Stuffed full of sweaty gym kits, and often forgotten for days in lockers or just under the desk, the gym bag is the perfect breeding ground for odour-causing bacteria, especially in this current warm weather. But finally there’s a solution to the gym bag whiff – the Anti-Smell Sports Bag. The Anti-smell sports bag is a unique product designed to help stop nasty niffs from PE kits, shoes and sports equipment that are left hanging around.

The bag works just like a shoe “odour eater” insole, utilising an active carbon filter sewn into the inside of the bag to help neutralise smells. The patented carbon filter, which we’ve called ”pong patch” will last a year, and can be easily cleaned using warm soapy water.

And…

They are incorporated 3M reflective stripes and are currently availablewith in red, yellowand alowkey black version for stricter schools.

BUY THE ANTI-SMELL SPORTS BAG NOW!

The Concentrate Supercase is a pencilcase that can be easily turned into a stationery pot.

• Pencilcase can be easily turned into a stationery pot: unzip the case until the fold and turn over the first part to make a stationery pot
• Washable in the washing machine – NB better handwashed
• Dimensions (approximately): 11cm x 22cm (WxH)
• Material: neoprene (the same material used to make wetsuits)
• Available in: red (outside) and black (inside)

Read more information about the Supercase in the Supercase FAQs.

BUY THE SUPERCASE NOW

Did you know that 2010 is the international year of the bottom?* Countries all over the world will be thinking of ways to make their posteriors as cozy as possible. This, of course, is not true.

However, we all know it’s not that nice sitting on a hard surface for too long – but for some reason, nearly all the chairs in school are hard, and a little bit uncomfortable.

How can you hope to concentrate properly if you are uncomfortable?

One day there will be robot teachers that can float, and mark 18 practice SAT papers at the same time. These floating robot teachers will go from house to house teaching stuff, and everyone else will be able to stay in their favourite armchair for as long as they like.

Until that happens, we’ve got a solution. How about carrying a little bit of padding around with you? Then, you can use it whenever you have to sit on an uncomfortable chair? Have a look at our Chairpadbag below.

The schoolbag “Chairpadbag” is a new way of staying comfortable in class. It is designed to hook over the back of a school chair, with a special padded flap that folds out over the backrest and seat to make even the hardest seat comfy. It is also expandable, ensuring there is enough room for everything a child might need for school.

• Makes the chair comfortable and keeps the child’s books close by: hook it over the back of your chair and fold out the lid
• Easily expandable bag space with zipper
• Ergonomic strap design
• Reflective strips running down the seams of the bag ensure it stands out on dark nights.
• Grippy rubberised logo stops the padded cushion from slipping around on chairs.
• Smart name tag makes it easy to identify whose bag is whose.
• Magnets sewn inside the padding to make sure the flap folds away easily.
• Dimensions: 30mm x 35mm WxH
• Material: nylon

For more information about the Chairpadbag read our Chairpadbag FAQS.

Happy Year of the Bottom!

We just started to sell our products on Ebay.

It’s actually pretty tricky to get started selling on the ebay site, and it requires lots of positive reviews.

If anyone is thinking of buying some lovely Concentrate goodies A. you’re clearly a marvelous. talented and good looking person, and B. Could you possibly try buying the products from ebay?

If you’ve had a positive experience, it would be EXTREMELY helpful if you could give us a positive review, and we’ll be eternally grateful.

Please by some of our products on Ebay now. Thanks very much!

Buy one of our gift packs:

SUPER GIFT PACK

• Chairpadbag
• Lunchbox “Food for Thought” (including 2 pots)
• Lunchbox Coolerbag (in any of the four colours)
• Bottlecoolerpenholder (in any matching colour)
• Voting Ruler
• Pre-chewed pencils (set of four)

BUY NOW

GIFT PACK

• Lunchbox “Food for Thought” (including 2 pots)
• Lunchbox Coolerbag (in any of the four colours)
• Bottlecoolerpenholder (in any matching colour)
• Voting Ruler
• Pre-chewed pencils (set of four)

BUY NOW

Water, your body and fruit

Two thirds of the human body is water.

A chicken is about three-quarters water, and a pineapple is about four-fifths water.

You could survive for about a month without food, but only 5 to 7 days without water. And you can survive a lifetime without eating a pineapple, but they are very tasty.

It takes 50 glasses of water to grow enough oranges to make one glass of orange juice.

How to Drink

Gulping down huge mouthfuls of water when you are really thirsty is not the most thirst-quenching technique. It is best to drink small sips at regular intervals. A glass of water every two hours, even if you are not particularly thirsty, is good for you!

It’s good to drink at least three 500ml bottles of water a day. It’s even better if it’s in a Bottlecoolerpenholder.

Water actually cools down your brain, which is useful for when you have to think really hard.

