Children just love climbing things which is why in any playground – at home, school or in the park – the climbing frame is always the first to be approached by energetic kids excited to play. 

Fun is great, of course, but it’s also encouraging to know that children are getting extra benefits from their time on the climbing frame. These sturdy, well-designed constructions not only encourage play, but they actively help boost a child’s development. Here’s how: 

Creative Thinking

Climbing frames encourage creative thinking and imaginary play, as children will create games around them, such as imagining it being a pirate ship that needs steering, or a mountain to climb and reach the peak. They also need to think creatively to problem solve their way around the frame, to manoeuvre sideways, up and down safely and successfully. 

Self-Esteem & Confidence

Studies show that children are aware of their own boundaries and abilities, and they are unlikely to try and push themselves beyond that point when using a climbing frame. Although a well made climbing frame will be in line with safety guidelines for a child using it, ‘safe’ failure will occur, which is normal and natural and helps the child to grow and develop their skills. Children will slowly reach new goals, and achieve more every time they play on the frame, helping to boost their self-esteem and confidence. 

Healthy Lifestyle

The NHS tells us that toddlers need to be physically active for at least three hours a day, and children over the age of five should have at least sixty minutes of exercise daily. Climbing frames encourage plenty of movement to help contribute to these healthy lifestyle goals. 

Emotional Wellbeing

It is known that active children help cope with stress better than less active children. Exercise on climbing frames, and other apparatus, helps to get lots of negative energy out and encourages feel-good hormones to be released. This also helps to regulate and enhance sleep quality, further aiding children to deal with stressful situations better. 

Learning & Engaging Elsewhere

Children who use climbing frames to ‘let off steam’ are more able to be focused and engaged in learning environments, and at home. After a great play session in the playground children will benefit from all the feel good chemicals which improve their memory, mood and ability to do well in their learning. 

Social Skills

Climbing frames in a child’s playground are shared, often by lots of children at the same time. For their safety and fun, there are only a certain number of children able to get onto the frame at a time, and so active sharing has to take place. 

As a climbing frame is often an aesthetic and functional centre point for a playground, it also draws children towards it, who then congregate, socialise and make friends. 

Physical Development

When children squeeze, grip, push, pull, stretch and grab on the climbing frame, their muscle tone improves, and their fine and gross motor skills are used in many different ways. They also have better spatial and directional awareness, and their cardiovascular system is worked, supporting heart health. 

Are You Ready To Help Boost Children’s Development As They Play? 

Climbing frames are exciting, aesthetically pleasing, functional centrepieces for any playground whether they are used in private, public or educational settings. . 

With a professional climbing frame manufactured and installed by a knowledgeable and experienced company, you can help kids under your care to make the most of playground time every day, every season, rain or shine.

Have you ever been to an office where the cleanliness and freshness of the space seemed effortless? Where there was just naturally a feeling of light and air? Unfortunately, it can sometimes seem like an impossible feat to keep an office clean. With so many people using the space daily, making cups of tea, and cluttering up the place, with computers and photocopiers pumping chemicals and fumes into the air, it can make a cleaner’s job a challenge to maintain. But there are a few things those offices have in common that can make a big difference to an office’s cleanliness and presentability. 

Enthuse Employees

Did you know that in some countries, like Japan, cleanliness and cleaning one’s space, whether that’s students in a school or workers in an office, is an expected part of the culture that’s seen as showing respect to yourself and others? While that may not be something that will catch on in the same way in the UK, having employees that are enthusiastic and invested in the beauty of their workspace will go a long way to helping keep the office clean. Think washing up their own cups, not leaving any rubbish or wrappers lying around, and even ensuring any environment used is tidy and ready for the next person. If this can’t be infused into the office culture, scheduling or incentives are always available to get employees on board.

