Monday 11 November marks the beginning of Anti-Bullying Week 2024. It is a time to celebrate diversity!

Zero Waste Week aims to encourage people to consider the environmental impact of waste, reduce landfill and rethink the waste they generate in their lives. This blog looks at 5 easy ways to get your school children involved.

Monday 20 January 2025 is Martin Luther King day, a time to mark the life of the celebrated civil rights campaigner and the key messages he shared.

Lyfta are delighted to be partnering with A Day of Welcome for 2024 and to offer schools free access to all our immersive storyworlds and resources between 10th and 23rd June to mark A Day of Welcome and Refugee Week.

On 20th and 21st March 2024, we were delighted to have 152 school classes (around 4560 students) join us from classrooms across the UK for our latest Lyfta live lessons. In this session, to mark World Water Day, students were invited to explore and learn about the Dead Sea and River Jordan and to consider the issues of water security in a region affected by historical and ongoing conflict. The session was rated a brilliant 9/10 overall by participants. Thanks to everyone who took part!

Students across the UK and beyond have been crafting mandala designs using LEGO and other materials, to contribute to a collaborative mandala masterpiece. Now, we're thrilled to share the final design for everyone to explore. Click to zoom in, locate your creation, and discover designs from fellow learners and schools. It's a testament to the power of collective creativity, resulting in something truly beautiful!

Get ready to inspire and be inspired! This International LEGO Day, we invite schools and classrooms everywhere to come together as a community and build a giant digital mandala. It's free (and easy) to participate, and by contributing, you'll not only be a part of something extraordinary, but will also stand a chance of winning a very exciting prize for your school. Let’s allow our collective creativity to flourish!

In this piece we consider sustainability and global citizenship, two separate but interlinked concepts in education. We explore definitions, recommendations and some of the innovative ways in which Lyfta and its storyworlds can support sustainability education in schools.

We are excited to introduce the new, interactive Lyfta calendar - offering educators a comprehensive, easy-to-use way to explore global awareness days and weeks, and other celebrated days with lesson plans, assemblies, blogs and video resources to help you mark the occasion in the classroom.

World Space Week takes place each October. The awareness week provides an excellent opportunity for schools to get their students excited and inspired about science and technology. Read on for five exciting, free spaced-themed activities to enjoy with your students.

On October 4th 5th a whopping 291 school classes (approximately 8700 students) participated in our latest Lyfta live lesson which focused on the topic of biodiversity and tied in with two important awareness days, World Habitat Day and World Animal Day, as well as international Global Goals Week.

2023 marked the 25th anniversary of Refugee Week which took place from 19th to 25th June. This annual event, celebrated worldwide, is aimed at raising awareness of the resilience, strength, and contributions of refugees. It provides a valuable opportunity for schools to educate students on this important topic. Read on for 5 powerful free resources to explore with your class.

Congratulations to students at Wallbrook Primary Academy for being such brilliant Earth Day inventors and winning a bundle of sustainability books in our Earth Day 2023 competition.

On 22nd and 23rd March 2023 more than 170 classes, from schools from around the UK (some 5000 students), participated in our latest Lyfta live lessons in celebration of Earth Day 2023.

Global Be Well Day (GBWD) is a special annual event in the Cognita calendar. It's an opportunity to celebrate everything that schools do to prioritise wellbeing and to connect globally with each other through a range of activities. In 2022 Lyfta were delighted to provide some of the activities for this exciting event.

Plastic pollution, overfishing and rising water temperatures are just some of the issues affecting the health of the world's oceans. Lyfta has a series of immersive human stories which all give your pupils the opportunity to explore and understand the complexities of preserving our oceans.

Earth Day offers an excellent opportunity for schools to engage pupils in issues relating to climate change and environmental protection. Harriet Marshall and Matthew Smitheman offer some ideas below on how practitioners can do this effectively.

At Lyfta, we promote days like International Women's Day with mixed feelings. We do not wish to encourage tokenism by endorsing events like IWD, International Day of Older Persons, or Black History Month. But we also recognise the need to raise awareness and draw attention to some very important issues.

In this filmmaker blog, we interviewed Iván Torres Hdez, the director and producer of the captivating documentary Bird Counting, inside the storyworld: The Island Biologist, created for Lyfta. The film delves into the intricate world of marine birds, focusing on Paula, a passionate young biologist, and her groundbreaking work in the Atlantic islands of Galicia.

