Jump! Mag

Sports

3 Tips to Make your New Year’s Resolution Stick!

So the new year has begun and you’ve made a New Year’s resolution. How can you make sure it doesn’t go out the window by February? Perhaps these tips for sticking to your resolution will help…

New Year’s Resolution Tip #1: Be specific

Lots of people give up on their resolutions because they choose ones that are too big, vague and overwhelming. Whether your resolution is to do more sport, be a better friend, take up photography or anything else, you have a better chance of making it happen if you narrow it down.

For example, if your resolution is to be a better friend, make it your mission to remember your friends’ birthdays and to write a card for them, or to ask them often about what’s going on their lives. If you want to get more involved in sport, find out what sports your school or community offers and decide on a class to take or a team to sign up for. That way you have somewhere specific to start!

Science, Nature and Tech

Cellular Communications

When we talk about ‘cellular communcations’, we are not referring to use of a cell phone, because before mobiles or cell phones there was a time when this only meant cell to cell interaction within an organ or tissue. This important cellular behaviour drives diverse functions from contracting cells in your heart muscle to the cells in your nerves.

Language & Literature

A Short Story – The White Dove

Dad walks over to me. He’s carrying several slices of bread.

‘Hi, Grace.’

‘Hi,’ I say, giving him a look which I hope he understands means, I am so not impressed with this new pre-birthday arrangement.

Dad doesn’t seem to have noticed my look. I wonder what he’s doing with the bread.

‘For the ducks,’ he says when he catches me staring at it.

I nod and decide not to mention that I am no longer five years old and that feeding the ducks in the park doesn’t exactly excite me anymore.

‘Right,’ I say, as we head over to the pond.

‘So, Grace, how have you been?’

We sit down on the bench next to the willow tree.

Travel

Exploring Australia – Marvellous Melbourne

Continuing on my Australian adventure, I thought I’d tell you about Melbourne, my new favourite city. Whilst I’m in Australia, I’m going to be staying here in Melbourne, then moving on to Sydney next week. Sydney, I know about; there’s a big harbour, famous for its bridge and its opera house. But Melbourne? Before I came here, I didn’t know a thing about it.

The first thing I found out is that Melbourne is in the South East of Australia, in the state of Victoria. It’s on the coast and like Sydney is a harbour city. The climate in Melbourne can be a bit like the UK; it changes often and can start raining out of nowhere! Although it gets hotter than the UK, it doesn’t get quite as hot as the rest of Australia.

Science, Nature and Tech

Water and Engineering – Water, Wonderful Life

Dr Lesley Beeton is a scientist, who studies what the DNA code tells us about human life and health. She has always loved science, and believes that science doesn’t just happen in laboratories. It happens all around us. Science keeps aeroplanes flying, electricity flowing, and the internet speedy.

Dr Beeton grew up in South Africa. Some of you may have traveled there for your holidays, to see the game reserves or Table Mountain. But even if you haven’t been there, we can all still learn something from the experiences of southern Africa.