Jump! Mag

Science, Nature and Tech

Who On Earth Invented … The Pedal Bin?!

Continuing our series on enterprising inventors of everyday things we take for granted, Sally Anne asks …

Who on Earth invented…the Pedal Bin?!

You’re carrying something to the bin, your hands are full and you don’t want to spill it. Thank goodness for the pedal bin! Read on to find out about the inventor who tried to make life easier.

Ergonomics is the science of making equipment which fits and works with the human body. This basically means making things work as easily and as conveniently as possible. Dr Lillian Gilbreth was a keen inventor who believed in finding the easiest way of getting things done. As such, she invented a range of gadgets to make jobs easier, including the pedal bin in the 1920s. Now we have to admit, pedal bins aren’t very exciting, but Lillian’s life definitely was.

Home, Health & Style, Popular

12 Steps to Becoming a Self-Confident Kid

Do you ever wish you were more confident? Do you watch other kids standing in front of the class, and presenting their work, and wish you be that self-confident kid?

We often talk about self-confidence and self-esteem in tweens. These two are linked, but slightly different. Self-esteem is about how you feel about yourself, how you value your abilities and yourself. Self-confidence is about how you feel about your abilities, about trusting yourself to do something.

You could have a high self-esteem generally, but have low self-confidence in a particular area, e.g. doing maths, or standing in front of the classroom and presenting a book report.

We often split people into ‘confident’ and ‘not confident’, but we can all learn to be more confident. It just takes a bit of practice. Here are our top tips for increasing self-confidence and self-esteem!

Science, Nature and Tech

S’not Nice but Necessary – Dr Matt Knows How Noses Work

The last time Dr Matthew Piccaver wrote for Jump! Mag, it was on the topic of poo, and today he’s going to tell you a bit about the part of your body that you might just have wrinkled in disgust… the nose! Find out how noses work but don’t get too comfortable, because it snot over yet …

Art & History

Falconry and the Tudors

When you write a book that is set in a particular period of history, it is important to get the details correct. This means that writers of historical fiction have to do a lot of research.

The first scene of Katharine Edgar’s novel, Five Wounds takes place on a hillside in sixteenth century England, where her heroine, Nan, is hoping to see her young merlin falcon make its first kill. Katharine had find out all about falconry and the Tudors – the keeping and training of falcons, and other birds of prey.

When I showed the first scene of Five Wounds to some writing friends, some of them asked a question I wasn’t expecting. ‘How rich is Nan’s family? They live in a big house so why does she need to hunt for food?’

Good question!

Language & Literature

6 Awesome Classic Books For Tweens

A book can transport the reader back in time. It is hard to imagine a time when we weren’t surrounded by modern technology, but if you read Anne of Green Gables, written by Lucy Maud Montgomery in 1908, suddenly you are bouncing alongside Matthew and Anne in their horse-drawn buggy. Anne and her ‘bosom friend’ Diana didn’t have Instagram to keep in touch, but you will recognise the friendship and fun they have, similar to the connection you have with your BFF!