Video Spotlight: Impressive Chameleon

This week's video spotlight - Check out this funky color-changing dude! Think it's real? Maybe. Either way, it's pretty darn cool. I now want a chameleon to see what kind of crazy colors I can change it.

Ever wonder what celebrity you look like? What your kids might look like? Check out this fun collection of websites that allow you to play with your face.

We all know that Australia is the adventurer and the nature lover’s destination. Every year, millions of tourists visit Australia to experience its unique offerings. But what about kids? Are all the adventures safe for kids? Will your kids enjoy miles of trekking in the outback? We understand your concern; here are 10 great attractions for your kids in Australia.

Take Them Kangaroo Spotting

Kids love kangaroos; what better way to keep them entertained than to take them on a kangaroo spotting tour? Special kangaroo spotting trips are arranged by the Australian Tourism Department for people who don’t want to physically explore the outback. Watching these adorable creatures hopping and carrying their young will make your child’s day!

Kids Enjoy Zoos and Aquariums

The National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra has an exciting “Predators of the Deep” exhibit featuring different varieties of shark. This is a wonderful place for your kids to learn about these magnificent creatures, safely from behind glass windows. This zoo always has several typical Australian animals such as the kangaroo and the koala bear in bushland settings. There are the big cats, bears and African waterhole animals to round off the trip.

Go Ferry Riding On Oceanworld Manly

If you’re in Sydney, take a ferry or jetcat ride from Circular Quay to Oceanworld. Your kids will love watching sharks, turtles, shoals of multicolored fish and stingrays in the giant oceanarium. It’s safe to get them up close to baby crocodiles, venomous snakes, a variety of lizards and other dangerous reptiles at the reptile show.

Ferry On The Sydney Harbor

Take your kids on a ferry on Sydney Harbor and let them enjoy the sights. Take the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly; stroll the golden beaches, visit the Oceanworld aquarium, eat at the lovely coffee shops and make a day out of it. Beautiful Sydney will keep your kids enthralled; you can even take a bus to North Head and show them the best Sydney coastal views.

Enjoy The Sydney Aquarium and Darling Harbor

Did you know that in the Sydney Aquarium at Darling Harbor, you could view sharks, multi-colored fish and stingrays via the underwater viewing tunnels? You can even watch seals swimming underneath you in the seal enclosure! While at the Darling Harbor, be sure to enjoy the IMAX theatre, the National Maritime Museum and the Chinese Gardens.

Take A Wildlife Tour!

Safe wildlife tours are available to take you into the 10 acres of lush rainforest near Sydney. Beautiful, fragrant eucalyptus trees and other native trees perfume the air. Your kids will go crazy watching animals such as red & grey kangaroos, dingoes, koalas, echidnas, wombats, wallabies species, Australian native birds and emus in their natural habitats.

Visit The Sydney Powerhouse Museum

This great hands-on, family-friendly technology and culture museum has many exhibits the kids will enjoy. Added to this are the recorded music and voice effects that are cleverly integrated with the exhibits. Your kids just have to touch an exhibit and a voice will tell them what all about it. Your kids will also enjoy the specially designed KidSpace areas.

Watch The Penguin Parade In Melbourne

Give your kids a very special experience. Take them to Phillip Island and watch as they cavort among the fairy penguins. The penguin parade begins at dusk, on the beach, when they waddle to their burrows in the dunes. This is a remarkable sight and will form a lifetime memory for your kids.

Enjoy Farm Life For A Day!

Take your kids to the Fairfield City Farm in Sydney, to give them a chance to experience different kinds of farm animals, along with native and exotic species. If your kids are regular city bred, they will love to watch animals being sheared, milked and managed here. They can also see giant horses, go on tractor rides and watch stockwhip demonstrations. It’s the closest city kids can come to real farm life.

Walk Through Fitzroy Gardens In Melbourne

Fitzroy Gardens is a child’s delight. Here, your kids can see a model Tudor village, and the much-touted carved trunk of the Fairy Tree. If your kids are young enough to believe in fairy tales, Fitzroy Gardens is the place where they all took place. There’s Captain Cook`s cottage which used to house his parents, transported here all the way from Yorkshire in 1934. This delightful parkland area is also home to many of Australia’s native animals.