Over the summer we have been working on some important new features on the Lyfta platform to help make your Lyfta journey faster, smoother and more inspiring. The wealth of new features for September 2023 include important improvements to content discoverability through search, enhanced content cards and page structure, as well as improvements to the teacher and student apps for a better user experience. Read on to find out what has changed and let us know what you think of your new, improved Lyfta journey!

In our conversation with Mo Scarpelli, the director of Spark of Creativity in the Lyfta storyworld Ethiopian Treasures, we delved into the making of this poignant film that captures the life of young Asalif amidst the rapid urban development in Ethiopia. Mo shared her experiences and insights into the narrative and artistic choices that shaped this documentary.

We spoke with Milad Khosravi, one of the producers of the evocative documentaries The Young Storyteller and The City Teacher for Lyfta in the storyworld, Winter Village, Summer Village. Alongside co-producer Sadejeh Saraei and director Marjan Khosravi, Milad brings to life the story of Shahnaz, a young girl from the Bakhtiari Nomads, and her journey amidst the changing seasons of her homeland.

Rich media articles give learners and teachers a wider context to each storyworld. In this blog, Head of Educational Content, Lisa Taner looks at how our rich media articles can help learners understand complex topics.

Storyworlds are at the heart of Lyfta, allowing students to enter a new person's world and explore a real human stories through 360° spaces and soundscapes, high-quality documentary films, and rich media articles. This blog explores what a storyworld is and why it provides a powerful teaching resource for schools.

Film can bring complex topics to life and can be a powerful tool for sparking conversation and inspiring actions. In this blog, Chief Content Officer Paulina Tervo, discusses what makes a Lyfta film and how we work with our filmmaker community to produce the documentaries.

Lyfta Time is a weekly 20 minute session where a class can travel to a new place and experience a powerful and inspiring human story. It's an easy way for schools to get started with Lyfta's teaching resources.

At this BERA event which explored building a curriculum for a sustainable future, Lyfta's Partnership Consultant Rahul Karavadra talked about how human stories can be used to introduce the UN Sustainable Development Goals and inspire students to play their own role in building a more empathetic, peaceful and sustainable world.

Paulina Tervo - Chief Content Officer at Lyfta, talks about the responsibility storytellers and media outlets have for the way in which they tell stories, how those stories shape our world, our perspectives and attitudes and two very different experiences she had telling stories as a filmmaker.

One of the biggest challenges with online teaching is engagement with students. Many of the ways you will use to spark interest and excitement in learning in the classroom are simply not possible while being remote. Access Lyfta and make your lessons and learning experiences really come to life.

The continuing global pandemic has meant we have had to adjust almost every aspect of our lives. Our ability to travel and explore new places has been severely limited but platforms like Lyfta provide a wonderful way to lift children out of their everyday surroundings at a time that travel and other enrichment opportunities are so limited.

Paulina Tervo, Chief Content Officer at Lyfta, shares insights into the background of the human stories that can be found within Lyfta's immersive 360° documentary storyworlds.

Lyfta won two prestigious awards at the Reimagine Education Awards 2020, known as the Oscars of Education, pipping to the post esteemed colleagues from Harvard University, Imperial College, and Century Tech.

Meet conservationist Mohit in the heart of Assam's lush landscape in rural India, home to endangered hoolock gibbons. Find out how Mohit protects the gibbons in his own backyard. Discover how familiar foods are grown here, including bananas and world-famous Assam tea. Learn about fairtrade farming, visit a tea plantation and experience feeding the gibbons with Mohit in 360-degrees! Discover how local filmmakers made the film for Lyfta and what motivated them to share his story.

Get ready to take your teaching and learning with Lyfta to the next level! We’re excited to unveil our brand new video player, packed with features designed to make learning with Lyfta even more accessible, engaging, and interactive.

We had the privilege of speaking with Parvana Guliyeva, the director behind a poignant documentary Spring in my Step in the Lyfta Storyworld: Dancing in the land of Fire. Through her lens, Parvana sheds light on the unspoken dreams and struggles of young girls in patriarchal societies, focusing on the inspiring story of Malahat, a young dancer from Azerbaijan.

