Innholdsfortegnelse for 334 i The Week Junior

The fighting in Ukraine is continuing more than two months after Russia’s invasion, which started on 24 February. On 1 May, more than 100 Ukrainians who had been trapped in the city of Mariupol for months were evacuated after an agreement to stop fighting allowed them to leave. What is happening in Mariupol? Russian forces have taken almost complete control of Mariupol, a city in the south-east of Ukraine. In a steel factory in the city about 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers and almost 1,000 civilians (people who are not in the army) have been taking shelter for almost two months. On 1 May, the United Nations (an organisation of 193 countries that work together on challenges that face humanity) arranged to take civilians away from the steel factory. At the time…

On 27 April, four astronauts blasted off to the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month mission. Among those astronauts was Jessica Watkins, who is the first black woman to go on a long mission on the ISS. The team will work on more than 200 experiments while they are on board the ISS, including investigating the effects of microgravity (when people or objects float around as if they are weightless) on the human body. Watkins hopes that her work on the ISS will inspire young people. She told The New York Times newspaper that it was important for “young girls of colour to be able to see an example of ways that they can participate and succeed.” In 2017, Watkins was chosen by NASA to join the astronaut candidate…

Fancy doing something wild? How about going wild every day for a whole month? That’s the idea behind 30 Days Wild, an annual campaign to put people in touch with nature. The event, which takes place in June, is run by the Wildlife Trusts – a group of 46 charities around the UK. They protect wildlife and the environment, and help people to experience the benefits of nature for themselves. 30 Days Wild has been running since 2015, and around two million people have taken part since it began. Some of the most popular acts from last year’s event included wildlife watching, listening to birdsong and eating breakfast outdoors. This year the Trusts are encouraging all these activities and more, with nature-based arts and crafts, new ways of finding the…

People with Down’s syndrome make up about 0.1% of the total population in the UK, and roughly one in 1,000 children is born with the condition. The Down’s Syndrome Association, a charity that works to ensure that those with Down’s syndrome enjoy good lives, has just launched a photographic portrait exhibition at London’s Langdon Down Centre. The show was created to celebrate their 50th anniversary, and to tell people about the condition. Down’s syndrome Down’s syndrome is a genetic condition. Every cell in the human body contains genes that carry the code for how our bodies work, look and behave. Genes are grouped together in structures called chromosomes. Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 chromosomes in total) in each cell. People with Down’s syndrome have a part-copy of…

Ever find your food isn’t tasty but you’re worried about adding salt? Too much salt can lead to health problems but many people like its flavour. Now, a Japanese food and drinks company called Kirin and scientists at Meiji University say there is a solution: a pair of electric chopsticks that make food taste saltier without changing the recipe. The chopsticks use weak electricity to draw salty chemicals in food to the surface (or push them away), affecting how much saltiness reaches a user’s tastebuds. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

The invention of postcodes is something you might not have thought about, but those letters and numbers revolutionised the way mail was delivered. Today, every UK location has a postcode – a few letters and numbers in a particular order that show where a place is. However, the exhibition Sorting Britain: The Power of Postcodes at London’s Postal Museum reveals this was not always the case. In the early 19th century, working out how much it cost to send a letter was based on how many pages it contained and the distance it would travel. The receiver also had to pay for it, so getting lots of birthday cards could be very expensive. Fortunately, in 1840, Sir Rowland Hill simplified the postal system and the world’s first official postage stamps…

