That’s Life: A class book review by Mrs Jones and 5J

That’s life is a book by Professor Robert Winston, and is published by Dorling Kindersley.  We have got the publishers review for you and a class review as well.

That’s Life is the latest title in DK’s award-winning science series that includes What Makes Me Me? Can You Feel the Force? and What Goes on in My Head? Professor Robert Winston bursts open the biology of our living world to reveal the intriguing secrets of everything under the sun.

From the very big to the microscopic, That’s life explores the world around us, from the beginning of life, to evolution, ecosystems and life cycles as well as the features and characteristics of the main players in the animal kingdom. Full of fascinating facts and lively texts the book also includes vibrant graphics and pictures. Find out what it takes to survive on Earth, from finding a home, getting on with the neighbours and protecting what’s yours, to the sneaky tactics that some species use to protect their own way of life.

More than just a reference book, That’s Life tackles basic biological principles and covers key topics on the biology curriculum such as ecology, food webs and other nutrient cycles. This book brings biology to life and offers an understanding of the mechanisms that support and sustain life, leaving no question unanswered for budding biologists.

Lavishly illustrated with images, That’s Life is a visual feast packed with explanatory diagrams and photography. Scientific ideas that might seem intimidating in a textbook are stripped to the bare bones, brought to life, and made fun and accessible to help children understand how the world around them works, and their place in it.

Review by the children of class 5J and Mrs Jones

We read the book “ That’s Life” which was about how earth began and all the life forms on earth. We really enjoyed learning about the different species on earth and the food webs in nature. We liked looking at the photographs and diagrams. Our favourite part was learning about how animals use colour in different ways. We didn’t really understand some parts of the book, like the part about different bacteria and cells because we hadn’t heard of them before. We would read this book again because it was interesting and colourful. Overall, we thought this book was brilliant!

Posted by Clare Kersey

Little Haven receives a boost.

Kind hearted donations have enabled the children at Little Havens Hospice in Rayleigh to have their own home cinema room.

CHARITY CAMPAIGN PROVIDES CINEMA FOR RAYLEIGH HOSPICE

Children at the local children’s hospice, Little Havens in Rayleigh, have been given the gift of a lifetime after a team of home cinema manufacturers and installers kindly donated time and products to provide the children with a fully integrated home cinema of their own.

The installation has been completed with Together for Short Lives, the same charity in partnership with The X Factor, organised by members of the Audio Visual industry.

Children and families cared for by the Rayleigh-based hospice, which is part of Havens Hospices, are over the moon with their new high performance 52” LED flat screen TV and home cinema system and surround sound with access to Sky, Blu-Ray’s, DVD’s and also to gaming consoles.

“I have had fantastic positive feedback from the team at Little Havens about how the children and their families have been enjoying their new cinema room,” says Ian Morrish, Sales Manager at ISE who is heading up the campaign. “Some of the children who visit the hospice are too poorly to visit a local cinema, and for others it requires a huge amount of planning making family trips out difficult.  That’s why it was important to bring the cinema to the hospice. The warmth of welcome and the support we received from the staff coupled with the reaction from the children as we unveiled their cinema made all the hard work worthwhile.”

With great thanks to Larry Brown and his install team at Rayleigh Hi-Fi, and to the generosity of certain manufacturers and distributors within our industry, the install was deemed a huge success and the children are thrilled to have their very own in-house cinema.

“We took our time to set up the system so it was easy as possible to use. It looks and sounds fantastic whether you’re watching a blockbuster movie or playing a game on the Xbox or Nintendo Wii!” says Paul Broughton, Store Manager at Rayleigh Hi-Fi.

Thanks to the large range of products donated and all the time and hard work provided by the installers free of charge.

Ron added “Our thanks go to everyone whose generosity made the project possible. On behalf of the charity I can honestly say it is going to improve the quality of experience we can give our families. We’re really looking forward to lots of popcorn and movie nights in our very own cinema.”

In early 2011 Ian Morrish, Sales Manager at ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) called out to members and specialists from the AV industry, including manufacturers, distributors and installers to donate products and time free of charge for Children’s Hospices around the UK. The scheme has seen over 25 companies come forward to show their support, and has now had four hospices completed including Acorn for the Three Counties, Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) and Acorns Walsall. “This is a very exciting and rewarding project for everyone involved” says Ian Morrish, “I am delighted with the response I have had from the whole industry so far and I hope to work with other companies who will donate their time and resources to bring the joy of home cinema and entertainment into the lives of children who rely on the care and support given by their local hospice OR are living with a life-limiting illness.”

 

Posted by Clare Kersey