TV company Mentorn media is looking for inspirational children and young people whose stories they could follow for a documentary they're producing for ITV 1, provisionally entitled "The Children of Britain."

The programme will be a portrait of children in Britain today that celebrates children and young people, and puts their lives and achievements in the spotlight. They are looking for children aged 6-14 whose stories reflect a range of different backgrounds and experiences.

They are looking for:

A Young Carer: a child or young person who is caring for a member of their family who has a physical disability.

A child with a creative passion or a talent that they are pursuing to a high level: someone who is extraordinary not just because of their potential, but because of the circumstances in which they are realising it.

A child from a refugee or asylum-seeking family who are new to Britain: someone who, despite the challenges of linguistic and cultural adjustment, is thriving, and has big dreams and ambitions for the future.

A child or young person who has felt at risk of offending, or who has offended before, but who is pursuing a new goal in life, no matter how big or small.

If this sounds like someone you know, and they are aged between 6-14, then they would like to hear from you. Please get in touch with Sarah: srobinson@mentorn.tv, or Sian, srobins-grace@mentorn.tv. Or you can call 0207 258 6823 or 0207 258 6725.

Get creative on Tuesdays the 3rd, 10th and 17th of August...

Crafty Family Fun Mornings

The Allendale Bakery Allen Mills, Allendale, NE47 9EQ with Lapwing Crafts

9.45am -- 12.30pm

Silk painting  *  Salt Dough Moulding  *  Felting Rocks, Pebbles & Balls

Crafty Family Fun Afternoons

Pebbles Gallery & Art Cafe Shield Street, Allendale, NE47 9BP with Lapwing Crafts

2.00pm -- 4.00pm

Drop-in sessions £5.00 per adult

£7.00 for 1 adult + 1 child

£10.00 for 1 adult + 2 children

Fees are per craft. Children must be accompanied by a family member or friend at all times.

If you belong to a play-group and are looking for crafty things to do over the summer we may be able to arrange fun and creative activities for you, your children and your friends.

For further information about Lapwing Crafts click here.

We have five Angel of the North Information Packs to give away to schools.

Published by Gateshead Council Arts Development Team in 2003, these packs introduce public art in Gateshead, detail some of the ways education and outreach groups have worked with the Angel, and include design drawings and statistics about the Angel.

If you would like an information pack please contact Hannahmackay@gateshead.gov.uk with your school address.

Arts Award is delighted to be working with the Royal Shakespeare Company to offer Shakespeare Challenge, an exciting programme for those interested in exploring Shakespeare through their Bronze Arts Award.

2009-2010 saw a successful pilot with 10 schools, and the Shakespeare Challenge is now available to all Arts Award centres.

For the Shakespeare Challenge young people are encouraged to engage with Shakespeare's language through a practical exploration of the plays and through experiencing live performance. The Challenge also encourages young people to share their knowledge and passion to other individuals or groups in a younger age range.

To find out more about completing the Shakespeare Challenge and getting Bronze Arts Award click here.

Is your school not yet an Arts Award centre? Click here to find out about becoming a centre and training as an adviser.

There is support available through the Arts Award Access Fund - small grants of up to £500 for disadvantaged groups wanting to work with artists or visit arts events as part of achieving an Arts Award. Deadline for application-15 October 2010.

Read on for more information including contact details...

Continue reading "Arts Award Bronze through the Shakespeare Challenge" »

As part of the Community Access Scheme 2010, FREE holiday activities for all age ranges will be on offer at Fell Dyke and Brighton Avenue Primary Schools, and Joseph Swan School this summer including football, rugby, basketball and many more.

This summer Fell Dyke Community Primary School and Brighton Avenue Primary School will be joined by Joseph Swan School in opening their grounds to the public for free use of their outdoor facilities and equipment, providing children, young people and their families with a safe place to play at the heart of their community.

View details of activities at the three schools.

