One boy, one beast, many adventures – Netflix Dream Works Dragons

One boy, one beast, many adventures – Netflix Dream Works Dragons

nao

There is lots of excitement in the house today; and we are not talking about the start of the Summer holidays, we are talking about the arrival of the all new action packed series … Dream Works Dragons: Race to the Edge! … released on Netlfix, today, Friday 26th June.

The popcorn is bought, the couch is booked and the whole family plan to start the holidays off in style tonight. And there will be the newest member of the family squeezing in too… this little guy.

toothless
My youngest is a huge fan of toothless so imagine his excitement when a package arrived from Netlfix this week containing his all-time favourite dragon, along with his trusted side kick – Hiccup! My only worry is that dragon and small boy will be asleep before they even get to watch their favourite series – such is the level of action that the two adventurers have already clocked up.

First off, toothless is a flying dragon, as we all know, so small boy enlisted a little help from science to get his friend airborne… Newton stated that every action has an equal and opposite reaction and that is what both boy and dragon counted on with this little stunt!

catapult

Did it work? Well, it certainly got toothless flying right across the room but eventually the pair decided that they needed more height and distance and turned their attention to rocket power. They constructed a stomp rocket and the fearless dragon was taped to the rocket, secure and ready for launch. Test flights gave good results in the corridor until Mum decided that it was an experiment best brought outdoors. Boy and dragon were very happy with the flight distances that this little adventure achieved.

toothless catapult

Happy, but not completely sated, they decided that distance was good but they wanted a little more height… time to bring in the big guns and launch a bigger rocket. At this stage they were wisely persuaded that the fearless dragon should, at least, be wearing better safety gear… so they built him a helmet!

helmet

Onwards and upwards, toothless was strapped in place and all set for launch.

rocket2

5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

launch

What goes up, must come down!

flight

A successful flight, awesome heights, and a relatively soft landing (if you are made of hard plastic and wearing that, oh so important tinfoil helmet). Maybe they didn’t make it into the stratosphere but the dragon certainly earned his wings… and a good night’s sleep!

Check out the action packed new series on Netflix for more great adventures…

And if you have any little adventurers in your home that are rocket crazy here is how to make these rockets…

STOMP ROCKET

You will need:

an empty 2L plastic bottle, paper, insulation tape, a 1/2 inch PVC pipe, a length of rubber tubing;

What to do… tape one end of the rubber tubing to the neck of the bottle and tape the other end to one end of the PVC pipe. Next make the body of the rocket by wrapping a piece of paper around the PVC pipe and secure it with tape at the overlap. Remove the rocket from the pipe. Cut four triangles of paper and attach to the body of  the rocket near one end; these are the rocket fins. Make a nose (cone shape) for the other end of the rocket and attach it with tape.  You are now ready to launch your rocket. (Best to do this outside!).
Sit your paper rocket over the PVC pipe and place the 2L bottle on the ground on its side. Stomp on the bottle and watch your rocket shoot off!
VERTICAL ROCKET
You will need:
An empty 2 L plastic bottle, paper, a ball pump needle, a bottle cork, a foot pump
What to do… using the paper make three fins and a nose cone for the bottle rocket, the base of the bottle is where you fit the cone, attach the fins around the side of the rocket. Push the ball pump needle through the cork until it comes out the other side; Fill the bottle rocket one third full with water and plug the neck of the bottle with the cork. Attach the food pump to the ball pump needle and, either hold the bottle rocket or secure it vertically on the ground (we used an adapted funnel). Start pumping until…. your rocket launches with a big whoosh of water and flies into the air!
Enjoy!
Disclosure: I received the toy as part of the Netflix Stream Team; All opinions expressed in this post are my own.
Aurora borealis and Aurora australis – how are they formed?

Aurora borealis and Aurora australis – how are they formed?

nao

Aurora borealis and Aurora australis, also known as the Northern and Southern lights, are amazing displays of light in the sky, most often seen towards the polar regions. The colour displays range from green, to reds to purples and vary from small wisps to large dramatic streaks through the sky.