Minimise

A cluttered office is a messy office. This is another area that is considered by those running a perennially clean workspace. Perhaps it’s time for a spring clean? Or maybe storage space needs to be increased and made more efficient? Are there hard-copy files that should be electronically stored and shredded to make space? Even having an expert in to advise on reshuffling the office will make a significant impact. Considering how clutter can be reduced, planning for it and implementing it will significantly impact the overall look and feel of your office. 

Update the Decor

Does your office feel dark and dingy, or perhaps dated? Darkening on wall paint, peels in the roof or even grubby office furniture can date a place and make it look grotty. On the other hand, a fresh coat of paint, furniture replacement, or updating any obvious maintenance issues can make a difference in the overall cleanliness of your office space. It is certainly something great-looking offices do regularly.

Have a Regular Professional Deep Clean

Another great way to keep your office looking clean and bright for longer is to have a regular deep clean. This goes far beyond what you’d expect from your daily clean and cleaner and instead gets into all the hard-to-reach and neglected spaces to make it shine. 

Call On Our Professional Cleaners for More Assistance

For help or advice on your cleaning needs, contact Cleaning Express. We pride ourselves on creating clean and easy-to-manage spaces for our clients, ensuring they look professional at all times.

When purchasing art, it’s understandable that you may feel overwhelmed, especially if it’s your first time delving into this big new world. So it’s no surprise that many purchasers, especially first-timers, hire a professional art consultant to help select perfect pieces for their home, office, hotel, or anywhere else they want to fill with beautiful works of art. Before getting into buying, there are many considerations that are worth mulling over to clarify what you want before deciding who you want. A personal art consultant often requires a contract and decent financial outlay, so it’s important to be sure they are the right fit before signing on the dotted line. Peruse the questions below to get started. 

Do they have a specific philosophy for design?

Every art consultant has a particular point of view, and some will cite the personal philosophy they bring. For example, one may prefer to select pieces that match an existing space, while others primarily focus on something unique and exciting to make dramatic statements. Being aware of the prospective consultant’s style upfront gives you the opportunity to decide if your visions align and will result in a healthy and productive working relationship.

Have they worked with a similar client before with similar needs?

A certified professional art consultant should, in theory, be able to work with any purchase requirements, provide advice and insight, help with selection, guide the pieces’ placement in any space, and manage hanging the pieces on the wall, including tasteful framing and installation where required. Ensure from the start that your art consultant can handle that, and if in doubt, ask for a track record or references before commencement. This will save so many headaches that may wait further down the road. 

Will they have sufficient time for your project?

A good art consultant works closely with their client, particularly on set timelines, so it’s important to discover early on if your schedules mesh. This is of even more importance if there are multiple decision-makers involved in your project to avoid any unnecessary delays. Ideally, everyone involved in the art acquisition will meet in person with any prospective consultant so all can give input on the candidates. This approach means no one will feel surprised by the final selection, which may lead to team dysfunction later on. 

What are the service costs involved?

Art consultant pricing can vary wildly across the industry, as does the expense of each individual work of art. A consultant’s price may vary between adding to a private collection compared with an office or corporate space or larger scale commission. Understanding all costs upfront and if they align with your overall budget will be crucial when choosing a consultant. Some professionals charge hourly. Others provide packages with all the inclusions from the initial consultation to hanging and installation. Check what they are from the start so you can relax about that aspect when it comes to the fun of selecting your artwork.

Halloween is now lurking around the corner, and the spookiness intensifies with every passing day. With everyone hunting for the most mind-blowing costume for the all hallows night, we are here to give you a hint or two on being absolutely bad to the bone.

Below, we have listed seven unique ideas for a one piece Halloween costume that will help you stand out – streamlined, ruthless, terrifying, and terrific. So, fasten your seatbelts and get ready to misbehave!

#1 A Skeleton Two-Piece Set

For the ones who’d like to stick to the classics but upgrade them in the sexiest way possible, a friction-fit spandex costume with skeleton prints is a deal-maker. To help the good old Halloween-style vibe with the latest trends, you can choose a UV-reactive model and make everyone’s jaws drop straight to the ground.