Discover the latest enhancements to the Lyfta platform, inspired by feedback from our community, and designed to make learning more inclusive and accessible for all users. From enhanced colour contrast and adjustments to font size, to low-vision friendly design and keyboard navigation, we're committed to ensuring a seamless experience for all. Read on for details on what has changed and what enhancements are coming next.

We spoke with Polina Teif, the director behind the compelling documentaries Salty Shores and Hassan’s Tomatoes created for Lyfta. Polina’s films provide an intimate look into the environmental and personal stories surrounding the Dead Sea, a region of both natural wonder and significant ecological challenges.

Introducing Lyfta collections - curated groups of content and resources linked to a specific topic, theme, or subject to help with curriculum integration.

We are excited to introduce the new, interactive Lyfta calendar - offering educators a comprehensive, easy-to-use way to explore global awareness days and weeks, and other celebrated days with lesson plans, assemblies, blogs and video resources to help you mark the occasion in the classroom.

In this filmmaker blog, we interviewed Iván Torres Hdez, the director and producer of the captivating documentary Bird Counting, inside the storyworld: The Island Biologist, created for Lyfta. The film delves into the intricate world of marine birds, focusing on Paula, a passionate young biologist, and her groundbreaking work in the Atlantic islands of Galicia.

Over the summer we have been working on some important new features on the Lyfta platform to help make your Lyfta journey faster, smoother and more inspiring. The wealth of new features for September 2023 include important improvements to content discoverability through search, enhanced content cards and page structure, as well as improvements to the teacher and student apps for a better user experience. Read on to find out what has changed and let us know what you think of your new, improved Lyfta journey!

It's easier than ever to explore the world and meet new people with Lyfta. We've added new features to give you a snapshot of your Lyfta usage via the teacher dashboard, so you can keep track of the people and places you've experienced with your class.

Read about the changes we've made to make it simpler for you to access your active lessons in Lyfta and find fresh teaching inspiration. The new dashboard is personalised for you, with tailored content, active lessons, quick links and more.

Read about new features for March 2023, designed to further improved your Lyfta platform experience.

Read about this exciting Lyfta platform upgrade which includes a major speed upgrade.

In our conversation with Mo Scarpelli, the director of Spark of Creativity in the Lyfta storyworld Ethiopian Treasures, we delved into the making of this poignant film that captures the life of young Asalif amidst the rapid urban development in Ethiopia. Mo shared her experiences and insights into the narrative and artistic choices that shaped this documentary.

We've been listening to our teacher community to learn what would make searching for content on Lyfta even better. Here are three of new features for December 2022 to improve the experience of discovering teaching content and the teaching resources you need.

At Lyfta we are constantly trying to improve our product, service and teaching resources for schools. The latest new features, for November 2022 are designed to improve the experience of teachers choosing to teach in front of the class with Lyfta.

We spoke with Milad Khosravi, one of the producers of the evocative documentaries The Young Storyteller and The City Teacher for Lyfta in the storyworld, Winter Village, Summer Village. Alongside co-producer Sadejeh Saraei and director Marjan Khosravi, Milad brings to life the story of Shahnaz, a young girl from the Bakhtiari Nomads, and her journey amidst the changing seasons of her homeland.

Did you know educators interested in exploring Lyfta can now access a 14-day all-content free trial, enabling teachers and school leaders to experience the full range of Lyfta's content and functionality, and to start understanding what it means to belong to the Lyfta community. This trial is perfect for teachers and education leaders assessing the suitability of Lyfta for their contexts or planning to try out the power of Lyfta in their classrooms.

Sport can be a powerful lens through which to nurture and explore positive values including resilience, leadership and teamwork. With key sporting events and tournaments on the horizon, Lyfta has the immersive and impactful resources you need to maximise this exciting moment with your students.

Discover how Wrawby St. Mary’s CE Primary, part of Lincoln Anglican Academy Trust, is revolutionising education through Lyfta. The school is integrating powerful human stories into the curriculum to provide students with invaluable global perspectives and cultural insights. Students can engage with diverse stories, sparking meaningful discussions and nurturing a deeper understanding of the world. Read on to find out more about how the school is paving the way for a more inclusive and globally aware future.

Lyfta are delighted to be partnering with A Day of Welcome for 2024 and to offer schools free access to all our immersive storyworlds and resources between 10th and 23rd June to mark A Day of Welcome and Refugee Week.