Aurora2

To understand how these light displays happen we need to understand a little about solar winds. The surface of the sun is constantly bubbling and boiling. Sometimes particles of plasma are released from the sun’s surface at areas called sun spots. This plasma escapes the pull of the sun’s magnetic field and is released into space as solar winds.

These solar winds can travel to Earth where they are attracted to the Earth’s magnetic fields, particularly at the north and south poles. When particles from the solar winds enter the Earth’s atmosphere they collide with particles of oxygen and nitrogen giving off these wonderful displays of colour.

The colour of the Auroras depends on the particles that interact with the solar wind and their altitude. Green and yellow colours are typically associated with collisions with oxygen, while red, violet or blue colours result from interactions with nitrogen. While these displays are best seen in regions closer to the poles we are sometimes lucky enough to catch site of them right here in the skies over Ireland.

Have you ever seen them? Next time you hear of a lot of solar flares it might be worth remembering to look to the skies in the hope of catching these spectacular light shows.

Netflix Stream Team – the SciFi edition

Netflix Stream Team – the SciFi edition

nao

I’ll admit I’m not a big fan of Tom Cruise (to put it mildly) so I resisted for a while when Oblivion came up on my Netflix profile; eventually curiosity got the better of me though and, once I got over the Tom Cruise bit (which took about 20 minutes), I actually quite enjoyed the movie.

oblivion

One of the few remaining drone repairmen assigned to Earth, its surface devastated after decades of war with the alien Scavs, discovers a crashed spacecraft with contents that bring into question everything he believed about the war, and may even put the fate of mankind in his hands.

I find that SciFis are often just a repeat of a similar theme, but this one had an original story and that’s what I liked about it. Worth watching, and, if you actually like Mr. Top Gun then you’d have a BIG bonus!

Then there is The 4400 and Heroes… they definitely have what it takes to lure you in until you are hooked and tempted to watch them back to back. Both with a common theme, people with special powers, how we love them and fear them all at the same time. I love the concept of real life superheroes and the humanness of how they are ultimately seen as a threat. I would recommend them, but be warned… the 4800 series was never finished… I discovered this at series three (of five) and pulled out cold turkey style. I couldn’t take the possibility of being left hanging in mid-air, in the middle of some crisis, with the lives or well being of characters I had grown to love and loath sitting in the balance. No doubt I missed some excellent episodes by pulling out when I did. I have been reliable informed that Heroes has an actual ending!

The 4400
The 4400

And of course I have spotted that Netflix has Alphas, another great series along the same theme and another one likely to draw you in. I saw some of these episodes before we had Netflix so I’m delighted to see that I can jump right back in there, and with the control of pause, rewind and back to back episodes. Netflix… I love you!

Netflix, you know me well. I have just spotted a new SciFi type series appearing on my time line. It will be released on 5th June but your ruse worked, I watched the trailer, it’s one big juicy carrot! When I saw that Sense8 is created by the people behind The Matrix there was no more convincing needed… the date is in my diary.

Here is the trailer in case you are as easily tempted as I am…

Disclosure: As a member of the Netflix Stream Team I have received a years subscription to Netflix, free of charge, and an Apple TV, for streaming purposes. As part of Netflix Stream Team I will be posting monthly updates on what we are watching and what is on offer.  All opinions expressed will be my own.

And then I see their faces…

And then I see their faces…

nao

Some days … I struggle with the realisation that we are going to be late.

My pleas, requests and cajoles to get dressed, find shoes, brush teeth, comb hair go unanswered; I say it once, I say it twice… by the time I get to the sixth request I am feeling my blood pressure rise.

Ultimately we do get into the car, in some form of readiness but inevitably behind schedule. As I slam the car door and start the ignition the tirade begins. The words tumble out, one on top of the other, heating the air and creating a car full of friction. The more I rant the more obvious their silence… I am cross, I am frustrated and I am on a roll. I look in the rear view mirror and then I see their faces and I realise that dressed and on time are irrelevant when there is a game to play.