And it gets even better – a flexible two-piece skeleton costume will give you perfect freedom of movement and ultimate comfort of experience. Because you can’t achieve optimal creepiness while constantly worrying about your outfit, can you?

#2 A Cyberpunk Costume

No one is making fun of dystopian futuristics these days. You can make your blasphemy shine out and project your worst-case scenarios in a brute cyberpunk costume, made to measure both your allure and your darkest fantasies.

Vintage cyberpunk costume or realistic paints of cutting-edge femme bots? It’s up to you, your preferences, and your personal views on having an epic Halloween night.

#3 А Voodoo Doll Costume

Cutesy and creepy go well in one sentence, especially if you wrap them up in a bodycon costume made of sleek and high-quality lycra. Add the baby pink and the pierced heart, and you have the ideal combination for owning their hearts and snatching their souls.

For bonus savageness points, you can round out the overall apparel with a crazy wig, a pair of platform boots, and realistic 3D Halloween makeup. So who’s the voodoo magician, and who’s the voodoo doll now?

#4 A Mermaid Costume

Mermaids are a mythological representation of how deadly an angelically beautiful creature can be. It sounds exactly like the effect you’d like to produce with your Halloween outfit, right? So, here it is.

A radiant, graphic, and staggeringly sensual Mermaid costume can rocket your Halloween concept straight into the deep. Because it’s always better to swim in your own waters when the world around you is going mad.

#5 An Animal Costume

Wild beasts of all worlds, are you ready to come together? This year, animalistic costumes are more appealing than ever before – just like the inbound strive to run screaming towards the horizon.

To let the animal within you reach the surface, you can choose between tens of different costume prints – a zebra, a tiger, an octopus, a giraffe, or whatever else you might feel like. This year, you won’t be needing their treats because your bag of tricks is literally blown out at the seams!

#6 A Cyber Assassin Costume

Droid princesses, cyber assassins, and badass cyborgs are taking over the streets this Halloween, and you can boastfully lead the space-age parade! With a bloodthirsty futuristic costume, you will surely steal the spotlight and keep it for a good while.

As mechanical, robot, and sci-fi costumes are a lasting trend, you can safely reuse your cyber assassin costume during every next rave gathering, EDM festival, or Comic-con in the years to come. All you need to do is wear it like a second skin and go paint the town bloody red.

Ready, Steady…

Go! Halloween outfits are all about getting a bit creative around your inner demons, so don’t hold your weirdness back this night.

Jamming out in the perfect Halloween one-piece costumes is fun, inspiring, and liberating. Just pick the one that makes you feel extraordinary, and give yourself a night to remember!

With the advent of the digital age, modern forms have taken over with videos on YouTube and TikTok that keep people busy and entertained for hours. Video games, movies, and TV series are also top of the line, but some still enjoy sitting down and going through pages of a novel not just to relax but learn something new. Whether they read a paper book or an eBook, reading is a hobby and favorite pass time and still going strong. Today we have curated a list of famous novels that revolve around the gambling world, especially for fans of online gambling who visit websites like LasAtlantis.com frequently.

The excellent novels in this list are fantastic because there is a particular pleasure in reading about people defeating the system of an organization where the house is always slated to win. Be ready to hear here about:

• The famous 007 agent;
• Genius students;
• Underground casinos;
• Dangerous connections;
• The most outstanding poker player.

Bringing Down the House – Ben Mezrich

Bringing Down the House is an intense page-turner about MIT students who scam big-name Casinos of millions of dollars. The story is about a group of students from the fields of mathematics and physics at MIT who use the technique of counting cards to either fold or draw cards. The whole plot has lots of dazzles, including greed of the system, how high profiling spending takes place, and not being bereft of sex and scandals. Mind you, this is a true story about the professor and his students, and no joke starred Kevin Spacey in the movie. 

