Jump! Mag

School & Career, Travel

What is it Like to Grow Up in Finland?

My husband lived in Finland for two years before he met me. I love listening to his stories of the cold, the beauty, the fun he had and the wildlife (including wolves) he saw. Finland is called the Land of a Thousand Lakes. Sometimes I imagine what it would be like to grow up in Finland.

Science, Nature and Tech

CURIOUS CREATURES 3 – The Naked Mole Rat

The strangest creatures are, to me,

The ones I love the best.

The slimy, ugly and the odd

Are cooler than the rest…

When I began this Curious Creatures series for Jump! Mag, I made a list of animals and insects I wanted to cover. I began with the ones I had some sort of connection with and most were animals close to home that I’d seen or heard, which intrigued and inspired me.

But rather impatiently, I’m now going to go a bit further afield and invite you to join me in the strange and extra-extraordinary world of “Curiouser and Curiouser”*Creature number 3…

Science, Nature and Tech

Drip Drip Drip

Can you imagine not being able to turn on a water tap? Can you imagine not even having a water tap?

Today’s challenge is to notice when you do something that we all take for granted – turning that tap and letting the water flow.

Washing your hands, cleaning your teeth, taking a shower. You are thirsty, so take a big gulp of water straight from that tap after playing outside in the sun.

Every time you turn on a tap of water, think about how easy it was and what you would do without running water.

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!

Sports

The British Skeleton Team – Sliding to Victory

How would you like to slide down a very steep and winding track of ice on something very similar to a tea tray at around 140km per hour? Yes, no, maybe. Well, there are people out there who can and do want to. And what’s more, they’re really rather good at it.

Alongside Bobsleigh and Luge, the Skeleton is one of three sliding sports that take place on artificially refrigerated ice tracks. It’s a really white knuckle experience as each skeleton athlete pushes their sled one handed away from the start before lying down with their face first as they travel the track, using their shoulders, knees and toes for steering.