Physical exercise helps boost brain power and can relieve stress when revising

As we’re in prime revision time right now, I thought it would be a good idea to offer some tips on how to get out your frustration and boost brain activity, at the same time giving you the best possible chance of succeeding in your exams.

Did you know that donning a pair of trainers and going out for a run can boost not only your physical health, but also increase your brain health? The benefits to brain function can be seen on multiple fronts, ranging from the molecular to the behavioural level. It has been shown that just 20 minutes of exercise can lead to an increase in information processing and memory functions.

There are a number of reasons for the increase in brain power. Firstly, exercise increases your heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain. Secondly, exercise aids the bodily release of a plethora of hormones, all of which participate in aiding and providing a nourishing environment for the growth of brain cells. These two benefits help stimulate the brain plasticity by stimulating growth of new connections between cells in a wide array of important cortical areas of the brain, helping to boost memory and mend damaged brain cells.

There are also behavioural benefits, with a decrease in stress hormones. This is why exercise can have a positive effect during revision as it will allow you to concentrate more and to focus on the work rather than worrying about the exam. One of the best times to exercise is in the morning before you start revising or even before work. This will help boost brain activity and prepare you for the mental stresses of the day. It also produces increases in retention of new information and better reactions to complex situations.

So if you’re getting frustrated with your revision because you don’t understand it, or are feeling stressed out at work get those trainers on and go out and do some exercise. You will feel much better! Even when you’re stuck on one particular problem or feel mentally exhausted, doing a few star jumps might reboot your brain.

Thanks,

The 10ticks team

10ticks has linked up with the Eden Project to offer a fantastic prize!

We are excited to announce that 10ticks has linked up with the Eden Project to offer you a fantastic prize of a family ticket for two adults and up to three children. This will be a great day out for the whole family with the Eden Project being one of the UKs biggest attractions.

To be in with a chance to win the prize all you have to do is make sure your child is in the top 200 most logged in students by the end of the month. We will then pick a winner at random from these 200. The competition deadline is the 30^th of April 2013 so make sure your child has logged in by then! All entrants must have an active account at the end of the month to take part in the prize draw.

This competition is one of the many incentives on the site to encourage children to log in and learn. Don’t forget our merit and certificate system, this creates positive reinforcement helping build up confidence and self-esteem. You can award merits from the parent user area for your children. Children can then use this confidence to further their success and achieve great things in maths and beyond.

To opt out of the competition, log into the parent area and look for the competition box in your User Area. Uncheck the box.

What’s on at the Eden Project?

Freaky Nature

29 March- 14 April

Visit Eden this Easter holidays and you’ll never be able to look at plants in quite the same way again. Discover sticky plants, smelly plants, poisonous plants and even carnivorous plants that bite back!  We’re also exploring the freaky side of food, where it comes from and, of course, where plants come in! Discover how plants eat, how they avoid being eaten themselves, explore the fascinating food cycle and take part in some freaky food experiments!

http://www.edenproject.com/visit-us/whats-on/kids-and-families/freaky-nature

If you need any help on the system the 10ticks team are always here to support you. You can contact us via email, phone and Skype as well as through Facebook.

Thanks,

From the 10ticks team

Top Food tips for revision

Although eating a balanced diet when you’re trying to cram for the end of year exams may not seem like you biggest priority it can actually make a big difference. So it’s time to put down the pizza and the Redbull and take on board these top tips on how to eat your way to success.

So what are the reasons for eating healthily? Although your brain only weighs 2% of your total body weight it uses approximately 20% of your body’s energy at rest. The brain is powered by energy which comes from broken down food. The primary source of energy for the brain is glucose which comes from carbohydrate rich foods like breads and pasta. The brain stores are very small so to keep it functioning at its best, it needs constant glucose replacement.

Breakfast

I know you have heard this before but breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Your body has been starved of food all night while you sleep and you need to refuel to prepare for the day ahead.

·         Cereal or toast, but make sure it is low sugar/salt cereal and try and go for whole meal bread

·         Try and get a portion of fruit in the morning a quick and easy way to do this as well as tasty is to have a glass of pure fruit juice.

·        Porridge is a great way to start the day it tastes great and will keep you going all the way through to lunch. Try adding in some banana and honey.

Lunch

Keep it healthy at lunch don’t just go for the easy option of a packet of crisps!

·         Salads can be a good choice but make sure you don’t drown it in dressing sauce

·         Jacket potatoes can be very healthy especially with some baked beans or tuna but try and avoid the cheese

·         You should be trying to get your 5 portions of fruit and veg everyday so make sure you stock up at lunch time.

Dinner

The important thing for dinner is to avoid the fatty and greasy foods this does your brain no good and makes you sluggish.

·         Fish is perfect for boosting brain power; it is high in protein and omega 3 and low in fats.

·         Chicken is also high in protein and low in fats but make sure it’s not deep fat fried and covered in batter. Serve with some new potatoes and some veg

·         Pasta is great for maintaining those energy levels throughout the day. Serve with a nice tomato sauce and you will be well on your way for reaching that 5 a day.

Snacks

It is important to have a few small snacks throughout the day to keep those energy levels up but stay clear of the chocolate bars and crisps.