These students and their teacher devised ingenious plans as a blackjack team to rob these Casinos of millions of dollars fair and square with their spotting trick. They were so successful that all Casinos banned ‘spotting’ and made it into a law to stop others from doing the same.

The movie was adapted into a film in 2008, starred by Kevin Spacey as the teacher making the scheme and training his young protégés. The director so beautifully choreographed the movie that it became an overnight success. If you love the movie and enjoy reading books, this book is perfect for you; as we all know, “The film isn’t always as good as the books.”

About Ben Mezrich

Mezrich has had a fantastic career of 19 years and 24 books to his name, with many international bestsellers and over 10 million copies sold. His books like “Bringing Down the House” and “The Accidental Billionaires” were huge successes both stayed more than 15 weeks on the best sellers list. Studios adopted both books into successful movies. He has become one of the only few writers ever to have two blockbuster movies under their belt and get to the top 25 writers in Hollywood.

His 2nd bestseller and now a blockbuster movie is about the success of none other than Mark Zuckerberg. The book is all about the fame of what is now known as Facebook. This novel follows the story of how hacking the university servers to build a database of his peers becomes a hobby and, later on, a way to communicate. No one knew this would be one of the most famous and common ways of communicating in the present world for years to come.

 He has been dramatically successful in creating a whole new world with his groundbreaking and genre-defining writing style, bringing to life stories about geniuses. The way he explains the risks these trendsetters took and reshaped the world makes you want to read each novel in a single sitting. His other works include Sex on the Moon, Ugly Americans, Busting Vegas, and many more.

Casino Royale – Ian Fleming

A gambling novels and even a gambling movies list would be incomplete without Casino Royale, both of the most favorites for this genre’s fans. Ian Fleming spins an intriguing and nail-biting thriller for a James Bond movie like no other. The detail of the gambling world depicted and explained so well in the book is translated with the best homage to the writer in the movie. The movie is full of action, unlike the book. Amazingly Daniel Craig’s acting and portrayal of James Bond is loved as one of the best James Bond movies of all time.

Enjoy this amazing read about the great adventure of James Bond, 007, again as he dives head deep into the espionage and scandals of the gambling world. The handsome British agent 007 is sent on a mission to France to take down  Le Chiffre. The story of 007 is never complete without at least one beautiful love interest, and here it’s about Vesper Lynd with a dark secret from MI6 sent there to help him.

One thing to note here is that Ian Fleming wrote the book in 1953 and one of the first books of the infamous agent 007, aka James Bond. So the movie returns to its roots and takes the high-stakes story soon after James Bond gets the 00 status. 

About Ian Fleming

It is hard not to know Fleming if you have seen even a single James Bond movie, as he is the author behind all books and the inspiration behind all the movies. His stories about the handsome spy span 12 novels and nine short stories in his career. 

Ian Fleming is the grandson of Robert Fleming, the founder of Robert Fleming & Co. bank and Scottish American Investment Trust. Fleming was not just an author or a journalist but a navy commander during WW2.

Most of Fleming’s writing was post World War when the British empire was fading from its former glory, so they needed an icon to boost the morale in these failing times. Bond mythology gave the brits an inflated ego and enhanced their failing self-image after the wars. These themes were predominant in his stories of the spy with famous lines such as “we don’t show teeth anymore—only gums.” This showed Fleming was acutely aware of the waning British prestige and gave the citizens a great hero in his books who was not just handsome and classy but deadly when his government needed it to protect its interests.

Molly’s Game – Molly Bloom

You can term this novel as a biography mixed with the sex and drama of the gambling world. The novel talks about the author’s boom as a figure skater, but due to an injury, she had to retire. Bloom was not a quitter, so she used her contacts during her fame by starting a gambling ring for the most famous and high rollers. Her gambling joint was secretive, underground, and only open to celebrities and influential people. 

