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Don't forget to keep visiting the official BBC website for the latest downloads, galleries and competitions:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
cbbc/bamzooki/
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Canary Woolf are proud to support and be supported by:
Norwich City
Football Club
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Canary Woolf team members will be wearing the official NCFC wristbands. A Donation of 50p from the sale of each wristband is given to Bryan Gunn's Leukaemia appeal. Available here
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Bamzooki grabs the kids (article published in Eastern Daily Press 22 July 05) |
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Bamzooki may sound like a Japanese gameshow. But in fact it's a BBC TV programme that encourages children to spend hours at a computer screen - with the blessing of parents and teachers.
Education correspondent STEVE DOWNES catches up with four Norfolk nine-year-olds who are taking their 'zooks' onto the show. <back to news headlines>
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 Apparently, children's minds are being turned to mush and their bellies to jelly, because they spend so much time staring at computer and games console screens.
Older generations will say it is not like it was in their day, when they climbed tress, kicked footballs in the street and spent endless hours of fun with a hoop and stick.
But when it comes to Bamzooki, we can all temporarily get off our high horses.
For while this innovative children's BBC show encourages youngsters to spend hours in front of a computer screen, the educational spin-offs are huge. The idea of the show is for teams to design their own computer-generated 'zooks', via the CBBC website.
These are multi-coloured beasts of all shapes and sizes that are then put to the test on the television show, presented by Norfolk's own Jake Humphrey.
The teams have to select the best of their zooks for races that test their speed, strength and agility.
They run races, knock over or climb over obstacles, kick footballs and complete assault courses. Each zook can be used only once, so the youngsters have to pick the creature with the best design for each race.
It is something like a virtual reality cross breed of Superstars and Robot Wars.
While the children are having fun, they are, by stealth, learning maths, robotics and probability. It is a recipe that many hard-pressed teachers would like to bottle and then pour out into their classrooms.
Yesterday, a BBC film crew was in Norwich to record four lads from Costessey Junior School who are set to appear on the first show in the new series, to be screened early next year.
Their fearsome zooks - Crocodilian, Bull-dozer, Stingfire and trancheley - will take on the designs of other teams across Britain.
Joshua Kerridge, Alex Dunne, Ethan Frosdick and Curtis Chipperfield have shamelessly courted the support of Norwich City-mad presenter Jake by calling their team Canary Woolf.
And the first venue for yesterday's filming was, appropriately, Carrow Road, where Bryan Gunn took part in a 'celebrity zook challenge' on a laptop. His lap time will be put up against the efforts of a different celebrity for each show.
Then it was off to Joshua's house in New Costessey for more filming. On October 19 the team will head for London for recording of the competition proper and will hope to make it through to the semi-final and final on October 21.
Joshua originally entered his zooks for the show and saw his efforts whittled down from 700 entrants to the final 35 teams that will appear in the new series.
He approached three friends from school to form Canary Woolf, and the four have been modifying their designs ever since.
Joshua said: "It's really great because you can design zooks with complete freedom. You can make anything you want."
"We probably like the designing the most because you can make it scary or stylish."
Alex said: "I like designing them and fiddling around to make them better. We are nervous about the competition because there will be lots of people watching."
Joshua's father, Alastair Kerridge, said Bamzooki was "education mixed with fun".
He said: "Whereas many might picture kids sitting in front of TVs or PCs playing computer games and scoffing junk food, all of the kids involved are keen footballers and healthy young lads."
"On the show they are not shooting people up, they are learning how to design and improve things."
CBBC presenter Jake said: "There has never been anything like this programme before. The computer-generated creatures that compete on the show really do have a mind of their own."
Once the teams have chosen their zooks it's a case of sitting back to enjoy the mayhem."
During the show the zooks can be seen running around the game area, but technology allows the camera to see them in 3D.
<back to news headlines>
To design your own zook, visit www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bamzooki
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