Kids undergo a large amount of pressure and stress during their school exams, which can often become quite overwhelming (to much) for them. It may be the first experience of stress, at this level, they have ever experienced and therefore quite frightening. Yes, you may say that it's all a part of growing up and therefore good lessons for them to learn, and to an extent I agree with you. However, it's important to learn how to prepare for life's challenges so that they aren't overwhelming or scary and so that we are able to manage them the best we can.

    Here are some tips you can use during your kids exam time.

    Break their revision plan down into small parts. Doing this will help transform what once seemed like a huge impossible task into a more manageable one.

    Help them arrange properly so that the subjects they like the least (perhaps ones that require more time and effort) are worked on first; once they are out of the way, it will help reduce the worry.

    Plan week on week to make sure they are on track. Ticking items of a list each week will help them to feel good about themselves and their progress.

    Create rewards for all the ticks - a favourite TV programme, a delicious snack, an hour's surfing the Internet, computer games or whatever it was that they enjoy the most. This will encourage them to carry on and make them feel good.

    Think of strategies on how to deal with exams calmly so their anxieties don't get the better of them.

    Talk about times in their lives when they had been successful at something and look at the qualities they used to get them there - determination, persistence, hard work, patience, positivity, dedication - discuss how they can apply these skills to their exams.

    Acknowledge that if they do their best that is good enough.

    Ensure they realize that this period in their lives will pass and that exams are only a temporary time in their lives; nothing can and does last forever.

    Ensure they keep their eye on the prize: enjoying their long summer holiday when the exams are finished; giving them something to look forward to will help to motivate them and provide a positive end in sight.

    New Sciencenter Featured Exhibition: Ocean Bound!

    Opening weekend

    Member Preview: Friday, February 3, 6—8 pm

    Public Opening: Saturday, February 4, 10 am — 5 pm

    Start a journey through watersheds to see how everyone's actions affect the health of our ocean. Enjoy interacting with 3D watershed models, piloting a full-size submersible from mountain stream to ocean, guiding water safely through a hazardous maze, diverting pollutants as they travel through storm-water drains, playing with early education exhibits inside a clubhouse, and many more engaging interactive exhibits.

    Showtime! Plant and Animal Double-Takes

    Saturday, January 21, 2 pm

    Have you ever looked at a living thing and wondered, Is that a plant or an animal? Join Sciencenter educators Julie Yurek and Sarah Cox to look into species that make you take a second look. Explore the surprising differences between these plants and animals.

    Showtime! Solar Power Goes Nano

    Saturday, February 11, 2 pm

    Did you know scientists are using nanotechnology to store solar energy? Learn about solar power and the emerging use of hydrogen fuel cells. Justin Sambur, NSF Postdoctoral Research Associate at Cornell's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, will demonstrate a model race car that uses a hydrogen fuel cell kit powered by solar energy.

    Special Showtime! Presentation: Animal Adaptations for Winter

    Wednesday, February 22, 1 pm

    Have you ever wondered how animals survive in winter? Join Emma Brofsky of Cornell's Naturalist Outreach Program to explore animal adaptations for winter and learn how biology helps animals cope with cold weather, food shortages, and limited habitats. Touch animal pelts and do a hands-on activity on animal insulation.

    People have used pigeons to carry messages to one another for hundreds of years. In fact, pigeons were a common way to send messages right up through Would War II.

    In 1815, English troops were fighting Napoleon's forces in France, and the English were believed to be losing. A financial panic swept over London. Government bonds（债券）were offered at low prices. Few people noticed that Nathan Rothschild, an English banker, was snapping up these bonds when everyone else was trying to sell them. A few days later, London learned the truth: the Duke of Wellington had defeated Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo. The value of the bonds soared（暴涨）, and Rothschild became wealthy…all because his pigeons had brought him news of the victory before anyone else knew of it.

    Carrier pigeons were used by countries in both World War I and World War II. Not only were the birds often the fastest, most reliable way to send messages, they could also be used to reach soldiers far behind enemy lines, where radios and field telephone lines were useless. Since they could easily be released from airplanes or ships, every branch of the armed services used the birds.

    Carrying messages could be a dangerous job. Some pigeons performed with such bravery that they became famous and were even awarded medals. The most famous pigeon of all may have been Cher Ami. Stationed in France during World War I, he carried twelve important messages for American forces. On his last mission, though wounded, he carried a message that saved the lives of 194 American soldiers. For his amazing service, he was awarded the French “Croix de Guerre.”