Barrowford Primary School, Lancashire, is leveraging immersive technology and cultural education to enrich learning and expand students' global perspectives. By creating an exciting cultural capital curriculum involving weekly new learning and experiences in music, the arts, poetry, writing and geography, students also virtually cross borders and boundaries and gain intercultural capital to meet the demands of our diverse, interconnected world.

Learn from artist Mono Gonzalez in Chile through Lyfta storyworld 'Street Art Revolution'. Discover how Mono started painting political murals in the 1960s which have influenced Chilean art to the present day. Join him on a walking tour of street art in Santiago, and explore this cosmopolitan capital city. Learn about the colour wheel and be inspired to create your own art.

Students across the UK and beyond have been crafting mandala designs using LEGO and other materials, to contribute to a collaborative mandala masterpiece. Now, we're thrilled to share the final design for everyone to explore. Click to zoom in, locate your creation, and discover designs from fellow learners and schools. It's a testament to the power of collective creativity, resulting in something truly beautiful!

As our world changes and becomes ever more interconnected, the ability to connect with diverse cultures and ideas becomes increasingly critical for both personal development and professional success. In this blog, first published on CST in February 2024, Tom Fay, Director of School Improvement at Pontefract Academies Trust, talks about how the trust is using Lyfta to help create a curriculum that truly engages and stimulates all students, where they can seek truth and beauty in the world around and beyond them.

Get ready to inspire and be inspired! This International LEGO Day, we invite schools and classrooms everywhere to come together as a community and build a giant digital mandala. It's free (and easy) to participate, and by contributing, you'll not only be a part of something extraordinary, but will also stand a chance of winning a very exciting prize for your school. Let’s allow our collective creativity to flourish!

Every educator wants learning experiences to be impactful and authentic. In our increasingly complex, interconnected world, it’s also what young people are asking for and need. At Lyfta, we harness the power of learning from life, for life, through cinematic, immersive human stories to cultivate meaningful connections, understanding of others, self-discovery and action for positive change.

In this piece we explore the notion of character education, what this looks like within the contexts in which we teach, why schools should engage with character education and how Lyfta can support schools and teachers to do so.

In this piece we focus on cultural capital and the interrelated concept of intercultural competence. We begin by considering how cultural capital is being defined and then move on to explore how Lyfta can support related educational aims.

In this piece we consider sustainability and global citizenship, two separate but interlinked concepts in education. We explore definitions, recommendations and some of the innovative ways in which Lyfta and its storyworlds can support sustainability education in schools.

In this blog post, we’ll unpack the term DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging), explore the reasons why schools should engage with DEIB initiatives and look at the ways in which Lyfta can support schools in their DEIB journeys

In this piece we focus on social and emotional learning (SEL). We begin by considering how SEL is being defined, the growing research and evidence around it, and then move on to explore how Lyfta can support related educational aims.

Upton Court Grammar school in Berkshire have been incorporating Lyfta sessions into the school curriculum as part of their mission to ensure all students thrive on an intrapersonal, interpersonal, societal and global level. Through the use of Lyfta, their students are able to virtually experience an array of different cultures and perspectives from around the world.

See how Pontefract Academies Trust are using Lyfta's real human stories and cultural experiences to make an impact on students' global perspectives.

On 6th and 12th July over 100 classes from schools across the UK participated in our latest Lyfta live lesson. We explored the 'Home Wasn't Built in a Day' storyworld and focused on school transition: preparing students for the next adventure.

On 20th and 21st March 2024, we were delighted to have 152 school classes (around 4560 students) join us from classrooms across the UK for our latest Lyfta live lessons. In this session, to mark World Water Day, students were invited to explore and learn about the Dead Sea and River Jordan and to consider the issues of water security in a region affected by historical and ongoing conflict. The session was rated a brilliant 9/10 overall by participants. Thanks to everyone who took part!

Students across the UK and beyond have been crafting mandala designs using LEGO and other materials, to contribute to a collaborative mandala masterpiece. Now, we're thrilled to share the final design for everyone to explore. Click to zoom in, locate your creation, and discover designs from fellow learners and schools. It's a testament to the power of collective creativity, resulting in something truly beautiful!

On 24th and 25th January 2024, we were delighted to have 262 school classes (around 7000 students) join us from all around the UK and beyond for our latest Lyfta live lessons. We explored storyworld "Building Imagination" from China and introduced our exciting collaborative project. If you missed the live lessons, don’t worry, you can still join in!

