There’s nothing like visiting a country to learn its language. But the next best thing is to bring that country to you. Teacher Maggie McNulty, shows you the way.

Teacher and educational writer, Ian Addison, picks out the best tools for using ICT to re-tell stories. 

Can your class plan a party fit for a king? Put children’s number skills to the test with these food preparation and party-planning ideas from Antonia Peters.

Give your class all the tools they need to become master influencers with this excellent lesson on persuasive writing.

Embark on a gourmet tour of the globe with your class…

The story of Monkey King’s Party centres on the peach, which is the most...

Hidden away in most of the UK’s cities – and some towns too – are city farms: small oases of countryside among houses ...

Talk about the effects of noise pollution on our health and well-being – and how woodlands can be the perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives.

The tale of Springboard Stories

Once upon a time there was an anarchic, yet daring and fearless band of talented teachers, designers, editors, illustrators and storytellers. The one thing they all had in common was their passion for books and learning.

Late at night, while the wind was howling, they would talk until their throats were red raw. Their conversation lurched from subject to subject, but always with one goal in mind: to make learning fun again and to put storytelling at the heart of teaching.

Endlessly, they would discuss how wonderful this new-fangled technology was, and how it could transform children into life-long learners. But they also knew that the bug for learning had to be caught at primary school.

And that’s when the idea came. “Eureka!” one of them cried, “Let us create stories and explore them.”

Another of them cried (just as loudly), “But not in a pick-the-story-apart kind of way, but in a let’s-learn-how-this-story-came-about kind of way.”

“Let’s give teachers fresh ideas so they can once again enjoy teaching everyday subjects,” said another.

“And,” said the first, getting really into it by now, “Let’s only use the very best people, so children will be inspired by the beautiful things they see. Let’s make life-long learners out of all of the children who come into contact with us.”

So, they set to work. Morning, noon and late into the night they toiled to bring exciting new ideas and beautiful books to anyone who cares about learning.

When it was done, they held up the finished things, and watched them gleam and glimmer in the sunlight. “That,” said the quiet one who hadn’t spoken yet, “is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!”

And so they went out into the world with their wares and hoped that everyone thought the very same thing.

Hear what educators are saying about what we do.

We publish Springboard Stories twice a term. Our magazines are cross-curricular and, though based around a topic, are heavily influenced by our children's story. This means that each issue will touch on lots of other topics too. Check out our past issues to get a feel of how varied each issue's content is.

Talk to your class about what it takes to be a critical thinker with this FREE cool school infographic.

Just scroll down and take each one of the seven stages of critical thinking in turn. Can the children apply them to their learning?

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