    Today, modern communication methods can carry information from one place to another hundreds of times faster than a pigeon could do it. However, few people would argue with the fact that carrier pigeons — especially those that served in the military — have earned their place in history.

    Contrary to popular belief, people who sleep six to seven hours a night live longer, and those who sleep eight hours or more die younger, according to the latest study ever conducted on the subject. The study, which has tracked the sleeping habits of 1.1 million Americans for six years, weakens the advice of many sleep doctors who have long recommended that people get eight or nine hours of sleep every night.

    “There's an old idea that people should sleep eight hours a night, which has no more scientific basis than the gold at the end of the rainbow,” said Daniel Kripke, professor of psychiatry（精神病学）at the University of California at San Diego who led the study published in a recent copy of JAMA Psychiatry.

    The study was not designed to answer why sleeping longer may be harmful or whether people could extend their lifespan by sleeping less.

    But Kripke said it was possible that people who slept longer tended to suffer from short-term absence of sleeping, a condition where weak breathing puts stress on the heart and brain. He also stressed that the need for sleep was similar to that for food, where getting less than people want may be better for them.

    The study quickly caused warnings and criticism（批评）, with some sleep experts saying that the main problem of America's sleep habits was deprivation（剥夺）, not sleeping too much.

    “None of this says sleep kills people,” said Daniel Buysse, a psychiatrist at the university of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

    “You should sleep as much as you need to feel awake, alert and attentive the next day,” Buysse added. “I'm much more concerned about people short-changing themselves on sleep than people sleeping too long.”

    “Sleeplessness produces a variety of health consequences that were not measured in the study,” critics said.

    Doing business nowadays without a cellphone? Living a very private life? I can't imagine it anymore.

    Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker explained it very well: For the average working person, there's no greater feeling than powering down your computer and kissing goodbye to your work emails for the day. If we're lucky enough to disconnect from the job on evenings and weekends, we're overjoyed to leave work emails and the stress that comes with it in the office.

    But experts say we're increasingly failing to do so, instead bringing the burden home with us and dealing with emails during our free time. Unsurprisingly, this routine has some serious consequences.

    Working abnormal or long hours has long been linked with depression(抑郁症), anxiety and even heart disease. In addition, the importance of weekend recovery has also been linked with weekly job performance and personal initiative(主动性). And further research showed psychological detachment(脱离) during off-work time reduced emotional exhaustion caused by high job demands and helped people stay engaged.

    So, if we know all this, it begs the question: Why are we still letting work bother our precious weekend? According to Cary Cooper, professor of Organizational School, the recent trend even spills into the way we access our work communications and projects.

    Today, says Cooper, work emails are just a tap of a smartphone away. "You don't carry your laptop around when you're out to dinner, but you do carry your mobile phone," he says. "The smartphone does not make up for what is lost." So delete your work email account from your inbox(收件箱), and leave the worries until Monday.

Must-read New Fiction Books

We all have a few tried-and-true fiction favorites, but there's something special about a brand-new, hot-off-the-press novel. Whether it's your favorite author's new release or a new writer's first work, great fiction books make the perfect escape from ordinary life. That's why we've rounded up a list of the best new books released in February.

Age of Gold by Jerry Lapoor

Jerry Lapoor's latest action-packed novel unfolds like a crazy movie. This thriller begins when a wealthy man's car gets out of control. But when the dust settles, the rich man is nowhere to be found. How and to where does he disappear? With an exciting plot that will carry you from old-money houses to small agricultural villages, Age of Cold will take you on an unforgettable ride across a vast land.

City Under One Sky by Rachel Young

In the book, Young presents a crime story set in a small town. Detective Sara Kennedy has been sent to investigate a case. But soon after arrival, Sara gets snowed in with the 205 townsfolk living in the same apartment building. Who is hiding the key to the crime? And is there anyone she can truly trust? The appealing story, strange but distinctive characters and unexpected plot are just a few of the reasons why City Under One Sky gains its popularity.

Lady by Jess George

Lady is an irresistible fiction from Jess George. The story of Mary's fresh start at adulthood is shot through with themes of family, race and discrimination, womanhood and the immigrant reality of feeling torn between cultures. Though struggling with life in London as an African, Mary jumps at every chance to stand on her own feet.