ICT: Webwise – Young Arctic Explorer Competition

25 Mar 2008

Published in Junior Education PLUS April 2008

Explore the fascinating world of the Polar Bear and get creative entering our competition, too

WWF and its conservation partner Canon have been working together to support the tagging and tracking of individual Polar Bears in the Arctic region. The movements of selected Polar Bears can be followed on the WWF-Canon Polar Bear Tracker website www.panda.org/polarbears A section of the website features the Canon Kids’ Zone, where children can access the fantastic Polar Bear Tracker microsite, aimed at educating them about the environmental impact of climate change.

Meet Auro and Borea

Aimed at seven- to 11-year-olds, the Canon-WWF Polar Bear Tracker microsite features educational games, trivia and fact sheets themed around the Arctic environment, as well as child-friendly animation and stunning photography. It is ‘hosted’ by two animated Polar Bear cubs, called ‘Auro’ and ‘Borea’. The site challenges the children to help Auro and Borea on their mission to save the Arctic, and the cubs interact with them as they move through the activities.

As well as providing educational fun for children, teachers and parents are also encouraged to get involved through the provision of downloadable teachers’ packs and resources for parents.

Young Arctic explorers to help save the Polar Bear!

The Arctic is one of the last great wilderness areas on Earth, but rising temperatures mean that it is undergoing rapid environmental changes. Annual sea ice is melting earlier in the spring and forming later in the autumn, and as their icy habitat disappears, the survival of the Polar Bear is at risk.

How you can help

Canon is asking Key Stage 2 classes to enter a competition to write a story highlighting the Polar Bear’s plight.

The class needs to design a six-frame storyboard about the Polar Bear cubs, Auro and Borea, (characters from the Kid’s Zone at www.panda.org/polarbears). The story should have a climate change theme and explore the impact this is having on the Polar Bears’ lives. The story could include ways that we can help to minimise this impact in our daily lives.

PLUS! You can use Online photocopiables, Global Warming, the Arctic and the Polar Bear and You Can Help! to help the children write their storyboards.

The winning class will receive the super cool prize of:

1x Canon Powershot A720 IS digital camera for the class

1x Canon PIXMA MP 970 photo printer for the class

1x Polar Bear adoption box – for the class

…PLUS 30 (maximum) cuddly Polar Bear toys – one for each child!

Competition rules

The storyboard should be a class project, with one entry per class.

Entries must fit into an A4 envelope and consist of six sheets of A4. Any materials can be used (crayon, pencil, collage, or computer software).

Deadline for entries is 30 June 2008.

Please send entries to Arctic explorers competition, Junior Education PLUS Young Arctic Explorers Competition, Scholastic Ltd, Villiers House, Clarendon Avenue, Leamington Spa, Warks CV32 5PR

Click here for full competition terms and conditions.