Live Athletics: Diamond League Doha 5pm on 13 May, BBC2 The annual season of outdoor track-and-field meetings will kick off this year in Doha, Qatar. It features the world’s greatest athletes, including Dina Asher-Smith. From 13 May to 8 September there will be 14 meetings at different stadiums. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness In cinemas from 5 May After opening up the multiverse, Doctor Stephen Strange ventures into the unknown with old and new allies – and gets set to meet a mysterious new enemy.…

by Nicolette Jones. Illustrated by Mary Kate McDevitt (Nosy Crow) “Reading before the age of 13 is… a superior experience,” says book critic Nicolette Jones, who has put together this anthology (a collection of writings). It brings together more than 100 pieces of writing in lots of different styles, including prose, poetry, song lyrics and speeches. Jones has arranged them into themed chapters, and you’ll find powerful words by all sorts of people – William Shakespeare and Stephen Hawking; Greta Thunberg and Galileo; Malala Yousafzai and Martin Luther King. There are also lots of quotations from writers such as Tove Jansson, Katherine Rundell and many more, which will leave you eager to seek out new books and authors. Funny, wise and thought-provoking, this is an inspiring and intriguing book. WIN!…

Have you ever seen a magic trick performed in front of you? Maybe you’ve been amazed by a magician’s display on TV? Seeing magic being done is fun but performing it can be even more thrilling. Magic creates an illusion. This means that people watching believe something happened when it didn’t really. For example, if a magician makes a coin disappear in their hand and then reappear from behind a person’s ear, that didn’t really happen; the magician’s quick hands, how they disguised the coin and distracted the person’s attention made the person think that’s what happened. Close-up magic can involve a magician using objects such as cards, coins and pieces of paper. Often these will seem to disappear or suddenly display words or information on them. Other magic can…

Name: Felicity Felicity “I was walking to school when I saw a pigeon on the road looking like it couldn’t fly. I went to school but was worried about it all day. Then when I was walking home, I spotted the bird again. Me and my friends tried to move the bird then one of us decided to pick it up. We wrapped him in jumpers and I brought him home and asked myparents if I could look after him until he was able to fly. That evening I spoke to a bird expert who lives on my street. He inspected the bird and said that it wasn’t injured but looked fragile. My dad got some bird seed to feed it, which it happily ate. I hardly slept that night.…

Follow The Week Junior on PopJam @TheWeekJunior. You can download the PopJam app from the App Store or Google Play. Last week we asked you if you should have a screen-free day once a week… “No, definitely not!” “It’s good to have a break but that doesn’t mean you should fully turn off electronics because they can help you communicate.” “I’m only allowed screens once a week so almost the entire week is screen-free for me.” “No, I love screens.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

CELEBRATING THE DAILY MILE On 28 April, the Daily Mile had its 10th birthday. It’s a global movement designed to get young people exercising every day in school. To mark the occasion, more than 320,000 students from 1,340 schools around the world completed the Daily Mile. NESTING OSPREYS A pair of ospreys have laid their eggs in Dorset, in southern England, for the first time in 200 years. The birds of prey fly to the UK every year from north Africa, but this is the first time a pair have chosen to nest near Poole Harbour. Chris Packham, the TV nature presenter, said the arrivals were a “sensational development”. PODCAST PRIZES Mysteries of Science, which is The Week Junior Science+Nature’s podcast, won two prizes at the Publisher Podcast Awards on…

Arizona, US Amputee breaks marathon record A woman who lost her left leg after a serious illness has broken a world record by running a marathon (26.2 miles) every day for 104 days. The previous record was 95 days. Jacky Hunt-Broersma is a mother of two and trains people for endurance sports. She ran her marathons on local paths and in famous events like the Boston Marathon. Spain Spain kicked out of Rugby World Cup Spain has been barred from the Rugby World Cup for using a non-Spanish player. South African-born Gavin van den Berg had been able to play for Spain in 2021 and 2022 because he had a Spanish passport but it was found to be a fake. Spain had qualified for the World Cup for the first…

Kitty Tait, aged 17, is a baker from Watlington in Oxfordshire, England. Kitty and her dad Al run the Orange Bakery, one of the town’s few places to eat. Locals love the bakery and describe it as the heartbeat of Watlington. Kitty and her dad have published a cookbook, Breadsong, which tells the story of how the bakery was created. They didn’t plan to set up a business but when they started baking as a hobby they ended up with so much bread they started selling it. “Bread, just like Dad, will always just be a part of me,” Kitty told The Observer newspaper.…