She didn’t know that all that glamour and glitz would turn against her when she rubbed shoulders with the most notorious gamblers from the mob. What happens next and how she comes out on top is full of suspense and for you to read without any spoilers. 

The book was later adapted into a hit movie by the same name starring Edris Elba and Jessica Chastain as Molly. The movie depicts the events of the book with great detail and the antics of all the powerful and famous, primarily the Russian mafia criminals. Jessica’s acting depicts how strong women can control crazy influential people with just her words and the glamourous façade she builds around her establishment.

About Molly Bloom

Molly was a famous Olympic skier, she trained for years as it was her dream which was broken to pieces when she was injured and had to retire. As mentioned above, she was convicted for her high-stakes gambling ring and fined $200,000 with a year of probation. She also had to do 200 hours of community service. She turned things around again and shared her stories with the world as she is now an entrepreneur and a speaker, not just an author.

She was born in Loveland, Colorado, in 1978. Her father was a professor, while her mother was a snowboard and ski instructor. She got her inspiration and aspirations from her mother to become a figure skater and has trained since childhood. 

The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told – Mark Paul

A full of life drama, one of the most authentic tales of gambling influenced by the cartel, and full of intriguing relationships with a deep narrative of a racehorse. The “Winning Colors” racehorse dominated the track with its speed while inspiring the crowd. The story takes a beautiful turn when it involves a trio of gamblers who get it in with the wrong people and eventually how it all turns out for the better.

The story has been aptly named “crazier-than-fiction” and is one of the most remarkable gambling stories ever told.

About Mark Paul

The life of Mark Paul is full of adventures, including motorcycle racing, investment in around 40 horses, and sailing 5,000 miles in his sailboat just to attend horse racing in different countries tells a lot about him. No wonder his stories are so full of intrigue and adventure. 

Paul used the Greatest Gambling Novel to become a character of his storytelling in the 3rd person and how he lives his life in a fictional tale. It is always great to write about oneself in a fictional world to talk about dreams which aren’t possible in real life.

One of a Kind – N. Dalla

One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey is one of the most amazing autobiographical stories on “The Kid” Ungar, The World’s Greatest Poker Player, Stuey Ungar, the poker champ, consecutively three times champion of the Poker World Series. He was the best card player ever lived but unfortunately died of mysterious circumstances in a motel. 

The novel represents his life’s tragic story away from the poker world champions through a series of monologues, tapes, and interviews. He dropped out of school early and became a sensation overnight when he started playing underground card-table games. He was so good that he could take out even the top players in his game. 

The overarching story in the novel is about a man succeeding in poker games to the top but failing miserably in his life. The unfortunate thing about him was that he gambled away every penny he ever earned. 

About Nolan Dalla

Nolan was approached by Stuey himself to write his amazingly tragic story in 1998, where Nolan interviewed him and recorded hundreds of hours of tape. These tapes helped Nolan write this tragic and dark genius story of Stuey.

Nolan Dalla has been involved in many endeavors besides writing Stuey’s autobiography. He worked for the state department until his attraction to gambling life led him to run poker websites and write about them. Most of his initial career was with the state department. He became pretty famous for his works and the effort he put into what online gambling is today.

Due to these exploits, Ungar approached him, and even after Ungar’s death, Nolan finished his life story. He was lauded for writing such a harrowing story in such a gripping manner as he only had conversations with Stuey and nothing else. This autobiography also helped him become the Media Director of the World Series of poker, which he managed with flying colors for a few years. He now lives in Las Vegas, right there at the heart of gambling.

Conclusion

Life is full of stories of people wanting to become rich overnight with a simple trick or scam. These stories probably engage people so much that most gamble in hopes of winning big. Even the biggest gamblers eventually have a harsh life, maybe because of gambling it all away or messing with the wrong people. It’s no surprise people are pissed when they lose money, and the Casinos are more pissed when players win big. All the novels in this list revolve around a similar sentiment, and that’s why they are intriguing reads.