Some days… I remember that there is a talent to getting lost in play.

******************************************************************************************************************

Some days… I’m cleaning the house with a steady grumble. They are old enough to clean up after themselves. ‘The floor is not a wardrobe’ I hear myself mutter, ‘I didn’t sleep in this bed so I shouldn’t have to make it’. The words just slip out of my mouth with a life all of their own. Eventually it is the sticks and stones that break the camel’s back, literally!  What could two small boys possibly need with so many of them (sticks not camels… obviously)… and why inside the house? That’s it, I’m throwing them all out… and then I see their faces and I understand that these sticks and stones are magical elements in the mind of a child.

Some days… I remember that unmade beds make amazing forts and clothes on the floor make great stepping stones across treacherous croc filled waters. And a house full of sticks and stones could be just the talisman needed to keep our home a sanctuary.

******************************************************************************************************************

Some days… are long days. Bed time has come and gone, and gone some more. There is a path worn from sitting room to their respective beds. This is ridiculous! Can’t a parent get any down time? They have had all day to go to the toilet/ drink water/ finish that story, so why, oh why, do they save it all up for those bewitching hours? Limits are reached, more noises are heard, steps are stomping down darkened corridors one time too many. But actually they are all asleep… and then I see their faces and I forget all bedtime mischief.

Some days… I remember that we need to be well fed and watered before embarking on a night full of dream filled adventures.

******************************************************************************************************************

And then there are some days when I am that child… and that is when they see my face… and they smile in solidarity!

The kids

The A to Z of me

The A to Z of me

nao

I was tagged by the lovely Lucy over at Learner Mama for this post. The idea is that you share some facts about yourself, so here you go, 26 alphabetically biased facts all about me, me, ME …

AtoZofME

A is for Aikido… it  kept me fit (once upon a time), supple and hopefully a little street wise; best of all it bagged me a husband. Now we both teach it at various levels (I just teach kids) and all our kids do it too… so we definitely keep this one in the family.

What do you mean you don’t know what it is? GOOGLE IT! tsk!

B is for biochemistry… it is what I got my degree in and it’s a pretty cool subject (honestly)… like biology on speed.

C is for children… I have three. They rock my world, sometimes literally… leaving me quite shaken but that’s all part of the fun of being a parent (right???).

D is for Diarmuid… that’s the aforementioned hubby, apart from being a fourth dan in aikido, an author and a therapist …. he is a fun, family guy and so far we are doing OK as we walk this parenting path together, often bleary eyed and baffled but never far from the next good old belly laugh!

E is for elephants… I love them; Once people realised this I got a LOT of elephant themed gifts. My house is now full of them so thanks everyone but, eh, I like other things too. (This does not apply to my sister who happens to buy the best presents ever and resurrected the elephant theme for my last birthday with some cool candles, a most gorgeous mug and my now number one favourite scarf!).

F is for France… I escaped there once I finally finished college (can’t emphasise FINALLY enough there, just ask my parents!). I spent a year and a half in a beautiful village outside of Paris, making the most amazing friends and eating the most amazing food (this tiny village had two patisseries… heaven!). Oh, and I worked too, obviously, ahem!

G is for genetics… the subject of my PhD and something I still find fascinating… that the code to all life’s amazing works and diversity can be written with just five small “letters” … I’m always in awe!

H is for horse riding, the sport that consumed my childhood. It was only when I had kids of my own I realised how much of my parents’ weekend time was dedicated to driving meto all the competitions. It obviously didn’t occur to me that they’d have anything else to do. Thanks Mum and Dad! H is also for Hyper Emesis Gravidarum, three time, enough said!

I is for imagination… it helps the world to keep turning and when I see it shining through people it amazes me. Einstein said it is more important than knowledge and I’d tend to agree.