Paula Sage Paula Sage is a netball player and actor – she won a BAFTA Scotland award for acting. She’s also an ambassador for people with Down’s syndrome. She told The Guardian newspaper, “I’m doing it because it might help people who have what I’ve got realise what they can do.” George Webster In 2021, George Webster became the first person with Down’s syndrome to be a BBC children’s presenter. He believes more opportunities should be offered. “If we can get children to think of disabilities in a different way, then we’re changing the world already,” he says. Sujeet Desai US musician Sujeet Desai can play seven instruments. He was the first person with Down’s syndrome to perform at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York, US. “Each impossible mission…

A scale model of our solar system has opened in Londonderry (Derry), Northern Ireland as part of a UK-wide festival celebrating STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). The Our Place in Space project officially opened on Earth Day, 22 April. It follows a six-mile trail through Derry along the banks of the River Foyle, featuring large, lit-up archways and sculptures of the Sun, planets and other objects. Along with the opening, organisers tried to break the world record for the most number of people dressed as astronauts gathered in one place. The previous record of 257 was smashed as a grand total of 716 astronauts of all ages turned up. The project is the idea of children’s illustrator Oliver Jeffers (known for Lost and Found) and Professor Stephen Smartt, from…

With people dressed as a dinosaur, a dog, Postman Pat and all sorts of fun characters, the Sue Ryder Mascot Gold Cup is a wacky running race. It’s held at Wetherby Racecourse in West Yorkshire, England, and is a special annual charity event. The Mascot Gold Cup raises money for Sue Ryder, a charity that supports people and families suffering because of a life-ending illness or a condition that affects a person’s brain or nervous system. About 70 mascots took to the grass course for the start of the race. They had to jump over six small fences as they ran a short distance in a straight line but many mascots took a tumble as they tried to run fast. The spectators cheered them on during the funny sporting spectacle…

Storytelling is part of human nature. “So long as there have been people, there have been stories,” Isabella Mead from The Story Museum in Oxford, England, tells The Week Junior. However, stories and storytelling aren’t just about entertainment and enjoyment. Writing and telling stories boosts mental health in all sorts of ways, and can help you understand yourself. What is a story? A story is a description of an event or something that happened to someone and it can be written down or told out loud. Stories are told to entertain or inform people, and they can be true (non-fiction) or made-up (fiction). How can telling stories help improve mental health? Research shows that telling stories can improve mental health by giving the storyteller a way to share emotions and…

Imagine playing badminton, bowling, football, tennis and volleyball, then finishing off with a bit of sword fighting – all without leaving your living room. Then imagine how much furniture would get broken in the process. Thankfully, Switch Sports is a way to do all this virtually, without poking a sofa, dog or passing grown-up with a racket or sword. Released for Nintendo’s Switch, the game includes the six sports above, using the console’s Joy-Con controllers to turn your real-life motions into on-screen action, whether that’s swinging, bowling or sword-swishing. You can play with up to 16 players in a bowling match but there are also online competitions to see how you compare to friends and people around the world. The game will teach you which motions are needed for each…

What’s your favourite thing about your job? Sometimes I can go back to bed with a book and be working. What makes you bored? Things that could be said or written more succinctly (briefly). Otherwise I don’t bore easily. The world is full of wonder. What’s your favourite word in the world? Foible. Meaning eccentricity or odd behaviour, as in “she has her little foibles”. I love the sound of it and the feel of it in your mouth. Like a sort of misshaped bubble. Would you rather no internet or no books? I could definitely do without the internet before books. Being unconnected would be a holiday because so much of my work is online. I’m always happy to curl up and read. What is the strangest thing you…

