Design a fitness gadget for the Gladiators - competition for UK primary schools
The BBC micro:bit - the next gen campaign has teamed up with the hit TV show Gladiators to call on primary schools to take part in an exciting new design competition.
Contenders ready? Children aged 7-11-years-old at UK primary schools should get set for a new challenge to design a gadget to improve sporting performance.
The Gladiators are throwing down the gauntlet for children to design an innovative gadget which uses the pocket-sized micro:bit computer to enhance their performance. It’s all about design and is the perfect way to start with the BBC micro:bit. All that is needed is the desire to explore and create.
Primary schools have until midday on Friday 6 December 2024 to submit their entries.
The winning school will receive a visit from a Gladiator, a £500 voucher for computing equipment and have their design turned into a prototype gadget. They will also enjoy a special Gladiator-themed coding day with a BBC micro:bit expert. The top 50 schools will also win classroom sets of micro:bits.
Live Lesson with Phantom and Dynamite
The competition launches with an exclusive Live Lesson featuring Phantom and Dynamite, which is available to watch on the BBC Teach website.
The duo compete head-to-head in a fun design and technology lesson for primary schools as children across the UK are encouraged to join in, in real-time, with a series of curriculum-linked design and technology activities. For schools that are inspired by the Live Lesson and ready to take the next step, BBC Teach is offering free and easy to use lesson plans to bring Gladiators fun into the classroom and help to engage children with the competition.
Each school can submit a maximum of three entries. The competition is open to UK residents aged between 7 and 11 years of age. The entry form, terms and conditions and privacy notice can be found at bbc.co.uk/microbit
The competition closes at midday on Friday 6 December 2024 and the winner will be announced on Monday 10 March 2025.
We want to hear the exciting ideas children come up with to test our fitness. No need to know about coding, just use your imagination to set us a challenge to help us to become faster, stronger and even more unstoppable!
Phantom
Technology can really help improve performance by measuring lots of different aspects including speed, force and balance. So, get creative and think about fun ways to use the BBC micro:bit to improve our sporting performance.
Dynamite
We’re calling on primary school teachers around the country to harness the power of the Gladiators and fire up children’s imaginations. The BBC micro:bit is such a versatile device, and we hope pupils will come up with some really creative design ideas to test the mighty Gladiators.
Helen Foulkes, BBC Head of Education
We are so excited to put the power of both the BBC micro:bit and the Gladiators into pupils’ hands. Design thinking is a valuable process to teach children, using it in this competition is a fun way to get all pupils involved. Nearly 700,000 micro:bits have been distributed to UK primary schools, funded by Nominet as part of the BBC micro:bit – the next gen campaign. With the features packed onto the micro:bit and the incredible skills of Dynamite and Phantom, the creative possibilities are endless – we can’t wait to see what UK schools come up with.
Gareth Stockdale, CEO, Micro:bit Educational Foundation
* In addition to the winning school, another top three entries will each receive a £500 voucher for computing equipment, a classroom set of micro:bits and a Gladiator-themed coding day with a BBC micro:bit expert.
In the first round of judging, the top 50 entries will be selected by professional judges from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). These entries will each receive a classroom set of micro:bits. In the second round of judging, a panel of technology and experts, including IMechE and leaders from the Micro:bit Educational Foundation and Nominet, alongside a BBC chair, will review the top 50 entries to pick the winner and three runners up.