J is for Jackie, my little sis (even though she is bigger than me now), the one who buys the wonderful presents and does a great job of taking life in her stride; and she had co-produced three wonderful, adorable kids so she is all round cool in my book!

K is for Kenya, I got to visit once; I saw elephants… did I mention how I like them?

L is for left handed… which I am, and so is my sister, and my son. I’ve never found it a problem or needed to buy special left handed utensils and just for the record… I think that all you right handed people have the knife and fork thing backwards… you should swap hands, just saying!

M is for Mid Summers Day… the day I got married (I picked the date to make it easier for my hubby to remember!!) and despite the fact that it was a “typical” Irish summer (read non stop rain), the clouds parted and the Sun came out and we had a cracker of a day; which was particularly helpful as it all took place in a garden, my parents’ one… with less than six months notice they turned a building site into a haven… thanks Mum and Dad… AGAIN!

N is for narcissistic … which this post seems to be!

O is for optomistic… I have my moments but I think I’m a “glass half full” kind of person, most of the time!

P is for PhD… the reason I spent all those years in college (the great social life had nothing to do with it whatsoever); P is also for parents… I got the best!

Q is for quiet, which I am, overall, I think (some people may disagree… so I will just have to make sure they don’t read any of this!).

R is for Rob, my big brother. A bit of a genius at many things and a generous soul. He is a fun uncle and co-producer of more great kids… my two lovely nephews!

S is for stubborn, I am. A bit. Sometimes. But mostly I see it as a good thing. When I get my teeth stuck into something I won’t let go; which brings me nicely on to…

T, which is for teeth… I’ve got strong ones apparently (and bones, come to think of it). It’s one thing I hope I have passed on to my kids… well not the only thing hopefully.

U is for University… I went to a great one in Galway (did I mention how long I stayed!) and met some wonderful people and learned some great life lessons. I also managed to get some qualifications while I was at it… what a bonus!

V is for visual, I love when information is shared in an interesting and eye-pleasing type of way. I think even complex ideas can be explained in simple terms with the right visuals. Some writing projects, and this blog, have allowed me play with this idea from time to time, which I love! I look forward to learning and experimenting in this area a lot more in the future.

W is for writing, which I love to do, although usually my writing has a more scientific theme.

X is for … an eXtremely frustration letter to try to define yourself by!

Y is for years, I have many of them under my belt now, I’d love to tell you that they have come with wisdom but they seem to just bring grey hairs!

Z is for Zebra, but are they white with black or black with white? (They are black with white stripes if you really, really need to know!).

And now to pass the baton, I tag “stuff and nothing” blog 🙂

Science Snippets -A top five round up of recent science news

Science Snippets -A top five round up of recent science news

nao

I get to read some really interesting reports and stories each week, as I try to keep up to date with what is going on in the world of science. I thought it might be nice to share some of the stories that really stood out for me; and what better time to start than on a bank holiday weekend. So, grab a coffee and find a comfy chair and dip in to the amazing and amusing world of science this week.

ScienceSnippets

 

Ancient viruses may be the Mary Poppins of the womb:

Some ancient viral DNA lurking in our genome actually gets activated during early embryonic development… new research suggests that they may make the original retrovirus that then acts as a soldier, guarding against other invading viruses and keeping the embryo safe at a very vulnerable stage.

NASA’s Mercury Messenger Satellite adds to the landmarks it has been photographing:

Last Thursday NASA’s messenger satellite ended four years of orbiting, photographing and mapping the surface of Mercury. Ironically, once the satellite ran out of fuel, it impacted with the planet’s surface, at a speed of 3.9km per second, leaving it’s own impression on the landscape it has been monitoring.

Just before the satellite fell out of orbit, it was announced that one of Mercury’s craters that it photographed has been named after the Irish musician and composer,  Turlough O’Carolan.

