12 week course

Learn to Spell? It’s the Latest Hobby

1st May 2022 by UBee

It only lasted one series on TV , but the show called The Big Spell back in 2017 has started a whole new interest in spelling as a skill.

Based on the Spelling Bee contests so popular in the USA, The Big Spell saw teams of young people compete through to the final, proving they really were the best at spelling!

For many of us, the use of computers and spell check has sent our spelling skills to the bottom of the class

What is a spelling bee? The National Spelling bee is famous in America and draws large crowds both in person and in arenas who gather to watch the competition.

[Read more…]

Go! Igo! Baduk! or Weiqi! Same Game, Just a Different Name

27th April 2022 by UBee

Go is one of the world’s great strategy board games and originated over 3,000 years ago in China. It is part of popular culture today in Japan, China and Korea, and known as Igo, Weiqi or Baduk respectively in these countries.

Go is a game for two players with just a few simple rules that is fun for all ages. You start with an empty board and then place pieces alternately, vying to map out more territory. However, if you overstretch, your pieces can be captured and taken off the board.

[Read more…]

Learning How to Be A Scrabble Master

15th April 2022 by UBee

Scrabble is actually quite simple to play. The point of this board game is to come up with a word or words by placing letter tiles on the scrabble board in such a way that the tiles would yield the most number of points. Scrabble is a great board game because it helps build vocabulary. Not only that, scrabble also helps in developing the use of logic, because it is also a game of strategy.

To play scrabble, you will need a scrabble set. The scrabble set consists of the scrabble board, four racks, a tile bag, and 100 letter tiles. Up to four people can play scrabble, but some people enjoy putting up teams who will pit their vocabulary skills against each other using only one scrabble set. Scrabble can also be played solo, just like the card game solitaire.

A dictionary would also be handy for challenges. There is an official scrabble game dictionary available, but any other dictionary will do.

Scoring in Scrabble

Scoring in scrabble is determined by two things: the value of the tiles used in the word and the placement of the tiles on the board. There is also a 50-point bonus for players who were able to utilize all their tiles in one single round.

Soap Making as a Hobby is a Great New Skill

6th April 2022 by UBee

Soaps are so taken for granted that we hardly pause to think more about how they are made. The general feeling is that the entire process is far too complicated, industrial, and way out of being made a hobby. In reality, soap making is a simple process, and there are ready-made melt and pour type of kits available that allow us to make soaps with our own chosen colours, fragrances, herbal ingredients, and shapes.

Soap making can be pursued as a hobby and can even be turned into a small home based business. All it takes is an interest in the making of soaps, and some diligence in the whole process.

Soap is a simple mixture of oils and caustic soda (lye.) The resultant liquid when left to solidify forms soap with a lot of glycerine, hence also called glycerine soap. The industrial soap manufacturers remove excess amounts of glycerine and use other ways to make the soap soft and mellow.

The oils used in soap making are common oils like palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, grape seed oil etc. The caustic soda used should be of industrial quality.

There is some amount of heating involved in soap making, and this therefore requires caution. The exact proportions of mixing oil and lye should also be known beforehand.

A melt and pour soap making kit can introduce a novice into soap making. Simply buy the kit and follow the instructions that come along. Once you are familiar with this process, you may consult other sources and can try making soap oneself.

Everyone of us wants to have a herbal soap, one filled with natural oils and fragrances. Children are delighted with soaps of various shapes such as animal figurines. Pursuing soap making as a hobby can allow you to make soaps as exactly as you want them to look and smell!

U:Bee Online is a licensed AAP (Approved Activity Provider) for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Achieve your Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award by completing the Volunteering, Physical, Expedition and Skills Section of your DofE Programme.

Looking for DofE skills section activities? Choose one of the U:Bee Online DofE skills section ideas, to complete your 3 month or 6 month skills section, for your Bronze Award or Silver Award and receive your Certificate and Assessor’s Report.
Find Skills Section Courses at www.ubee.org.uk

Pocket Watch Appreciation- A Skill and a Hobby

30th March 2022 by UBee

The history of the pocket watch is often overlooked in significance because of the many other inventions that were taking place. However, the pocket watch provided us with the first portable clocks giving us the power to know what time it was wherever we were. The pocket watch was a device that was very rich in the 16th century and only the high class could possess.

In the 16th century clocks were produced using springs instead of weights, signifying the transfer from clocks to watches. These old pocket watches were the first timepieces that could be owned by the public. Owning a pocket watch signified the status, wealth and power of an individual.

The 17th century made pocket watches even more desirable with a new look to the figure. The watch had changed from its original box-like look to a new rounded and slimmer case. Craftsmen began working ever so hard to create designs on every pocket watch made.

In 1675 some watchmakers discovered the importance of a spiral spring. By attaching the spiral spring to the balance, the accuracy of the pocket watch increased greatly. It was now possible to tell time by the minute as oppose to being off by a few hours. With this new discovery, the minute hand was born on the pocket watch.

The 18th century saw added improvement to the pocket watch with further development and more added features to drive up the price. Oil had become a popular method to lubricate and smoothen the movement of the hands of the watch. Jewels had begun to be used for the bearings in watches while diamonds were used on the high-priced watches. This shot the cost up to again give the rich the power to show their wealth and status.

In the middle of the 18th century another hand was introduced to show the increased precision in time. It was only a matter of time that a third hand would be added seeing that we were aware of time down to the second now. This allowed people to know the exact time of day it was through their pocket watch.

The 19th century brought several famous pocket watch makers that increased the value of the watch. Having multiple watchmakers added the competition to the quality of watch they sold, including how much they sold their watches for. The quality of watches sold was now better than ever with much more reasonable prices. The 19th century signified the peak of the old pocket watch.

As time passed further inventions were taking place and the invention of the wristwatch soon took the place of the pocket watch. While some old pocket watches are still around today, the wristwatch is the dominant choice of time now. Today old pocket watches are more of an antique collection than anything. While the pocket watch has served as a useful tool throughout the years, it now rests as solely a collection item that helped lead to the development of the wristwatch.

12 week course

Footer