Where does water come from?

On the earth we have about 39 million cubic kilometers of fresh water (about 29 millions exists in the form of ice).

Every day, about 1500 cubic kilometers of water evaporates into the air and later falls down to earth as rain or snow.

When dinosaurs wandered the earth, roaring and eating each other, there was exactly the same amount of water around as there is today. In fact there is the same amount of water on Earth today as there was 3 billion years ago.

Bottlecoolerpenholder: Our solution to help you drink more water

The bottlecoolerpenholder is a new way of remembering to guzzle lots of lovely water! Drinking water helps you to think clearly, and keeps you healthy, so it’s really important to drink enough of it. The bottlecoolerpenholder prompts you to have a bottle of water in front of you at your desk. It is made from thermally insulating neoprene and is a wet-suit style jacket for bottles that will keep water cool, as well as store pens and pencils needed during the day. It is stretchy enough to fit over all standard 500ml water bottles.

• Aids concentration since 2% dehydration leads to a 20% drop in concentration*
• Keeps water and stationery together on desk : acts as a reminder to drink regularly
• Holds pens and pencils needed in lessons
• Helps encourage reuse of waterbottles
• Thermally insulating neoprene keeps the water cool
• Name tag on the inside of the handle
• Dimensions: approximately 20mm x 10mm HxW
• Capacity: 500ml bottles
• Material: neoprene (the same material used to make wetsuits)
• Available in: blue, red, pink, camouflage

Random facts

Ants never sleep.

If you farted constantly for 6 years and 9 months, the gas you produced would have the equivalent amount of energy as an atomic bomb.

ANSWER to last weeks’ riddle ”What letter comes next?‘: F – They are the first letters of the days of the week

Lunchbox “Food for Thought”

The “Food for Thought” lunchbox – as seen on Dragons’ Den – is innovatively designed to provide a daily reminder to eat at least one piece of fruit at lunch, whilst also protecting the fruit from being damaged. It is big enough to hold sandwiches, fruit and other snacks.

The lunchbox comes with two pots which are ideal for storing grapes, nuts, seeds, yoghurt or diced fruit. So instead of placing an apple or an orange in the spaces provided, you can mix and match your healthy lunch with pots of goodies.

The thermospot on the back of the lunchbox indicates whether your lunch is still cool.

Also available are matching lunchbox coolerbags in different colours. They make it easy to carry your lunch around and help keep your lunch cool.

Features

• Ideal for your healthy lunch: fits sandwiches, fruit and snacks
• Innovative design fits apples, oranges and bananas snuggly and protects them from being bruised
• Comes with two extra pots (one orange and one green) for nuts, raisons, yoghurt, grapes, diced fruit etc
• Thermospot shows if your lunch is cool
• Lunchbox does not seal completely
• Space to write your or your child’s name on the back
• Easy to clean, dishwasher-safe
• Made from recyclable plastic
• Material: FDA approved food-safe PP
• Dimensions 170mm x 240mm x 55mm (80mm where pots) (WxHxD)
• AWARDED BEST PRODUCT 2007 BY THE DESIGN MUSEUM SHOP

You can buy our lunchbox on the Concentrate website on Amazon. Thanks very much!

The bottlecoolerpenholder is a new way of remembering to guzzle lots of lovely water! Drinking water helps you to think clearly, and keeps you healthy, so it’s really important to drink enough of it. The bottlecoolerpenholder prompts you to have a bottle of water in front of you at your desk. It is made from thermally insulating neoprene and is a wet-suit style jacket for bottles that will keep water cool, as well as store pens and pencils needed during the day. It is stretchy enough to fit over all standard 500ml water bottles.

My lunchbox was filled with an apple, a muslibar, a carrot, a pod full of dried cranberries and macadamias, and a yogurt drink. My belly really is feeling happy now!

If you want to have such a healthy lunchbox, too, buy your Concentrate “Food for Thought” Lunchbox and fill it up with anything good you fancy.

]]> http://www.concentrate.org.uk/blog/index.php/2009/07/healthy-lunchbox-ideas/feed/ 0 http://www.concentrate.org.uk/blog/index.php/2009/07/vision-of-the-future/ http://www.concentrate.org.uk/blog/index.php/2009/07/vision-of-the-future/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:39:28 +0000 Mark http://www.concentrate.org.uk/blog/?p=330 Concentrate worked with Adspec to design reading glasses with liquid filled lenses, whose prescription can be altered by turning a dial on the side arm. These amazing glasses have been distributed in Africa, so that children can have their vision easily corrected and then can engage with the education system.

http://www.adlens.com

The specs were the subject of World Changing Ideas by Richard Myers.

I caught up with Andy from Adspec and discussed the $100 laptop for developing countries. Genius!

http://laptop.org/en/