The strangest creatures are, to me,
The ones I love the best.
The slimy, ugly and the odd
Are cooler than the rest…
Great Gifts For Kids and Adults
After the success of our Ace Classroom Gadgets article, we thought we’d follow up with some great gifts for kids and adults.
In the run up to Christmas, you might be wondering what to buy your family. Here are some ideas that won’t break the bank. If you are feeling very creative, then check out our article with fab homemade presents.
The above Bubblewrap Onesie is truly awesome. So awesome that it is sold out, but the company has informed us that it will be back in stock on 27th November and you can pre-order on site. Here is a similar one in US, although these are adult sizes. It occurs to us that you could buy a whole roll of bubble wrap for the same price and make one each for all the family!
Ideal for – Parents, so that you can hug them and pop the bubbles!
UPDATE
We discovered this ace AstroGrrl USB Stick today, and HAD to share it with you. It was developed by ScienceGrrls, a broad-based, grassroots organisation celebrating and supporting women in science in UK.
Ideal for: Science and Astrogeeks
We asked parents on Twitter recently what their favourite present was, when they were kids. The product most often mentioned was a ‘boombox’. Any idea what that is? Go ask older relatives. The modern alternative to a boombox is a speaker for iPod or MP3 players. This one is splashproof, and protects your gadget while you listen, which we think is pretty nifty.
Ideal for – music-mad sibling
A Personal Library Kit is a great gift for those who like to lend books, and fun for kids too. Play at being a librarian for a day. Which book would you recommend? Available for £12.95 in UK, and $13.45 in US.
Ideal for – Bookworms, large and small
An amusing gift for the whole family, and one you can take with you when you visit relatives over Christmas to get everyone telling an adventure story. You can take turns telling a story with these StoryCubes, or take turns in a group. They cost $7.95 in US and £10.95 in UK. Find a local stockist here.
Ideal for: All the family
Do you like grammar lessons in school? If you sometimes get your there, their, they’re muddled, then this mug will help. It would also be a fab present for a parent who loves grammar. It costs £7.95 in UK. We haven’t found them in US, but the Literacy Company deliver worldwide.
Ideal for – grammar nitpickers
Watch out, the ZOMBIES are coming! But don’t worry, we will save you, with this excellent gooey Zombie Blood showergel, they won’t realise that you are still a human. Phew! If you are in US, then this is even more disgusting – a nose shower gel dispenser.
Ideal for – Zombie-like Siblings, especially teens
If all that battling with Zombies has tired you out, relax with a homemade Slushy. Take the cup out of freezer where you stashed it a couple of hours before, fill with your favourite beverage – instant slushy! Cool, huh? Available in US for $13.62, and in UK for £9.99
Ideal for – Siblings, especially little ones
This gift combines two fun activities – taking notes and origami. Once you have finished with your note, fold it up to create one of 10 different shapes such as a pig, penguin, boat or a crane. You can order them here in US for $4.99 and here in UK for £2.
Ideal for – parents, to take into the office, and fold when they are boooored
Something a little different – these glass bottles are available here, but you can often find similar ones in charity / thrift shops
Ideal for – aunts and grannies who like pretty things
This one made us laugh so much, we just HAD to include it. A Skull Egg Shaper. GENIUS! Available here in US for $9.99 and here in UK for £11.49
Suitable for – everyone!
All prices correct at time of publishing.
Introducing Ailsa – Our Conti-Reporter
Thank you to all who entered our competition to find a Conti-Reporter. We are delighted to introduce you to Ailsa, who will be reporting from the UEFA U17 Women’s Championship Finals next week.
In the coming days, we will let Ailsa loose on our Instagram and Twitter accounts, to keep you up to date on her preparation for the trip.
Thanks to Continental UK, for sponsoring her trip, and for enabling us to report from the touchline of one of the most exciting football tournaments of the year.
My name is Ailsa Cowen and I’m 15 years old.
