firmly into the 21st Century … and beyond. Postman Pat is set for a high impact return to TV screens on 29th September on BBC2, CBeebies zone in Postman Pat Special Delivery Service (SDS). In this brand new series, the UK’s favourite postman embarks on a series of adventures to ensure that his letters and packages are always delivered anyplace, anytime, anywhere.

Can Man beat the beasts?

We humans might think we’re the most advanced species on Earth, but judging from the evidence on show in Animal Planet’s spectacular new wildlife adventure series In Too Deep, maybe it’s time we thought again.

Spotlight on Hannah Montana

Hannah Montana, she's everyone's favourite girl, now your kids can join in the fun with a little help from Nintendo DS and Wii, and guys have we got something amazing to share with you, Zoe Salmon on video giving you loads of cool cheats so your child can wow all her friends and become the coolest kid in school.

Bonjour…Judi!

An interview with Judi Curtin based on questions from Primary Times reader, Ciara McGivern, aged 9.  Download the first chapter of Bonjour Alice - and get some free Judi Curtin posters too!

A Child's Poem

The poem below was written by an 11 year old called Katie Fowler of Alphington Primary School, Exeter, Devon. Her class has been learning about pollution and writing poems linking into the topic

National Gardens Scheme’s free child entry

From woodland walks and wildlife sanctuaries to model railways, farm animals and tractor safaris, there is plenty for the whole family to enjoy at more than 1,000 gardens which will be opening to the public with The National Gardens Scheme across England and Wales during the summer school holidays. And the good news is that it won’t break the bank with the average admission price only £3 and more than 900 gardens offering free entry to children 16 and under.

Kick for Children with Cancer

Kick for Children with Cancer’ is a nationwide initiative run by CLIC Sargent which encourages schools and youth football clubs across the country to organise their own fun football fundraising events in support of children with cancer.

The Alton Towers Resort opens Third Hotel!

The Alton Towers Resort has created a new hotel especially for its smallest visitors.  Following a quiet opening ceremony last weekend, the 35 room hotel has already received its first guest and is hoping to attract many more over the coming months.

The KidsOutdoors Campaign

The KidOutdoors campaign, being led by The Scout Association, aims to inspire a million new outdoor adventures. We want more young people to embrace outdoor activities and find that doing things outdoors is a more attractive alternative to TV and computer games

Get kids active with the Nature Detectives

The Woodland Trust is offering IKEA FAMILY members 25% discount for children to enrol in their Nature Detectives Club. Each Nature Detective receives a welcome pack, two seasonal activity pack mailings and weekly emails with challenges to keep your children busy throughout the year. The scheme aims to get children active and learning about the UK’s native woodland and wildlife. Visit www.woodlandtrustshop.com for more information 

Read the first chapter of Toby Alone

It was a no 1 bestseller for children in France before being translated, and Toxic magazine (for boys 7-11 yrs) had a giveaway mini booklet of the first chapter 2 weeks ago) – it’s an amazing title and the most exciting start to any book! 

World Kids Colouring Day

Primary schools throughout the UK are invited to participate in the first World Kids Colouring Day on Tuesday 6 May and help children in Colombia have better access to schooling.  The World Kids Colouring day is part of Save the Children’s’ Rewrite the Future project.

CITV Screen Signed Children Shows

5th – 11th May 2008 is Deaf Awareness Week so in light of this, CITV will be dedicating a weekend of programming to our deaf viewers, visually signing all shows between 13:30 and 18:00 on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th May.

Run for the Children

"Children helping children!" is the message from Run for the Children, a national initiative in association with Nationwide aiming to get everyone off their sofas, into the parks and raising money for charity in 2008. 

Goodyear search for "tyred" Playgrounds

Leading tyre manufacturer and safety expert, Goodyear, has announced the launch of its 2008 Playground Appeal – an annual campaign which aims to raise awareness of the need for safe play in the UK

Petplan Equine National Riding Festival

This summer, thousands of people across the country will be ‘taking up the reins’ as part of the Petplan Equine National Riding Festival. The Festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, runs from May until September and sees UK riding centres.

Great Lumley Pupils Have a Potato Day Experience

Children from Lumley Infant and Nursery School, Great Lumley, Co. Durham had a truly international potato experience on Tuesday March 11.  They won the chance to host a Potato Day as first prize in a competition for the British Potato Council’s (BPC) Grow Your Own Potatoes project. 

RSPB  - Rainham Marshes Appeal

Young people across the UK can buy a new home for water voles and other wildlife as the RSPB launches its youth fundraising campaign – the Rainham Marshes appeal.

Bob The Builder Live! Tour

Can Bob fix it? Yes he can!  The lovable and iconic Bob the BuilderTM will be thrilling audiences around the world as HIT Entertainment and IP LIVE proudly present Bob the Builder’s brand new live stage show - Spuds Big Mess! Children will be delighted to see and sing a-long with their favourite characters such as Wendy, Spud, Scoop, Dizzy, Scrambler and many more in Sunflower Valley.

Yellow Pages UK Challenge

Youngsters at White Court School in Great Notley, Essex are celebrating after being voted winner of the Yellow Pages UK Sculpture Competition 2007.

Children from the school used old Yellow Pages directories to build their artwork, ‘A Mellow, Yellow Gecko’, as part of the Yellow Woods Challenge – a fun and educational environmental campaign for schools based on recycling old Yellow Pages directories.

Unlocking Your Child's Creativity

More than two thirds of Brits believe children use their imaginations less than in past generations. Innocent drinks are keen to encourage children to unleash their imaginations by inviting them to have a go at designing new packaging for their smoothies for kids.

www.swapitshop.com

www.swapitshop.com is being heralded as the new eBay for children and teenagers and is popular with parents too, as its safe (you don’t have to give out any personal details) and helps relieve the pressure on the family budget. The website has revitalised the eighties swapping phenomenon, introducing a whole new generation to the idea of swapping the things they don’t want for the things they do

Mencap Launches Anti-bullying Campaign

‘Don’t stick it, stop it!’ is Mencap’s new campaign to stop the bullying of children and young people with a learning disability. 8 out of 10 children with a learning disability are bullied and this can wreck their lives. Mencap needs your support to help stop this – click here to find out more about the campaign, and what you can do to help.

Be Safe on Inland Waterways

It seems like summer is finally here and British Waterways is reminding people not to swim in the West Midlands’ canals, rivers and reservoirs, and to enjoy the inland waterways in safety.  While waterways are great places to visit during the school holidays for walks, feeding the ducks, fishing and a whole host of other fun activities, children should always be supervised by an adult when close to water

Read Chapter 1 of Alien Timebomb

Walter Speazlebud, the boy with the amazing talent for spelling backwards is back for another time travelling adventure. A meteorite is on it’s way to collide with earth ready to wipe out all of humanity. The FBI have heard about Walter’s special talents and need his help. Soon enough, Walter and his dad are in New York, discovering that an alien nation is holding the world to hostage.