Fairtrade: Design a computer game competition!

Dubble, the fairtrade chocolate bar has launched a band new competition to help get students involved in Fairtrade.

The challenge for you is “to come up with an idea for a computer game that inspires players to get on the case for fairtrade and help change the world, chunk by chunk!”

Story boards and entry forms can be downloaded on the Dubble Click site.

For further details on how to enter the competition see the following from the Dubble Click site:

1. Storyboard
2. Game Creation
3. Enter Now

PRIZES:

1st Prize: the winner will get their game idea turned into a real game by professional games designers at Atticmedia and it will be featured on the Dubble website – they will also visit the Atticmedia studio to see the game design progress and approve their design.

Runners Up: professional designed and framed static image from their game.

(Both first prize and runners up winners get Dubble Chocolate goodies!)

Try some of the existing games on Dubble and the Comic Relief site (remember though your new game needs to be based around the idea of fairtrade and encourage / inspire players to get onto the case for fairtrade!):

• Beanland
• Comic Relief Games

A few fairtrade links to help you think about the issues you could bring out in your game:

• The Fairtrade Foundation
• Make Trade Fair (Oxfam)

China – population growth?

An interesting article on the BBC today on warnings given by China’s family planning body that there could be population growth as the one child policy rules are being flouted. Those of you in Year 11 and the VI form will have been studying the one child policy which came into force in 1970 over fears of rapid growth leading to overpopulation. Despite being a controversial policy, coming under fire from human right’s group and being criticsed for some of its methods of enforcement, the policy has been successful in reducing population growth. This article from the BBC suggests that due to a widening welath gap, rich couples are breaking the one child rule, as they are able to afford the fines imposed as a result. Likewise in rural areas, the age of marriage rules (22 for men and 20 for women) are being ignored in some areas which is attributed to the traditional preference for sons. This preference for sons has already lead to concerns of an increasing “batchelor society” with a shortage of women.

Design Competition (Yrs 7-10) – Great Britain in 2050

How do you fancy winning yourself an 8Gb iPod Nano? (and you could also win an MPEG digital video camera for our school!) – if you are in Years 7 – 10 read on to find out how…

The Ordnance Survey are running a design competition based on the theme Mapping the future of Great Britain. They want to understand how you imagine Great Britain could look in the year 2050 (hence the theme – “Mapping the future of Great Britain”). You could consider a selection of the following issues – Environment, Seasons, Transport, Nature, Weather or you can come up with your own ideas.

A winner from each year group will receive an 8Gb iPod Nano and the overall winning school will win an MPEG digital video camera. The overall winning entry may also be used for the Ordnance Survey Corporate Christmas Card 2007.

You can enter a painting, drawing or collage on A4 or A3 paper – the style of artwork is free: coloured pencils, crayons, watercolours, pastels, cut paper etc. etc.

You must put your name, age and school address on the back of your entry and then fill in an entry form.

For full details, including the rules and an entry form for your work you can download the competition flyer here.

Terrifying Twisters!

A tornado in the US has claimed 9 lives as it ripped through Greensburg, Kansas on Friday (4th May 2007). Around 90% of the small rural town of Greensburg has been destroyed. Greensburg, is in Tornado Alley, the central part of the US which is frequently hit by tornadoes. Stunning video footage of the tornado (courtesey of Sky News http://news.sky.com) can be seen here.

9 people were killed just under two weeks ago when a strong tornado struck a small Texan community on the US border before passing into Mexico.

Find out more about these deadly natural phenomenum in this Tornadoes special from CNN with quizzes, photos and tornado facts and figures.

Stunning images of tornadoes can be found in the NOAA Tornadoes Photo library.