Fathers Plus offers resources for use in Health, Early Years, Schools and Education, for practitioners who wish to engage with fathers and male carers, and there are a number of resources available for dads. All of their specially designed resources have been developed from practical experience working with men in service settings over the last twelve years. Click here for more information.

Are you hosting a Family Man Day in your setting, or have you been working with dads and male carers in a creative way? We'd love to hear about your projects - please email Hello@cultureandcreativity.com

Year One pupils at St. Aidan's C of E Primary School have been working with Cultural Partner Lapwing Crafts to creatively explore their farm topic.

In pairs, the children worked with ceramic artist Sally Danys to create a range of colourful farm animal tiles. These were fired and glazed by Sally, and returned to the school to make a stunning display.

Lapwing Crafts deliver workshops in a range of arts and crafts, including felt making, textile collage, hooky and proggy mat making, silk painting, mosaics and much more. For details visit the Lapwing Crafts website. Don't forget to tell your Network Coordinator about your creative activities (Caroline.pearce@newcastle.gov.uk if you are in Newcastle or Hannahmackay@gateshead.gov.uk if you are in Gateshead).

Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) is about raising achievement through direct, hands-on, practical approaches to learning that bridge the gap between theory and reality. Whether it takes place in the school grounds; on visits to museums, art galleries or farms; through adventure activities or on cultural exchanges abroad, LOtC is a powerful tool that adds value to classroom learning and offers rich, memorable experiences to young people.

So if you've been Learning Outside the Classroom in your setting, you may be eligable for an award! Visit the LOtC website for more details. The closing date is 16 July.

Saturday 10 July, 1.30pm - 3.30pm

We Make Stories is a world full of stories where YOU are the Storymaker and can choose all sorts of ways to tell your tale. Here you can create your own story, share it with friends and visit the gallery to see what other Storymakers have made.

The Puffin Handbook is the perfect little guide to the 70 best Puffin Books for children...
To celebrate Puffin's 70th birthday, we've made a little guide and packed it full of EVERYTHING you could ever want to know about children's books and reading, including expert advice, exclusive articles, brilliant books for children of all ages and MUCH more. You can download The Puffin Handbook, and it is also available in bookshops and libraries - and it's FREE!

Five schools in Newcastle and Gateshead have been working with new Cultural Partner Lucy Carlton-Walker to recycle everyday objects into their own landscapes of the future.

 Lucy visited Glynwood Primary, Fellside Primary and Oakfield Juniors in Gateshead, and Walkergate Primary and Waverley Primary in Newcastle, to talk about the work of sculptor Sarah Sze, and inspire the children to creatively explore what their community will look like in 2060.

There were some fantastic inventions and ideas, including remote control teachers, flying houses, underground tunnels to escape air pollution, fortune tellers, and trees that grow money, to name but a few!

Here Matthew Thompson, Acting Head at Oakfield Juniors reports on his class' landscape of the future:

Year 4 at Oakfield Junior School created amazing sculptures to depict the planet in 50 years time. Lucy Carlton-Walker, a professional artist, joined the class and showed us images of sculptures by Sarah Sze, who uses recycled everyday materials to create landscapes of other worlds. We then designed and created our own landscapes of the future.

"It was exciting when we saw all the materials in the classroom after break" Harry Brown-King

"It was fantastic working with Lucy. When the display was finished it looked jaw-dropping!" Caitlin Leverett

"I was amazed to find we could use everyday materials to create our own masterpieces." Olivia Binns.

"It made me want to be a sculptor when I grow up." Matthew Stephenson.

To enquire about sculpture workshops available in your setting, please email Lucycarltonwalker@hotmail.com or contact Hannahmackay@gateshead.gov.uk

Do you know a 13-18 year old living or studying in Newcastle who could be a voice for the young people of the city?

The forthcoming Newcastle Youth Council Elections will take place over ten days from 7 June to 17 June 2010 and Children North East are currently seeking candidates to stand in the election.

Click here for more information.