Get ready to inspire and be inspired! This International LEGO Day, we invite schools and classrooms everywhere to come together as a community and build a giant digital mandala. It's free (and easy) to participate, and by contributing, you'll not only be a part of something extraordinary, but will also stand a chance of winning a very exciting prize for your school. Let’s allow our collective creativity to flourish!

On December 6th and 7th, we were delighted to have 169 school classes (around 5070 students) join us from all around the country for our final Lyfta live lessons of 2023. This time the lessons were all about storyworld 'Hanukkah in LA'

On October 4th 5th a whopping 291 school classes (approximately 8700 students) participated in our latest Lyfta live lesson which focused on the topic of biodiversity and tied in with two important awareness days, World Habitat Day and World Animal Day, as well as international Global Goals Week.

On 6th and 12th July over 100 classes from schools across the UK participated in our latest Lyfta live lesson. We explored the 'Home Wasn't Built in a Day' storyworld and focused on school transition: preparing students for the next adventure.

On the 17th and 18th of May 2023, 304 classes, from schools across the UK and beyond, students joined us for our latest Lyfta live lesson: Celebrating Cultural Diversity, in celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity.

In celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity (21st May), we are offering a free Lyfta live lesson celebrating cultural diversity where we will explore a brand new Lyfta storyworld.

On 22nd and 23rd March 2023 more than 170 classes, from schools from around the UK (some 5000 students), participated in our latest Lyfta live lessons in celebration of Earth Day 2023.

Invite your students to be part of an exciting Lyfta live lesson and take part in our #EarthDayInventor competition.

On the 8th and 9th of February 2023, more than 300 classes from schools around the UK took part in our Lyfta live lesson. We visited Brazil and met musician Izandra to explore Children's Mental Health Week.

Join us for free Lyfta live lessons for Children's Mental Health Week 2023. These sessions explore how healthy connections with family, friends and others, supports our mental health and wellbeing and introduce Lyfta storyworld Music is My Social Tool.

Thank you to the 104 classes (some 3120 students) from across the UK and beyond, who participated in our last Lyfta live lessons of 2022. This time we visited the National Opera and Ballet in Finland to meet some of the amazing people that work there, in an exciting end-of-term virtual school trip

More than 165 classes, from schools from around the UK (some 5000 students), participated in our Lyfta live lessons for December 2022. This time we visited Norway to meet footballer Anna as she prepared for an international competition, to help schools leverage learning opportunities around the Men's Football World Cup.

With budgets at school and at home under such pressure, many children won't have the opportunity to experience festive outings this year so Lyfta are offering an exciting, free virtual theatre trip instead!

Lyfta will be running live lessons directly to your students, designed to leverage learning opportunities around the Men's Football World Cup. This is an opportunity to harness the power of sport to explore and nurture positive values in the classroom.

An incredible 255 classes from around the world, participated in our Lyfta live lesson to celebrate World Space Week 2022.

Meet Chinese-Indonesian elder Chen Fung Yin, known as Indriati for most of her life. In Lyfta’s new storyworld ‘My Name Is…’ learn what it means to lose your name and how our names are important parts of our identity. Discover naming traditions around the world and explore the folklore associated with the mythical phoenix, a magical part of Chen Fung Yin’s story.

Get ready to take your teaching and learning with Lyfta to the next level! We’re excited to unveil our brand new video player, packed with features designed to make learning with Lyfta even more accessible, engaging, and interactive.

Did you know educators interested in exploring Lyfta can now access a 14-day all-content free trial, enabling teachers and school leaders to experience the full range of Lyfta's content and functionality, and to start understanding what it means to belong to the Lyfta community. This trial is perfect for teachers and education leaders assessing the suitability of Lyfta for their contexts or planning to try out the power of Lyfta in their classrooms.

As technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force across various sectors, including education. AI's potential to revolutionise teaching and learning is immense, offering both significant benefits, but also notable challenges for educators and students alike.

Meet Malahat, an 11-year-old aspiring dancer from Baku, Azerbaijan, in Lyfta storyworld, Dancing in the Land of Fire. Through 360 degree spaces and a powerful short documentary film, we get an insight into Malahat's daily life and the challenges she faces, as well as her hopes and dreams for the future. We also have the opportunity to learn more about the vibrant culture of Azerbaijan and hear from Parvana, the young Azerbaijani filmmaker behind the story.

