(This was used for an introduction)

What is the Rosetta stone and why is it important?

Where are the hottest and coldest places on Earth?

What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?

Just using a piece of paper, without any glue or anything else, how can you make it stronger so that you can build things with it?

There was a loud thunp from the bedroom. As you opened the door, you noticed a huge, scaly dinosaur staring right back at you... How does this story continue?

It has often been said that the Great Pyramids in Egypt were built as tombs for great Pharaohs. However, in some of the pyramids, no evidence has been found for this at all. So if the pyramids weren't built as tombs, why were they built?

Should playing conkers become an Olympic sport? What else could become an Olympic sport?

HALF TERM

Why do we have fireworks night?

In 1841, the height of Mount Everest (the highest mountain in the world) was first measured. What was the highest mountain in the world before then?

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise?

There is one word in the English language that is always pronounced incorrectly. What is it?

What information can you find out about the Swedish festival 'St. Lucia'?

(Used to find out about children's access to the internet, and then we stopped for the Christmas Break)

Nobody knows about this apart from Mrs. C. and myself at the moment.However, if you stumble across this page before I tell you, I will give you a mini-prize. To claim your mini-prize, you must hand in a piece of paper to me (Mr C.) with a smiley face drawn on it, and your name clearly written on it, on no later than Wednesday 5th January, the day we go back to school.

If you could have any magical object you wished for, what would it be and what could it do?

A group of sheep is called a flock of sheep. You can also have a litter of puppies, a pride of lions and a herd of cows. a) What is a group of ferrets called? b) What name can you think of to call a group of school-children?

It's that time of year again when the sound of snuffles echo throughout the school and tissue sales are at their best. The weather is cold and many people have a cold. What good advice could you give to someone who has got a cold? Can you find out any good (and interesting or unusual) ways of helping someone to get rid of their cold?

Imagine a duck inside a clear glass bottle. You have no idea how it got there (and it has no idea either!). The duck is way too large to fit through the neck of the bottle. It's quacking for you to get it out. You are not allowed to break the bottle or harm the duck in any way. How are you going to get the duck out again?

Have you ever heard of the sentence: 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.'? It contains all of the letters of the alphabet.

What sentence can you think of that contains all of the letters of the alphabet? Remember: it must be just one sentence, and it must contain all of the letters of the alphabet at least once.

Who invented spaghetti, and why? If you can't find out the real answer for this question, use your imagination...

You're alone and trapped in a snowy place with icicles hanging down all around you and puddles covered with ice everywhere. You're miles from the nearest place for help. It's freezing cold, although the sun is shining brightly above you. Suddenly you find a patch of dry, dead grass. It would burn well and make a great, warming fire, but you have no matches or anything else to light it with. How are you going to light it?

You're an assistant in Mr Willy Wonka's sweet factory, and have the powers to make any sweet you wish. What sweet would you make, why is it special and what would it do to any child who eats it when they are not supposed to? Make sure you draw a picture of your sweet, so anyone who visits this page can drool over it.

No question set - a very busy week!

A few weeks ago, my literacy class were asked to write a poem about snow for their homework. I received many fantastic poems back (which, if I had time, I would have put on this website!). The snow will not come again (probably!) and Spring is approaching fast. I would like you to write your own poem about spring. You can talk about the buds bursting, the animals awakening, the days warming, the early daylight, the plants growing, the flowers blossoming... and so on! Tips for a great poem: include some interesting adjectives (describing words); use a simile or two if you can (something is like something else); try to use your senses (it sounds like..., it smells...). It is your choice if you would like it to rhyme and/or set out in verses. I am looking forward to creating our Poets Page already! Remember - you have loads of time to do this.

Could you tell me what a Lert is? Sometimes people need to be a Lert, so it would help if we knew whet one was so we could be like one. (As usual, drawings and imagination welcome.)

Why is it that I can never find a teaspoon, although I used to have loads? Why is it that whenever I need a pen, I search high and low but can never find one? Why is it that whenever I do my washing, although I check the washing and drying machines very carefully, I always lose a sock? Where do all these teaspoons, pens and socks go?

3 people go into a restaurant and the bill comes to £30. They decide to split it 3 ways and pay £10 each. The waiter then comes back and says he’s overcharged them by £5 making the bill only £25. The waiter hands over the £5 left over and the 3 people each take a pound and the £2 left they give to the waiter as a tip. That means that The 3 People have each only paid £9 because they got a pound back. 3 x £9 = £27. Plus the £2 tip = £29. Where has the £1 gone????

The bits left over by burning ten candles will make one extra candle if you melt them all together. If you burned 1000 candles, how many extra candles could you make?

YOU can SAVE the WORLD! "Who, me?" I hear you say. Yes, you! It's true, you can save the world! Ok, perhaps you can't do it single-handed, but you alone can make a difference, and a large number of people together can make a BIG difference. Tell me about how YOU CAN SAVE THE WORLD!

The name 'buttercup' makes sense to me because its flower is the colour yellow, like butter. However, the name 'butterfly' doesn't make any sense to me because they have nothing to do with butter (I've never seen a butterfly try to steal my newly buttered toast!) What new, alternative, sensible name can you come up with for 'butterfly'?

"I've started so I'll finish!" John Humphries has just called you to take part in Junior Mastermind. What would be your chosen specialist subject and why? Remember, the clock is merciless. You have less than a week to tell me!

What's the best job in the world?

For all you mathematicians out there - how many times can you subtract the number 2 from the number 134?

What is a Granoffypolip? I have no idea what one of these is. Please describe or draw one for me to tell me what it is. (Clue - you may have to really use your imagination here.)

It's the coming to the end of the year and The Challenge Think Tank will be having a rest for the summer. This will be the last Challenge of the year. I must say that I am very impressed by the many who have taken part and given such great answers. I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

So the last Challenge is this: The Challenge will continue next year. How would you like to see it continue (any bits you want to see or would like to change?) and who should it be for? Your comments, as ever, are greatly appreciated.