As young students gain independence, they can take on science and engineering projects that require more special knowledge. The followings are the best educational toys for middle school students.

    Terraforming Mars

    The goal of the Terraforming Mars board game is to make the Red Planet fit of human habitation. Players, representing a person sent to the planet to warm it create oceans and build up the oxygen levels, compete for victory points awarded for building cities or introducing animals. The goals are based on real science—for example, players must found greenhouse gas production to warm the planet.

    Recommended ages: 12 and up

    Price: $69.99

    DIY Cell Phone Equipment

    Are you kids begging you for the latest for the latest iPhone? Tell them to build up their own. DIY Cell Phone Equipment will teach young teens about the technology behind their beloved mobile equipment. Kids can turn this Phone equipment into a real working phone.

    Recommended ages: 12 and up

    Price: $58.99

    OWI: 14-in-1 Solar Robot

    Kids can experience 14 different robotic models with this solar robot. The robot can move on land and water, and there are two skill levels, which means more experienced builders will still be challenged. The robot is powered by the sun, so you don't have to buy batteries（电池）.

    Recommended ages: 12 to 15

    Price: $24.99

    Compound Microscope

    Compound Microscope is great for home or classroom explorations. It helps kids get an eyeful of solid samples, such as insects, coins and plants. The microscope also comes with a microtome, dyes, test tubes, a handbook and cleaning tools.

    Recommended ages: 12 and up

    Price: $89.95

    Last Friday, after doing all the family shopping in town I wanted a rest before catching the train, so I bought a newspaper and some chocolate and went into the station coffee shop. It was a cheap self-service place with long table to keep a place and went to get a cup of coffee.

    When I came back with the coffee, there was someone in the next seat. It was one of those wild-looking boys, with dark glasses and old clothes, and his hair was colored bright red at the front. What did surprise me was that he'd started to eat my chocolate.

    I was rather uneasy about him, but I didn't want to make more trouble. I just looked down at the front page of the newspaper, tasted my coffee and took a bit of chocolate. The boy looked at me closely. Then he took a second piece of chocolate. I could hardly believe it. Still I didn't say anything to him. When he took a third piece, I felt angrier. I thought, well, I shall have the last piece. “And I got it.”

    The boy gave me a strange look, and then stood up. As he left he shouted out, “There is something wrong with the woman,” Everybody looked at me, but it was worse then I finished my coffee and got ready to leave. My face turned red when I knew I'd made a mistake. I wasn't my chocolate that I had eaten. There was mine, just under my newspaper.

    Marjorie grew up with a sense of worthlessness. Again and again her father said she would never accomplish anything in life. He told her she was a loser and that anything she did was sure to end in failure. With these words constantly ringing in her ears she grew up looking for someone who would love her and see her as a person of worth. This led her into relationships that disappointed her, ending in pain yet, which was another proof that she was worthless and unlovable. Where does our sense of self-worth come from?

    It is true that the foundation for a person's self-worth is laid in the home. Words that we hear in our home can build or tear down our worth. Encouraging words are words of life to us while words of criticism are words of death. Other people like teachers, friends and employers add to the collection of life-giving death words in a person's heart. Over time a person begins to see themselves in the light of these words. In this situation can one develop a sense of worth?

    Feeling worthless is possibly the most obvious symptom of low self-esteem（自尊心）. But it's easy to overcome. However tough your childhood is, you can still choose to enrich the world every day simply by the way you interact with others and make caring decisions. Whether we contribute anything or not is a choice. Feeling worthless means that you're not doing as well in the areas that matter to you and therefore you need to try to increase your self-esteem. To feel worthwhile, you'll have to really work at it and never give up on yourself.

    All human beings are capable of adding value to society, including you. Thus there are no excuses for saying things like “I'm worthless, stupid, useless” because you have the choice not to be any of these things.

    Wang Mengshu, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at a group discussion on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress that Wi-Fi should not be provided on high-speed trains, as it might disturb communication signals of trains and would also cost a lot in keeping trains in good condition. He also encouraged passengers to enjoy the views, instead of fixing their eyes on tiny screens of smart phones and laptops. However, on last Tuesday Beijing Youth Daily said it should be market demand that decides whether the Wi-Fi is offered on the trains or not.

    An increasing number of residents, especially young white-collar workers, are addicted to their smart phones rather than face-to-face interactions, thanks to the extensive Wi-Fi coverage across the country. That partly justifies Wang's opposition to the offering of Wi-Fi on high-speed trains, because they are not supposed to be dependent on high-tech devices. It is also evident that passengers on trains without free Wi-Fi will use their smart phones and other mobile devices less. However, whether the trains should provide a free Wi-Fi service fundamentally depends on customer demand.

    In other words, state-owned as it is, the China Railway Crop still has to obey relevant market rules, and provide technologically possible services to passengers if that is what they want. It cannot turn a blind eye to customers' wants "for the sake of their well-being".

    Free Wi-Fi, in fact, is already available on a lot of buses and coaches. This is a natural response to their competition with trains (especially high-speed ones), which are significantly faster and safer. The bus companies have been forced to improve their services to survive. It requires proper guidance, not a total ban on the bus, to make up for the negative effects of high-end technologies, such as people's increasing addiction to smart phones.

    Road trip

    Motorhome delivery offers great family holidays. For just $1 a day, you can hire a fully﹣equipped motorhome, which you deliver to a specific destination within some days and kilometers. You then hire another one to get home or take a bus or train. Your only other expense will be fuel and about﹩20 a day for parking fees. To learn more, visit apollocamper.com.

    Plan ahead

    For a comfortable break, flexibility with times, dates and places helps lower the cost. Find a few hotels you like, ask about their vacant rooms, then wait a few weeks and call again. If they still have rooms, you're at an advantage to ask for a better price. Lots of last﹣minute deals are online. Watif （watif.com.au） has deals on hotels that have dropped their prices so slow. You don't know where you're staying until it's booked, but anywhere with four or five stars has to be fairly good.

    Back to nature

    Wild camping appeals to nature lovers and costs nothing. This is forbidden on beaches and parks in most urban areas, but you can turn up in more distant area as long as nobody owns the land. You'll need to take everything with you and may need to shop on eBuy （ebuy.com.au）.If you're a camping beginner, be aware of safety measures and get your questions answered on the Internet.

    Swap meet

    How about a home swap？For a $250 yearly joining cost, you can stay in someone's home in an international place of your choice while they or someone else stays in yours. Find out more at familylink.com.au.

    Looking to have a rest after the working days？Check out to see if the following events are in your area！