Throwing and catching are skills that many of us learn when we are children. They are tricky skills to learn and getting them right takes lots of practise but once we’ve got the hang of them, we can use them for playing games and sports and for passing things to people who are not standing near to us.
My friend’s daughter wants to know what happens inside her body when she throws a ball. How does her body know what to do and how hard to throw the ball?
Thumb-sucking is something my 8-year-old does. She has sucked her thumb (usually the one on her right hand) since she was a few weeks old. She says it helps her to get to sleep and she most often sucks her thumb when she is feeling tired.
Thumb-sucking has become a habit for my daughter, which means that it’s something she does regularly. But often, she doesn’t even notice she’s doing it! And the dentist has said she must try to stop sucking her thumb because otherwise she’ll get wonky teeth.
But breaking a habit is hard – especially when it’s something you’ve done nearly every day of your whole life!
The dog in this photo is Teddy. He lives with my parents. Teddy is a kind of dog called a Bichon Frise (pronounced: bee-shawn-free-say). He’s small with curly white fur and a loud bark!
Teddy likes to run around, chasing a ball or playing with his favourite toy. He also likes to chase away any birds that land in my parents’ garden. And when he’s finished chasing the birds, he sits down for a good pant.
Panting is a kind of quick breathing. But why does Teddy pant? What is panting for? Let’s find out…
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