Popular, Science, Nature and Tech

Have you ever wondered…why leaves change colour in autumn?

Autumn is a season of change; the weather gets colder, there’s less daylight and leaves change colour and fall from plants. But why does this happen?

Why Do Plants Have Leaves?

Leaves contain a chemical called chlorophyll (pronounced KLO-ro-fil), which as well as giving them their lovely green colour also helps create food for the plant. The leaves act like tiny solar panels, and use the sun’s energy to convert water (from the ground) and a gas called carbon dioxide (from the air) into sugar and oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis (pronounced foto-SIN-theh-sis), and the sugar is what the plant lives on.

Home, Health & Style

Who Invented Denim Jeans?

If you’re anything like me, you’ll live in denim jeans when you’re not at school– they’re comfy, practical and come in loads of different styles, colours and designs. I’ve also got a denim jacket, which is perfect for throwing on over dresses when it’s cold outside. Even denim gilets come in and out of fashion on a pretty regular basis.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that denim has become something of a wardrobe staple over the years and in fact, I don’t really know what I’d do without it. But jeans haven’t always looked the way they do now and trends have changed a lot over the years.

Art & History

Historical Fiction for Kids – A Book Review

What better way to #jumpintohistory, than to immerse yourself in historical fiction for kids… but where to start?

With so many great titles to chose from, you might find it difficult to plump for one of them. Louise is a life-long bookworm, and lover of historical fiction, and has some great tips.

I have always loved reading fiction books about history, especially books about girls.

I grew up reading fiction books about the lives of girls: Johanna Spyri’s Heidi, L.M Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon and Anne of Green Gables, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and Susan Coolidge’s What Katy Did series. I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods series, which is the story of Laura’s life growing in 19^th century America. I always wanted to be Laura and have adventures living in the middle of nowhere surrounded by woods, although I am still not very keen about the lack of indoor plumbing.

Science, Nature and Tech

When Two Girls Sent Their Cat into Space

Have you ever let go of a helium-filled balloon and let it soar into the sky? Maybe you’ve even tied a message onto the string, with your contact details and hoped that someone would let you know where it landed when it popped. These awesome girls went a big step further than that. They sent a balloon into SPACE, with a couple of Go-Pro cameras attached, in a really cool science experiment.

Science, Nature and Tech

Fact or Fable? Most body heat is lost through the head

Many people believe that you should keep your head covered during cold weather, as most body heat is lost through the head. It’s certainly true that any part of your body that’s exposed to cooler air will lose warmth; heat always moves from something warm to something cooler (that’s called the second law of thermodynamics). And our heads and faces are more sensitive to changes in temperature than other parts of the body.