Stories From The Stables – Sam
This is first of a series of Stories From The Stables, by Carolyn Ward.
I fell off, honest
Learning to ride is a fabulous hobby. It can be pricey, but you can borrow a hat and crop from most stables, and start off in trousers and strong shoes. It is great exercise, very exciting, and teaches respect for animals, balance, and correct posture.
When I was very young I rode at Stourton Stables, a children’s riding school where the ponies were mostly grumpy and had to be separated in the fields for fear of kicking each other to pieces.
Oh, happy riding lesson days. Hours spent in icy pouring rain, in snow, in fog, and even more rarely; in lovely sunshine. The best riding times of year for me were spring and autumn, before and after the major insect season.
Lightning Never Strikes Twice
Continuing our Fact or Fable series, today we take a look at the saying ‘Lightning never strikes twice’, with our Science Editor Samantha Gouldson investigating.
Lightning forms when excess amounts of positive and negative electric charge build up in storm clouds. This causes sparks, kind of like static electricity. Sometimes the sparks jump between the clouds but often they jump between the clouds and the ground.
It’s not just thunderstorms that have lightning either; snow storms, sand storms and even the clouds produced by erupting volcanoes can all cause lightning.
The idea that lightning doesn’t strike twice is a popular saying but one that it’s easy to disprove.
Winter Wonderings – Can It Really Be Too Cold for Snow?
Have you ever heard someone say that it is ‘too cold for snow?’, and wondered if this was true. Our Science Correspondent Samantha looks at the science behind this claim.
The Cage of Society
What do you do when you see someone being bullied? And what happens when the bullies are your friends? These were the questions that were occupying the mind of 11 year old Kirsty. Here’s her story.
Not so long ago the only thing on my mind at school was to fit in with my friends and to feel like part of a group.We were a very close circle and I was positive that they were the most loyal, kind and caring friends I could wish for. However, there was one thing that concerned me, their behaviour towards a boy named Ryan.