Teena Celis is content developer for unique gift ideas company Adrenalin that provide large range of experiences like hot air ballooning in Melbourne, Jet boat rides and V8 race experiences.

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

10 Exercises You Can Do At Your Desk And Remain Fit!

We all know the drill. A 9 to 5 job, long drives home, soccer practice runs, hours in front of the television while feeling tired and bored and to bed finally. How much do we move our bodies throughout the day? Not much, if you think about it. What happens to our bodies then? Slowly, our bodies lose their muscle content and become sluggish and lethargic. This spells doom in capital letters for most people.

So what can you do, if you aren’t able to find the time to hit the gym or the running track? Don’t worry, there are ways you can beat the flab sitting right where you are. Yes, that’s right. You can actually exercise right there at your desk and still manage to stay in shape. Read on to know more.

Pump your arms and legs up and down

Every hour or so, lift both arms and pump them vigorously for 30 seconds at a time. Rotate your arms as though you’re practicing to throw a ball. Quickly tap your feet on the floor for 30 seconds at a time while moving your ankles. This keeps the blood flowing to your extremities, while burning calories.

Twist your upper body

While holding on to your desk, stand straight, twist your torso completely left, and then right. You’re your desk with both your hands and bend your back as far as it will go. Repeat these moves several times until you feel relaxed and supple.

Stretch your hamstrings

Lean back in your chair and make sure your lower back is supported. Place your hands under your left knee and bring it up to your chest level. Do this several times and repeat with the other leg.

Practice golf moves

Join your hands together and bring them to your right shoulder. Pretend you’re holding a golf club and you’re about to hit your best shot. Swing your arms out, stretching your elbows and shoulders. Do the same with the other side. Repeat several times.

Do desk crunches

While sitting on your chair, keep your hands together and raise them above your head, stretching fully. Keep your body straight in your chair while bending forward from the waist. Rest your joined hands on the desk in front of you and put your head on them. Crunch your abdominal muscles, count up to five, and then relax while breathing out. Do the stretch, crunch and relax moves several times. Take care not to strain your back.

Tighten your gluts

Your buttocks tend to get flattened the more you sit. You need to tighten and tone them back into shape. As you work, take a few moments to tighten your buttocks. Hold them in that position for ten seconds and then release. Repeat several times and do this as often as you can. Squeeze your buttocks as tightly as you can for best results.

Expand your chest

Keep your hands together and join your fingers with your palms facing each other. Lift your arms above your head and further back, as much as you are able to. Throw your head back and stretch your back while squeezing your shoulder blades together. This opens up your chest and expands your lungs, allowing you to breathe easily, while working out your chest muscles.

Work those abs

Sit straight in your chair and press your feet on the floor. Keep your hands in your lap. Breathe in deeply. As you breathe in, clench your upper and lower abdominal muscles. Hold your breath for as long as you can and breathe out while relaxing your abs. Do this several times during the day to tighten your abs, and as an added benefit, achieving better breath control.

Stretch those legs!

Move your chair a few feet away from your desk. While keeping your lower back firmly pressed to the back of your chair, lift your legs off the floor. Spread your legs and stretch them out tightly, with the toes pointing out. You must feel the stretch in your calves, ankles, thighs and buttocks. Keep the stretch for a few seconds and then relax your legs. Do this several times to tone your legs and ensure better circulation.

Rotate your neck

People who work at their desks all day long tend to hold built up tension in their necks and shoulders and stress causes weight gain. Every now and then, take a break and relax your neck and shoulders. Throw your head back till the back of your head touches your upper back. Then slowly rotate your head in a complete circle, both clockwise and anti-clockwise. Alternate this with raised shoulder clenches to alleviate tension and relax your shoulder muscles. Remember to keep your neck and shoulders relaxed during this exercise.
John Smith manages an online nurses scrubs store that offers a wide range of scrub tops, pants and lab coats

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net