I love writing and photography. I write for my local newspaper and I have for a few years;I usually report on anything to do with women’s football, local music events or anything to do with the local young people. I have taken photographs for a variety of local events and I absolutely love it!
I’m madly into my music as well, I regularly go to gigs with my friends and I love everything music.
I’m completely mad on sport and I’ve played football since I was about six years old. I love playing it because it’s clearly the best sport there is. I enjoy playing football even more because my best friends all play as well, which is what women/girls football is all about.
I play in goal, but I think you have to be slightly mad to play in goal, diving at peoples feet and running out at strikers.
As well as playing football, I also love watching the Women’s Super League games. My favourite team is Everton Ladies, due to Rachel Brown-Finnis plays for them. I can not wait to be a reporter for the Under 17s European Championship! I’m so excited!
Journalists and photographers – What are your top tips for Ailsa? She will be interviewing players, working with a professional camera team, and sending regular updates on Social Media.
Help her out with some advice from experienced reporters.
Amazing Libraries and Bookstores Around the World
What do you like about going into a bookstore or library? Is it the smell of the books, or the sight of the different coloured spines, waiting to be pulled from the shelf, so that you can dive in?
We have compiled a list of some of the most amazing libraries and bookstores around the world. Some of them you may have heard of, others are less well-known, but all of them made us smile or gasp in wonder. Which one is your favourite, and which library or bookstore would you add to the list?
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura pic by Mathieu Bertrand Struck
A building so remarkable that this one photo cannot hope to do it justice – more pictures here. This is the largest and most valuable collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal. The library was constructed between 1880 and 1887 – the facade was carved out of limestone in Lisbon, Portugal and transported by ship to Rio.
A Day In the Life Of…a Biologist
Ever wondered what being a biologist might be like? No two scientists work days are the same but I’m going to take you through my typical day to give you an idea
7 AM: I get up and eat breakfast (toast and a cup of tea) before travelling to work.
8 AM: I arrive at work (this is early for scientists, most of my workmates arrive at about 9 AM but I like to get up early!) After checking my email the first job of the day is to turn on the microscope above.
The plant root surface is covered in root hairs. This is what they look like under a microscope.To get an idea of the cells, les than 1mm of plant root can be seen in this image
It is similar to microscopes you may have used at school but with a few added features including a special camera. I am fascinated by plants and in my research I am trying to find out more about how some plants (including peas and beans) can form a friendly relationship (known as symbiosis) with soil bacteria, which provide nutrients that the plants need to grow. I use the microscope and camera to study living cells in plant seedling roots (where the symbiosis is set up).
10:30 AM: Tea break and seminar. I have a tea break with some of my workmates and then go to a seminar where other scientists talk about their research and we discuss it afterwards. Seminars are a great way to find out what experiments other scientists are doing, and to get ideas for new experiments to try.
12:30 PM: I have lunch with my friends.
1:15 PM: More experiments. For some of my experiments I have to grow plants in greenhouses. Today I visit to check on my plants and collect some to take measurements. This involves digging up the plants and cleaning them to look at their roots. This is fun, but messy!
3:30 PM: Afternoon tea break.
3:45 PM: Data analysis. I spend the last part of the afternoon drawing graphs of the data I have collected today and thinking about what it shows (does it answer the research question? Do I need to do further experiments?). I also spend some time reading research articles to find out about experiments other scientists have been doing.
5:30 PM: Hometime! Once I am home I have dinner and then relax.
One of the things I love about being a scientist is the feeling of discovering the “unknown”. The experiments I carry out reveal little details that when combined with other scientist’s data can help us build up a picture of how the plant-bacteria symbiosis is set up so that pea and bean plants can get the nutrients they need to grow. We hope that this knowledge might be able to help improve farming in the future.
About the Author
Sarah Shailes is a plant scientist working at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK. She studies how some plants can form a friendly relationship (symbiosis) with soil bacteria, which help the plants gain nutrients they need to grow. When she isn’t in the laboratory she enjoys knitting and hiking, and helps run a local Brownie Guide unit.