Enter a contest for your school to win a visit from author Jan Brett and take a look at her newest book, The Easter Egg. The contest begins on January 4, 2010. For more information about this and other contests—such as to win lunch on the Jan Brett tour bus, an Easter egg hand-painted by the author, or a copy of The Easter Egg for your school—go to www.janbrett.com and click on "Contests."

Vision K–20 is an annual online survey that evaluates teachers' use of technology and monitors their progress. It's conducted by the Software & Information Industry Association. To participate, visit www.siia.net/VisionK20. This year's survey runs from January 12–May 14, 2010.

The Fund for Teachers has awarded grants to more than 3,500 PreK–grade 12 teachers for summer sabbaticals in 110 countries and every continent. Apply for an individual grant of up to $5,000 or a team grant of up to $10,000. To find out if your school is eligible, visit www.fundforteachers.org. The application deadline is January 29, 2010.

Teach your students about the importance of oral health during National Children's Dental Health Month in February. Visit the American Dental Association's Web site for loads of free online resources for grades K–12 teachers, including posters; program planning guides; publicity resources; and activity sheets with games, puzzles, and coloring sheets. Find it all at www.ada.org/public/events/ncdhm.

The NEA Foundation awards Learning & Leadership grants to grades K–12 public school teachers and support professionals to fund professional development. Individuals receive $2,000 and groups receive $5,000. Submit applications online at www.neafoundation.org. Grants are awarded six times a year; the next deadlines are February 1, 2010, and April 15, 2010.

Do you know students ages 8–16 who have made an outstanding effort to protect and preserve the environment? If so, encourage them to apply for an International Young Eco-Hero Award. Projects must be self-initiated and concern environmental health, advocacy, research, or protection of the natural world. For more guidelines and an application, go to www.actionfornature.org. The deadline is February 28, 2010.

Students in grades 3–6 are invited to enter the Kids' Science Challenge. Scientists will review problems or experiments in three categories: bio-inspired designs, imagining sports on Mars, and detective science. Three grand prize winners each get to work with a scientist to develop the idea and also will win microscopes, trips, and other prizes. The first 1,000 entrants win science activity kits. Enter by February 28, 2010, at www.kidsciencechallenge.com.

Mantis Awards are given to schools and other nonprofit organizations with garden projects that enhance the quality of life in their communities. Twenty-five winners receive Mantis tiller/cultivators. Email applications are preferred, but mail applications are accepted. Download at www.kidsgardening.org/grants/mantis.asp. The deadline is March 1, 2010.

Deepen your understanding of humanities this summer by participating in a seminar, institute, or workshop supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Sessions are one to six weeks long. Stipends help defray travel and living expenses. For information, go to neh.gov/projects/si-school.html for seminars and institutes and neh.gov/projects/landmarks-school.html for workshops. The deadline for applications is March 2, 2010.

Up-and-coming scientists in grades 5–8 are eligible for the Young Scientist Challenge. To enter, students submit a short video about a scientific concept selected from a list provided by the judges. Ten finalists each win $1,000 and a trip to New York City, plus one grand-prize winner receives a $50,000 United States savings bond. The video deadline is May 2010. Get updates and register at www.youngscientistchallenge.com/registrations/index.cfm.

Elmer's Glue Crew Recycling Program is a free recycling program geared toward grades K–5. Collect empty glue bottles and sticks; then, starting on Earth Day, April 22, 2010, drop them off at WalMart stores. The class with the best recycling program gets 1,000 trees planted in its honor. There are other prizes too. Visit www.elmersgluecrew.com.

The Read: OutLoud Bookshare Edition accessible text reader is now available in a Macintosh version as well as for Windows. The text reader is free to all Bookshare members and provides one-click access to more than 50,000 digital talking books for people with print disabilities. Log on to www.donjohnston.com for more information about the free text reader and free online library.

The census is coming; the census is coming! 2010 Census: It's About Us is a school program created by the U.S. Census Bureau to teach grades K–12 students the importance of the census so they can deliver the message to their families before questionnaires arrive in March 2010. The program includes free online lesson plans, maps, teaching guides, and more. It's all at www.census.gov/schools/index.html.

Battle blood cancers with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's School & Youth Programs. HOP for Leukemia & Lymphoma involves young students collecting pledges and earning prizes for hopping in place for two minutes. In the Pennies for Patients and Olive Garden's Pasta for Pennies campaigns, students collect spare change during February or March; top classrooms win various prizes such as class parties. Visit www.schoolandyouth.org to see if your school is eligible and to register for free materials.

Attention book lovers! Simon & Schuster has launched a new free Web site for K–12 teachers and school librarians. The site is packed with authors' videos, activity sheets, newsletters, an online book search and page previews, conference schedules, monthly giveaways, and lots more. Log on to www.simonandschuster.net.