Image Credit: NASA/JHU APL/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Image Credit: NASA/JHU APL/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Lawnmowers and telescopes go head to head:

Astronomers are concerned for the safe operation of their radio telescopes after iRobot file for use of the same band of radio frequency, to assist operation of their new lawnmower-bots. The worry is that use of the same radio spectrum (transmitted from stakes marking lawn boundaries) anywhere within 88 km of the telescopes may sabotage their operation. Both sides are standing firm as the argument heats up.

China is all about the birds this week, from new species to very old ones:

A new species of bird, the Locustella chengi or Sichaun Bush Warbler is very elusive and was only tracked down by its song. Meanwhile, a small Chinese dinosaur has caused quite a flutter; the pigeon sized animal not only has a very short name for a dinosaur, Yi qi, it was also unusual in that is had a feathered body and bat like wings!

And then there was the zombie bacteria….

Silver has long been know as a great antibacterial agent, it plays havoc with every system of a bugs mechanics, even shutting down their genetic replication. What was unknown until recently, was that bacteria killed with silver products can still kill other bacteria … a zombie effect. It would appear that the bacteria soak up excess silver which leaches out, killing other bugs in their environment.

If you came across any other science stories of interest this week please pop them in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week!

A Simple Slice of Science – Why do we get Jetlag?

A Simple Slice of Science – Why do we get Jetlag?

nao

For this Simple Slice of Science Dr. Simple looks at Jetlag… what is it, why we suffer from it and can it be avoided? This question originally came in from Lisa at Mama.ie when she wrote this blog post (so it only took me five months to write this response… I can’t blame jetlag for that!).

 

Why do we get Jetlag?
Why do we get Jetlag?

References:

*http://www.airspacemag.com/need-to-know/when-did-the-term-jet-lag-come-into-use-71638/?no-ist

**http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/mammalian-molecular-clock-model

 

The Irish Parenting Blog Awards – the event, the fun, the celebration

The Irish Parenting Blog Awards – the event, the fun, the celebration

nao

I had a rare night out… I even went all the way to Dublin for it and it was so worth it. I got together with a fantastic group of bloggers, some I had met before, some I knew only virtually. We all descended on the Odessa for the Inaugural Glenisk Irish Parenting Blog Awards.

Photo courtesy of Sandra at
Photo credit – Sandra of A Modern Mommy’s World

There was great food accompanied by flowing wine and even more flowing conversation and some fun games and entertainment between courses to keep us all amused. It was all so enjoyable it was easy to forget that the awards were still to come. For that part we moved up to the roof top bar, a perfect location for the intimate and entertaining awards ceremony to continue. Sylda from Mind the Baby was the MC for the night (a natural), ably assisted by Lisa from Mama.ie, and then there was Deborah (At the Clothes Line) providing the atmospheric music.

The winners for each category were announced swiftly, with intermittent bouts of side splitting entertainment. For example, there was a highly amusing Netflix blogger quiz (House of Blogs)… two teams of three bloggers pitting their wits and knowledge against each other on some bizarre details from the wealth of IPB member’s blogs. Other laughs were of the unscheduled type, like when Deb from Fat Deb Slim read out the tongue in cheek acceptance speech prepared by the lovely Emily from Blog the Nest.

The finalists in each category were all very talented bloggers, all deserving winners and all so delighted whether they were the winner or the one congratulating. I was a finalist in the Best Special Interest Category, among such amazing blogs as Adopting my own son, Looking for Blue skies, Dairy Free kids and Minis and Mum. With such talent I was genuinely shocked when I was announced as the winner. Needless to say my “acceptance speech” lacked any finesse, humour or coherence what so ever. But what I lacked in words I said with a smile, a very big one. That smile is yet to fade. As all bloggers will testify, to realise anyone is even reading your blog is a compliment in itself, to have your writing acknowledged among peers that you so greatly admire is true delight.

