Family News & Events

Family News & Events
Always time to go and make some scarecrows

This scarecrow making workshop in Dublin is expected to be fun for all the family and results in the creation of your very own scarecrow created from upcycled materials.

All that’s needed is a bit of creativity and the Rediscovery Centre will provide all of the material that is needed. At the end of the workshop attendees will be able to take their scarecrow home to proudly display it in your garden.

All children must be accompanied by an adult and the €20 ticket includes entry for two adults and three children.

Due to the Covid-19 restrictions organisers have several guidelines in place, they say: “In order to protect visitors and staff, it is mandatory that adults wear a face mask during their visit. If visitors arrive without a mask there will be some available to purchase in our Ecostore. Adults will not be able to join a tour/workshop until they are wearing a face mask. If you have any queries in relation to face masks please email our team on info@rediscoverycentre.ie

The event takes place on October 24, more info can be found at: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/make-your-own-scarecrow-workshop-tickets-116290324491?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Eating disorders worsening due to pandemic

During the first few months of the pandemic, many individuals with anorexia reported restricting their eating more according to a US study published last month in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

People with bulimia and binge-eating disorder reported their conditions worsening. Respondents also noted increased anxiety and concern about Covid-19’s impact on their mental health. More than one third of the 1,021 participants said their eating disorder had worsened—and they attributed this change to issues such as a lack of structure, a triggering environment, the absence of social support and an inability to obtain foods that fit their meal plans.

The paper’s senior author Cynthia M. Bulik of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) notes that anxiety and depression are on the rise for many because of the pandemic—and this increase can present specific triggers to those with eating disorders.

Contact lenses could slow myopia in children

Children wearing multifocal contact lenses had slower progression of their myopia, according to results from a clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. The findings support an option for controlling the condition, also called nearsightedness, which increases the risk of cataracts, glaucoma and retinal detachment later in life. Investigators of the Bifocal Lenses In Nearsighted Kids (BLINK) Study published in Jama.

“It is especially good news to know that children as young as seven achieved optimal visual acuity and got used to wearing multifocal lenses much the way they would a single vision contact lens. It’s not a problem to fit younger kids in contact lenses. It’s a safe practice,” said BLINK study chair, Dr Jeffrey Walline associate dean for research at the Ohio State University College of Optometry.