Learn from artist Mono Gonzalez in Chile through Lyfta storyworld 'Street Art Revolution'. Discover how Mono started painting political murals in the 1960s which have influenced Chilean art to the present day. Join him on a walking tour of street art in Santiago, and explore this cosmopolitan capital city. Learn about the colour wheel and be inspired to create your own art.

Discover the latest enhancements to the Lyfta platform, inspired by feedback from our community, and designed to make learning more inclusive and accessible for all users. From enhanced colour contrast and adjustments to font size, to low-vision friendly design and keyboard navigation, we're committed to ensuring a seamless experience for all. Read on for details on what has changed and what enhancements are coming next.

Students across the UK and beyond have been crafting mandala designs using LEGO and other materials, to contribute to a collaborative mandala masterpiece. Now, we're thrilled to share the final design for everyone to explore. Click to zoom in, locate your creation, and discover designs from fellow learners and schools. It's a testament to the power of collective creativity, resulting in something truly beautiful!

As our world changes and becomes ever more interconnected, the ability to connect with diverse cultures and ideas becomes increasingly critical for both personal development and professional success. In this blog, first published on CST in February 2024, Tom Fay, Director of School Improvement at Pontefract Academies Trust, talks about how the trust is using Lyfta to help create a curriculum that truly engages and stimulates all students, where they can seek truth and beauty in the world around and beyond them.

Get ready to inspire and be inspired! This International LEGO Day, we invite schools and classrooms everywhere to come together as a community and build a giant digital mandala. It's free (and easy) to participate, and by contributing, you'll not only be a part of something extraordinary, but will also stand a chance of winning a very exciting prize for your school. Let’s allow our collective creativity to flourish!

As we look back at 2023 we wanted to reflect on some of the key milestones and the impact our wonderful Lyfta community has managed to achieve with the platform this year.

Introducing Lyfta collections - curated groups of content and resources linked to a specific topic, theme, or subject to help with curriculum integration.

Upton Court Grammar school in Berkshire have been incorporating Lyfta sessions into the school curriculum as part of their mission to ensure all students thrive on an intrapersonal, interpersonal, societal and global level. Through the use of Lyfta, their students are able to virtually experience an array of different cultures and perspectives from around the world.

Meet Mackie and her family as they celebrate Hanukkah in Los Angeles, California. Learn about this special festival of light and see how her family and many other Jewish families spend this period sharing Jewish-inspired and Chinese food.

We are excited to introduce the new, interactive Lyfta calendar - offering educators a comprehensive, easy-to-use way to explore global awareness days and weeks, and other celebrated days with lesson plans, assemblies, blogs and video resources to help you mark the occasion in the classroom.

Meet Wei Wei in China, the only female LEGO Certified Professional in the world. Wei Wei is passionate about building and creating with LEGO and has been unleashing the creativity of 2,000 children to build a giant mandala installation out of 1.8 tons of LEGO bricks.

We’re delighted to present three brand new Lyfta storyworlds, introducing your students to even more people, places and perspectives from across the globe. The latest storyworlds feature real human stories from Egypt, China and Spain and cover a range of themes, from ocean literacy and animals in tourism, to the concept of infinity through LEGO brick combinations! Read on to find out more about this new and inspiring content to enrich your curriculum and broaden your students' horizons.

It's easier than ever to explore the world and meet new people with Lyfta. We've added new features to give you a snapshot of your Lyfta usage via the teacher dashboard, so you can keep track of the people and places you've experienced with your class.

In this piece we consider sustainability and global citizenship, two separate but interlinked concepts in education. We explore definitions, recommendations and some of the innovative ways in which Lyfta and its storyworlds can support sustainability education in schools.

In this blog post, we’ll unpack the term DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging), explore the reasons why schools should engage with DEIB initiatives and look at the ways in which Lyfta can support schools in their DEIB journeys

In this piece we focus on social and emotional learning (SEL). We begin by considering how SEL is being defined, the growing research and evidence around it, and then move on to explore how Lyfta can support related educational aims.

Meet Mackie and her family as they celebrate Hanukkah in Los Angeles, California. Learn about this special festival of light and see how her family and many other Jewish families spend this period sharing Jewish-inspired and Chinese food.

