It's the time of year when we all start thinking about getting our trees out of the loft for Christmas and how we're going to decorate them (well, I certainly am). But this year, BBC's Breathing Places campaign is looking to make sure that a tree is for life, with their Tree o' Clock project.

The idea is to set the world record for the most trees ever planted in one hour - and Tree o' Clock is at noon on Saturday, 5th December.

The website is crammed full of tips about planting, and how you can go about joining in the campaign:

Follow the record attempt on Twitter, and perhaps set about planting a tree yourself? (Lights and baubles not required!)

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Our recent programmes on Food Stuff are now available for viewing on iPlayer, with the second bunch to follow on Friday! The first selection of programmes look at EU protected status for the Stornoway Black Pudding, the growth of organic soft fruits in Angus, and a Greek family who have been introducing Glaswegians to their cuisine and culture since the 1970s.

The films provide opportunities for activities and discussion about the production of food; about healthy choices and also about the locality of food and the part that eating and tasting food has in any community. Food is one of the most obvious 'themes' that could be developed into a cross-curricular project, as it links so immediately to several curriculum areas. I blogged previously on the other set of films we made, with Merrylee Primary School. Their work shows how some schools have taken the lead in growing produce, encouraging teamwork and integrating this practice into their classroom lessons - not every school is lucky enough to have allotment space, but a window box or small veg patch could encourage children to think about growing, and cooking food in a healthy and sustainable way. The L.A.B. films will be available on the L.A.B. website, on iPlayer, and on BBC2 on 4th December at 11.40.

The second batch of Food Stuff will hit your screens this Friday, 27 November at 11.40 on BBC2, and will be available, as with all our content, on iPlayer for a week and in the Learning Zone thereafter. Tom Kitchin, a Michelin-starred chef, appears talking about his passion for Scottish seasonal ingredients; the Orkney fishing fleet discuss their catch and Fraser Doherty, the creator of Super Jam, gives an insight into how his family baking tradition became a lucrative business. Let us know if you enjoyed them and how you used them, we hope that they inspire many vibrant lessons!

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Children in Need has come round again and will be hitting our screens on Friday night. It's one of the few occasions when the whole country can rally round as one big community and it can have a positive effect all round.

For schools, it's an opportunity to all work together on projects to raise some money for those less fortunate. But whether primary kids are parading to school in pyjamas or secondary students and staff are facing off on the football pitch, it won't just be the children and organisations helped by Children in Need grants who benefit. Fundraising can tick a whole heap of Curriculum for Excellence boxes too.

With so many individual nuggets of experience and outcome for teachers to get their heads round, it can be easy to overlook the big picture of what Curriculum for Excellence is about. Click to the Totality of experiences page (go on - stick it in your favourites) on the LTS site and you'll see as much weight given to the importance of a positive school community and pupils' personal development as for learning in specific subjects. School should aim to be about the people pupils are and the society they build as much as what they know.

This is highlighted in the priority given to promoting Health and Wellbeing across the curriculum. Importance is given to bringing positive change, building confidence and feeling valued. Like the rest of us, children want to feel that they can contribute, make a difference, make their mark in some way on the world around them. Helping others can be an effective way of doing this. Some research suggests that even the very act of giving can have a beneficial effect on how we view ourselves. While a 2008 study suggests that giving money can bring happiness, giving thought, time and effort must surely have an equal or greater effect.

Aside from improving feelings of self worth, a fundraising project can also be harnessed to assist with learning. Stretching beyond the classroom and with a specific goal that reaches beyond the academic, a fundraising project can draw pupils in, involving them in accomplishing something: everyone can do their bit, using complementary skills - organising, numeracy, communication...even sporting prowess - to work together and (they might not even notice) learn together.

A good example comes from Broughton High School in Edinburgh. The school has taken on the Children in Need - Catch Me If You Can challenge with a vengeance. Inspired by Mark Beaumont's attempt to cycle the length of the Americas, people across Scotland are getting on their bikes in an attempt to match the 10,000 miles Mark will have pedalled by Children in Need night. By Monday, staff and pupils had already clocked up about 2000 miles. And while they're not staying fit in the saddle, pupils have been studying everything from the calories Mark is burning to the traditional art of the countries he passes through.

It just goes to show that with a bit of imagination and some smart thinking, a school and the people in it can meet the aims of the curriculum while helping themselves and helping others.

I'm sure there are lots more schools out there doing their bit and learning while they do it. So let us and Children in Need know what you're doing. Giving your ideas can feel good too.

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