Family News and Events

Family News and Events
Kerry sci-fi festival

Families often debate about what movie is the greatest of all, and more often than not, Star Wars is part of the list. It’s good news for fans of the movie then, as it will be theme of a céilí in Portmagee’s village square, Kerry, over May 4-6.

The Fáilte Ireland initiative is designed to capitalise on several Star Wars location shoots that have taken place along the 2,500km route, from Malin Head in Co. Donegal to Ceann Sibeal and Skellig Michael in Co. Kerry – and further afield.

There will be plenty of events throughout the weekend ranging from drive-in movie screens to guided film location walks and even workshops about the puffins upon the latest movie’s ‘porgs’ [pictured] were based. Traditional music, set dancing and singing will also be happening during this sci-fi inspired weekend. Best of all – admission is free!

 

The problem-solving spoon

Feeding a baby can be a troublesome task, with food often creating a mess over the floor rather than ending up in your child’s mouth. In the hope of solving this problem, a revolutionary utensil is providing an easy, safe, and clean way for your baby to get all the nourishment they need.

‘Squirt’ isn’t just an ordinary spoon, but also acts as a food dispenser. Simply fill the product’s bulb with up to three ounces of baby food, and with one squeeze of the device, the food will come out.

It’s designed for stage one and two foods, is dishwasher safe and makes it much quicker and easier to feed your child. This product is ideal if you’re a parent on the go and it even comes with a spoon cap so that it stays clean.

 

Link found between memory and menopause

It is common knowledge that as you get older your memory begins to weaken, but new research suggests that a late menopause onset may benefit the memory skills of senior women later in life.

The study, led by Diana Kuh, from University College London, revealed that, on average, female participants could remember 25.8 words they were tasked to recall, but the number declined to 23.3 words by age 69.

However, women whose menopause occurred naturally and later in life had higher scores, being able to recall an additional 0.09 words per year.

“The difference in verbal memory scores for a 10-year difference in the start of menopause was small – recalling only one additional word, but it’s possible that this benefit could translate to a reduced risk of dementia years later,” said Kuh, adding that more research is needed to determine whether this is the case.