We are excited to introduce the new, interactive Lyfta calendar - offering educators a comprehensive, easy-to-use way to explore global awareness days and weeks, and other celebrated days with lesson plans, assemblies, blogs and video resources to help you mark the occasion in the classroom.

World Space Week takes place each October. The awareness week provides an excellent opportunity for schools to get their students excited and inspired about science and technology. Read on for five exciting, free spaced-themed activities to enjoy with your students.

Meet Wei Wei in China, the only female LEGO Certified Professional in the world. Wei Wei is passionate about building and creating with LEGO and has been unleashing the creativity of 2,000 children to build a giant mandala installation out of 1.8 tons of LEGO bricks.

We’re delighted to present three brand new Lyfta storyworlds, introducing your students to even more people, places and perspectives from across the globe. The latest storyworlds feature real human stories from Egypt, China and Spain and cover a range of themes, from ocean literacy and animals in tourism, to the concept of infinity through LEGO brick combinations! Read on to find out more about this new and inspiring content to enrich your curriculum and broaden your students' horizons.

In this filmmaker blog, we interviewed Iván Torres Hdez, the director and producer of the captivating documentary Bird Counting, inside the storyworld: The Island Biologist, created for Lyfta. The film delves into the intricate world of marine birds, focusing on Paula, a passionate young biologist, and her groundbreaking work in the Atlantic islands of Galicia.

Take advantage of virtual school trips with Lyfta. Meet people and explore the world with 6 free storyworlds.

On 6th and 12th July over 100 classes from schools across the UK participated in our latest Lyfta live lesson. We explored the 'Home Wasn't Built in a Day' storyworld and focused on school transition: preparing students for the next adventure.

2023 marked the 25th anniversary of Refugee Week which took place from 19th to 25th June. This annual event, celebrated worldwide, is aimed at raising awareness of the resilience, strength, and contributions of refugees. It provides a valuable opportunity for schools to educate students on this important topic. Read on for 5 powerful free resources to explore with your class.

Did you know that you can use your PE and Sport Premium to enrich your school curriculum for PE and beyond through our immersive human stories? Find out more here.

Meet Ximena in Mexico, Maria in Colombia and Jay in Canada; midwives delivering babies in different and highly challenging situations. Introducing three storyworlds where students will learn about pregnancy, midwifery practices and health inequalities.

Transport for London station officer Sylvain who moved to London from Cote d'ivoire via France and made it his mission to bring smiles to commuters who pass through his station. This storyworld and associated lesson plans and resources will teach students about multicultural London and explore themes of loneliness, mental health and wellbeing.

Celebrating world festivals and occasions in the classroom not only raises awareness amongst children about different faiths, worldviews and cultures, but also helps to instil pride and a sense of belonging in children about their own culture and background. This blog explores the festival of Ramadan and how educators can support students and open up classroom discussion.

Explore Lyfta storyworld: Boxing Clever, where students can meet Catherine, the first Ugandan female boxer to qualify for the Olympic Games.

Explore Lyfta storyworld: Ethiopian Treasures and meet 10 year old Asalif and see how he turns other people's discarded items and turns them into his own treasure.

Meet conservationist Mohit in the heart of Assam's lush landscape in rural India, home to endangered hoolock gibbons. Find out how Mohit protects the gibbons in his own backyard. Discover how familiar foods are grown here, including bananas and world-famous Assam tea. Learn about fairtrade farming, visit a tea plantation and experience feeding the gibbons with Mohit in 360-degrees! Discover how local filmmakers made the film for Lyfta and what motivated them to share his story.

Meet Chinese-Indonesian elder Chen Fung Yin, known as Indriati for most of her life. In Lyfta’s new storyworld ‘My Name Is…’ learn what it means to lose your name and how our names are important parts of our identity. Discover naming traditions around the world and explore the folklore associated with the mythical phoenix, a magical part of Chen Fung Yin’s story.

As technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force across various sectors, including education. AI's potential to revolutionise teaching and learning is immense, offering both significant benefits, but also notable challenges for educators and students alike.

Sport can be a powerful lens through which to nurture and explore positive values including resilience, leadership and teamwork. With key sporting events and tournaments on the horizon, Lyfta has the immersive and impactful resources you need to maximise this exciting moment with your students.