·         Fresh vegetables with humous is perfect and helps towards your 5 a day and you get some healthy protein from the chickpeas in the humous

·         Peanut butter on toast, good for breakfast as well as a snack

·         Fruit, cheap and full of sugar to boost your energy levels

·         Nuts, high in protein and good at filling you up try and avoid the salted ones though

If you follow these simple steps you will be well on your way to succeeding in your exams.

Thanks,

From the 10ticks team

Teaching firm ticks right boxes home and abroad

10ticks makes the news! This is an article from Bolton News highlighting how we are doing in the UK and abroad.

A BOLTON firm is booming — both here and abroad.

10 Ticks designs maths and English computer based tutorials aimed at pupils, students and families at school or home.

Its customer base ranges from 20,000 children aged from five to 16 to a smaller number of older students aged in their 70s.

In the past 12 month the firm, based at Bolton Enterprise Centre, in Washington Street, has won new deals in Malaysia and Australia and more recently in South Africa.

Darren Wood, the firm’s head of business development and marketing, has been travelling abroad to deal with agents and meet customers.

As part of this, he recently visited a maths conference for teachers in Melbourne, Australia.

Back in Bolton, he said: “The conference was great and I got to speak to teachers at first-hand. They were really embracing the new curriculum, which has been a great development because teachers previously had reservations about the country’s new curriculum.

“South Africa is the latest country on our list. We’ve just developed a partnership there and looking at charities and other developments.”

He said the firm also wants to expand its UK business by selling 10Ticks products in national supermarket chains, such as Asda.

Mr Wood said: “It’s not easy getting the attention of the big retailers. But as the sales are increasing the big chains are starting to take note. We’ve been telling them that if we want to improve the country’s numeracy levels then we need to get programmes like 10Ticks widely available, as they are proven to work.”

10 Ticks has also taken on a new marketing manager, Ryan Davies.

A Manchester University graduate originally from Gloucester, he said: “My role involves travel which I’ve always loved, so that part of the job was a big draw for me. It’s good to be working in Bolton, which has a good business community.

“Some of my friends support Wanderers and I’ve been to the Reebok a few times. I also think celebrities like Amir Khan and Peter Kay help put Bolton on the map.”

The business was founded in 2000 by Ian Fisher, a former Bolton maths teacher and education consultant.

His work has included designing and online test which helps identify a child’s individual strengths and how these can be used to get the most out of school .Study could include learning through visual aids or activities rather than listening.

Visit our website for more details about the Home and School Learning System.
www.10ticks.co.uk

Thanks form the 10ticks team.

Jenson Button: Formula 1 would be nothing without without maths and science

Formula 1 racing driver Jenson Button urges young people to study maths, science and engineering in school. He argued that the glamour and excitement of racing would not exist without the brilliance of scientists and engineers.

Having a public figure like this endorsing maths and science is great news. Someone like Jenson Button who is a role model for kids all across the country and the world is a great ambassador, and can really help to encourage kids to work hard in these subjects. In the future these are the subjects that are going to help young people get the best jobs and drive the economies of the major nations across the globe.

Research this week published in the UK warned that 1 in 5 young people will need to become an engineer if the UK has any chance of re balancing the economy more towards advanced engineering. This is going to be a tall order and really needs a lot of backing from the government as well as people like Jenson Button to encourage and make sure young people continue with subjects like maths and physics.

Not only is it important to encourage young people into maths and science when they get older but also it is really important to build up a good base when they are young. In the previous article I posted I mentioned how being top of the class in maths in primary school has been proven to boost income by the time you are 30. So this article ties in really well with that and shows that with the shortage of skilled workers with the right knowledge, focusing on these subjects early on can help lead to a great career in the future. You never know your son or daughter could be the next lead engineer at McLaren with a bit of extra maths help.

Thanks for reading.

The 10ticks team

Extra maths help in primary school can boost potential earnings significantly

How extra maths help in primary school can boost your income when your 30!

Government funded research shows a child in the top 15% of maths scores at age 10 is likely to earn an extra 7.3% by the age of 30

Children with the best skills earn the most money, according to government funded research.

A study by the institute for fiscal studies (IFS), funded by the department for education, measured the maths achievements of a group born in 1970 and compared it with the salary they earned once they were in there thirties.

A child in the top 15 per cent of maths scores at the age of 10 is likely to earn 7.3 per cent more at the age 30 than an otherwise identical child who achieves a middle ranking maths score, even after controlling for the qualifications that they go on to obtain.

This was calculated as being able to earn an extra £2100 per year.

This is great news for all the parents who have got their kids on the 10ticks Home Learning System from an early age, as they will likely be at the top of the class throughout primary school. This makes paying for that bit of extra maths help with 10ticks seem like a great investment not only in your child’s education but will actually help boost their earning potential when they are older.

The maths helps 10ticks offers, ranges from the age of 5 right up until the age of 16 with A* GCSE. So 10ticks can be with you every step of the way helping to really boost your child to the top of the class. It is also interesting to note maths skills made a much bigger difference to potential earnings than reading and even more important than the qualifications young people go on to achieve. This highlights the importance of investing in skills, particularly maths skills early on.

If you would like some more information about 10ticks and the maths help it has to offer feel free to email us at r.davies@10ticks.co.uk.

Thanks,

From the 10tick team