Science, Nature and Tech

Why do we get Hiccups?

why do we get hiccups

Everybody gets hiccups (also sometimes spelt ‘hiccoughs’). Even when babies are still in the womb they hiccup, which can feel very odd to their mother! But why do we get them and how can you stop them?

What are Hiccups?

Hiccups are caused by the diaphragm (pronounced DYE-uh-fram). This is a large, dome-shaped muscle that sits at the bottom of your chest cavity, below your lungs. When we breathe in the diaphragm tightens, helping to pull air into the lungs, and when it relaxes it forces the air back out again. Sometimes the diaphragm becomes irritated and instead of tightening smoothly it does it in a jerky way, which makes air suddenly rush into your throat. This air is stopped when it hits the voice box and makes the opening between the vocal cords close very suddenly. This is what produces the sound of the hiccup.

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Home, Health & Style

How Much Sleep Do Kids Need?

Julianne Robertson investigates the world of snoozes, forty winks, cat naps and snoring. What is SLEEP, why do we need it, and how much sleep do kids need?

 

A couple of nights ago I was feeling really, really tired, so I went to bed early.  I slept soundly, without even dreaming, until about 5am, when I woke up.  It felt like I’d only been sleeping for about 5 minutes!  After that, I fell back to sleep but had lots of vivid dreams and when I woke up a couple of hours later, it felt like I’d been asleep for a long time.  After all that I still felt well-rested and was ready for the day.

All this made me wonder – what IS sleep?  Why is it that some nights we feel like we’ve had a really good nights’ sleep, while other nights we still feel tired when we wake up in the morning?  Here’s what I’ve discovered about sleep…

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Sports

Ailsa – Our ContiReporter at Women’s U17 EUROS – Day Two

 

 

Tuesday 26th of November

Today was match day! England v Italy.

The match was at Telford Stadium so we had a 50 mile journey from St. Georges Park to get there.

It was a rather cold day to be outside but it wasn’t shown by any of the excited school children that flooded the ground, ready to watch the game. Before the match began outside the stadium, Continental Tyres were running a Conti Fan Zone. A variety of football activities were being run for the energetic children.

I had a go at measuring the speed of my kick. On my first go I fluffed it and didn’t even hit the target (that’s why I play in goal!) but on my second  go I managed to get 29mph which was quite good.

I had to do a piece to camera about what went on before the match and interviewed two Birmingham City Ladies who were taking part in the activities.

 

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Me and my cameraman David positioned ourselves by the team dugouts, ready and waiting for kick off. When the game finally  kicked off it was a fast, exciting game.

Both teams were equal and no team was particularly dominant. The England captain, defender Leah Williamson  was a stand out player as she was clearly comfortable on the ball and lead the team with ease.

At half time it was 0-0. For the second half me and David retreated to the press box, due to the days coldness, where Simon and Dad had been watching the game and famous footballer spotting.

 

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I had to do some  reporting to the camera at half time about how I thought the match was going. The second half was just as gripping and as nail-biting as the first. Unfortunately England conceded an untimely goal off a deflection. England continued to battle throughout the second half and continuously tried to win themselves back a goal, they came staggeringly close to scoring again but unluckily when the final whistle blew, Italy won 1-0.

The score didn’t reflect the game, a draw would have connoted the game more suitably.  After the game, I got the chance to ask Lois Fidler a question at the after game press conference.

Following the press conference I then  got the opportunity to interview the current England Ladies Manager, Brent Hills, who was lovely and chatty,  I still can’t believe I got the chance to interview him.

I was also fortunate enough to be able to interview Alex Scott, England international, Dave Sampson, Bristol Academy Ladies Manager and four of the Under 17 girls, Leah Williamson, Keira Walsh, Chloe Kelly and Molly Rouse.

I was overwhelmed by the people I got the chance to talk to about the game. As the day came to a close it was time for us to go back to St. Georges Park after a long, jam-packed, thrilling day.

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Food and Recipes

Yummy Scrummy Autumn Recipes

Dig out your scarves and gloves – it looks like autumn is on its way! As it gets colder and darker outside, it’s a great time to practise your baking skills. Here at Jump, we can always make room for a dessert, and these ones are especially mouthwatering. Read on to find out about the five yummiest scrummiest recipes we have found online… and remember to ask an adult for help!

 

You can find this recipe on Taste of Home.

You can find this recipe on Taste of Home.

 

Sick of boring old normal trifle? No, we aren’t either… Still, this is an great twist on a classic recipe, and it’s vegetarian. The pumpkin and gingerbread make it a perfect dessert for this time of year – when you’ve scoffed this, you can get on with carving a pumpkin face!

 

 

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Language & Literature

How Did the Penguin Get its Name?

These days, we all know what a penguin looks like. Even if you haven’t seen a real, live penguin, I’m sure you have seen pictures, perhaps watched them in a film. It seems strange to think that people in Europe had no idea they existed for so many centuries! Perhaps you have wondered about that part of history.

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