Meet Malahat, an 11-year-old aspiring dancer from Baku, Azerbaijan, in Lyfta storyworld, Dancing in the Land of Fire. Through 360 degree spaces and a powerful short documentary film, we get an insight into Malahat's daily life and the challenges she faces, as well as her hopes and dreams for the future. We also have the opportunity to learn more about the vibrant culture of Azerbaijan and hear from Parvana, the young Azerbaijani filmmaker behind the story.

We had the privilege of speaking with Parvana Guliyeva, the director behind a poignant documentary Spring in my Step in the Lyfta Storyworld: Dancing in the land of Fire. Through her lens, Parvana sheds light on the unspoken dreams and struggles of young girls in patriarchal societies, focusing on the inspiring story of Malahat, a young dancer from Azerbaijan.

Learn from artist Mono Gonzalez in Chile through Lyfta storyworld 'Street Art Revolution'. Discover how Mono started painting political murals in the 1960s which have influenced Chilean art to the present day. Join him on a walking tour of street art in Santiago, and explore this cosmopolitan capital city. Learn about the colour wheel and be inspired to create your own art.

On 20th and 21st March 2024, we were delighted to have 152 school classes (around 4560 students) join us from classrooms across the UK for our latest Lyfta live lessons. In this session, to mark World Water Day, students were invited to explore and learn about the Dead Sea and River Jordan and to consider the issues of water security in a region affected by historical and ongoing conflict. The session was rated a brilliant 9/10 overall by participants. Thanks to everyone who took part!

Explore the culturally and religiously significant area and landscape of the River Jordan and the Dead Sea with our storyworld Vanishing Sea. Meet Jordanian farmer Hassan, battling the decline of the Dead Sea and the looming threat of sinkholes all around his farmlands. Discover how he is determined to stay and protect his family’s legacy, despite financial losses, geopolitical upheaval and environmental dangers.

We spoke with Polina Teif, the director behind the compelling documentaries Salty Shores and Hassan’s Tomatoes created for Lyfta. Polina’s films provide an intimate look into the environmental and personal stories surrounding the Dead Sea, a region of both natural wonder and significant ecological challenges.

Get ready to inspire and be inspired! This International LEGO Day, we invite schools and classrooms everywhere to come together as a community and build a giant digital mandala. It's free (and easy) to participate, and by contributing, you'll not only be a part of something extraordinary, but will also stand a chance of winning a very exciting prize for your school. Let’s allow our collective creativity to flourish!

Concentration levels start to flag in the run-up to Christmas and it can be hard to keep students focused. Here are seven fun and impactful end-of-term activities and teaching resources for secondary schools to make the last few lessons ones to remember.

Meet Mackie and her family as they celebrate Hanukkah in Los Angeles, California. Learn about this special festival of light and see how her family and many other Jewish families spend this period sharing Jewish-inspired and Chinese food.

On October 4th 5th a whopping 291 school classes (approximately 8700 students) participated in our latest Lyfta live lesson which focused on the topic of biodiversity and tied in with two important awareness days, World Habitat Day and World Animal Day, as well as international Global Goals Week.

Meet Wei Wei in China, the only female LEGO Certified Professional in the world. Wei Wei is passionate about building and creating with LEGO and has been unleashing the creativity of 2,000 children to build a giant mandala installation out of 1.8 tons of LEGO bricks.

We’re delighted to present three brand new Lyfta storyworlds, introducing your students to even more people, places and perspectives from across the globe. The latest storyworlds feature real human stories from Egypt, China and Spain and cover a range of themes, from ocean literacy and animals in tourism, to the concept of infinity through LEGO brick combinations! Read on to find out more about this new and inspiring content to enrich your curriculum and broaden your students' horizons.

Meet Mohamed who lives in the South Sinai desert of Egypt. Mohamed has had a deep connection and respect for camels since he was a child. In this storyworld students will experience stunning 360° scenes and soundscapes of the desert. Teaching resources cover topics like camels, animals in tourism and the diversity of modern-day Egypt.

In this filmmaker blog, we interviewed Iván Torres Hdez, the director and producer of the captivating documentary Bird Counting, inside the storyworld: The Island Biologist, created for Lyfta. The film delves into the intricate world of marine birds, focusing on Paula, a passionate young biologist, and her groundbreaking work in the Atlantic islands of Galicia.