The Smile (photo credit: Laura of Raising Elves)
The Smile (photo credit: Laura of Raising Elves)

The night was a wonderful success, all credit to the amazing work of the organising committee and the fantastic sponsors. Glenisk were the overall sponsors of the event, and I had a wonderful dinner companion in the lovely Nicola Watson representing Netflix.  Super Hands Baby sign were the sponsors of the category my blog was in. The possibility of opening a dialogue with your child before they have learned to talk is an idea that fascinates me.

I wish I had been aware of baby signing when my children were young. I love the idea of being able to communicate with your little one before they begin to speak. I imagine it can help to strengthen bonds and ease frustration but, what struck me when I first hear about it was that it may alter the time frame of the child’s earliest memory. This is a topic I am curious about and have researched and written on before. I wonder will future studies show that people who used baby sign in their infancy report earlier memories than those that don’t. One factor reported to influence when our earliest memories are finally anchored is our ability to have words or means to describe these early events.

One final mention about the awards night… the beautiful teapot trophies that each winner got to take home were created by fellow Irish Parenting Blogger, Patricia, from Colorines Wonderful. My lovely teapot was christened the moment I arrived home, with my five year old declaring it was time for tea.

The celebratory cup of tea
The celebratory cup of tea

 

Check out all the wonderful award winners here and thanks for all the nominations and votes. I’m still smiling 🙂

The Science of Soil

The Science of Soil

nao

What is Soil?

Soil is the outermost part of the Earth’s surface, where plants grow. Without it we could not survive! Soil is made up of rock material of various sizes (from powdered rock to sand, pebbles and stones). Soil also contains minerals, rotting plants and animals and living organisms. It contains all the nutrients required for plants to grow and survive!

Why is soil so important?

Plants need soil to grow, not just for the nutrients that the soil provides but also as an anchor, a stable place where the plant can place its roots and support its growing structure.

The soil has many other important functions too…

  • Soil acts as a natural water filter, cleaning water as it passes through it
  • The soil provides billions of organisms with a place to live
  • The soil is very important in the cycling of nutrients – especially carbon and nitrogen

How is soil made?

There are a lot of factors that influence how soil is made. The first of these is what type of material the soil is being made from… the type of rock that the soil is made from is called the parent material.

Other factos that influence how soil is made are…

  • the weather,
  • the topography of the land,
  • what living organisms are around and….
  • time!

Did you know… it can take up to 1,000 years for just one inch of soil to form?

 

Soil is made when the parent material (rock) is broken down by the weather (wind, rain, sun, snow) eventually forming fine powder, sand and small rocks. The decomposition of organic matter and the activity of a variety of organisms help to improve the soils nutritional quality.

The soil is like a big recycling plant

Soil is not just for growing plants. It contains billions of other living organisms too… some can be very small like bacteria, fungi and algae and some can be very large like insects and even mammals.

All of these inhabitants help to break down dead plants and animals so that all the nutrients contained within them are returned to the soil.

Did you know… that in a tablespoon of good soil there are as many as 50 billion bacteria?

SpoonfulofSoil

The earthworm plays a vital role is maintaining healthy soil and is often called “nature’s plough”.

Did you know… there are approximately 3000 species of earthworm in the world?

worm

Learn more at home… make a wormery

You will need…

A large see-through container, sand, soil, worms, leaves and other vegetation, card or paper.

What to do…

  • Fill a large, see-through container with alternative layers of soil and sand.
  • Put a layer of leaves on the top.
  • Add enough water to keep the soil damp.
  • Collect some earthworms from your garden and add them to the wormery.
  • Cover the outside of your container with a large piece of card or paper to block out the light.
  • Put the wormery in a safe place and check on it every day- remember to keep adding water to keep the soil moist.
  • You should soon notice that the different layers of soil and sand are getting mixed together.

What is happening?

The earthworms mix the layers of sand and soil as they move through the wormery. This helps to distribute nutrients throughout the soil, making it more fertile.

Remember to return the worms safely back into the garden once you have finished.

Or you can watch the “how to” video…

 

 

A version of this article originally appeared in Science Spin, Issue 63, March/April 2014