How do I start? Richard Kettle runs a school club called Ketsy’s Young Magicians (youngmagicians.co.uk) that gives magic tuition. Kettle says, “Start with two or three kinds of tricks, such as card tricks and coin magic. You need to repeat tricks to get good. Some effects by top magicians aren’t as difficult as you’d think.” Is learning how to perform magic from a book hard? “Learning magic from books and magic set instructions can be challenging,” Kettle adds. Joining a club or watching videos can help. “With ever more magic acts of all ages, styles, shapes and sizes there really is something for everyone.”…

The Childnet Film Competition aims to get schools and groups of young people aged seven to 18 creating fun, educational films collaboratively. The competition theme is “All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online. What can we all do to play our part?” The goal is to make a two-minute film that promotes positive use of the internet which can help other young people stay safe online. Find tips for creating your film and more information about entering before the 8 June deadline at tinyurl.com/TWJ-filmcompetition THE WEEK Junior Roving Reporter GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…

1 Eid al-Fitr takes place over how many days? a) 5 b) 3 c) 7 2 When was Empathy Day founded? 3 Jonathan Olakunle dressed up as which superhero? 4 Which supermarket stopped selling magazines with free plastic gifts on the cover in 2019? a) Tesco b) Waitrose c) Asda 5 True or false? The bakery that Kitty Tait runs with her dad is called the Orange Bakery. True False 6 Who organises 30 Days Wild? 7 Who is Down’s syndrome named after? a) John Langdon Down b) Sir George Downing c) Robert Downey Jr. 8 True or false? Scientists found out that Anglo-Saxon kings ate only meat. True False 9 In which year was the word “robot” invented? 10 The winner of the 2015 Sue Ryder Mascot Gold Cup…

On 5 May, after The Week Junior went to press, people in England, Scotland and Wales were due to vote in local elections. The results were expected to be confirmed on 6 May and 7 May. What is a local election? In local elections the public votes for councillors to run their local councils. It is local councils that decide how your area is run. They are responsible for things including bus routes, libraries, parks, rubbish collections and schools, and whether plans for new buildings should be allowed. Local elections do not decide who your Member of Parliament (MP) is or who runs the country as the Government – that type of election is called a “general election” and usually takes place every five years. The last general election, won…

Toys are often made of plastic because it is sturdy, easy to clean and cheap to make compared with most other materials. However, most forms of plastic are not biodegradable (break down naturally) and old toys often end up in rubbish dumps or washed up on beaches, polluting the planet and harming wildlife. Some toy companies are looking for more eco-friendly materials to use. Single-use plastic toys that come free with fast-food meals or on magazine covers are gradually being stopped. Some people think that even good-quality plastic toys should be banned and that children should play with more traditional toys that are made from recyclable materials like wood, metal and fabric. What do you think? Should plastic toys be banned? Yes – plastic toys harm the planet Plastic toys…

Despite their name, mayflies take to the air between April and September in the UK, depending on the weather and location. Take a walk by a clean river, lake or other wetland habitat and look for the dipping flight of adults emerging from the water to dry on nearby plants and rocks. Get close to admire the beauty of their lacy, folded wings (one large pair and a smaller pair) and three long tails. Mayflies are famously short-lived, but their wingless larvae actually survive underwater throughout the year. As adults they only live for a day or two at most. In late afternoon, they take to the skies in large numbers, mating in an aerial ballet before laying eggs on the water so that the cycle can begin all over…

Teams of students from across the country gathered in Telford, Shropshire, in England, at the end of April to take part in the UK national finals of the VEX Robotics Championships. It was the first time the competition, which inspires young people to consider careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), has been held face-to-face since the beginning of the pandemic. Students from UK primary and secondary schools formed 120 teams to take part in competitions. The teams built and drove robots to carry out specific tasks and wrote computer code to control their behaviour and get the best results. The VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) involved a two-minute game in which teams used robots to pick up rings and hook them over movable targets. They scored extra points for…

Cardiff Devils The ice hockey team became the Elite League play-off champions for the third time in a row. They beat the Belfast Giants 6-3. Newcastle United women Their 4-0 win over Alnwick Town Ladies at St James’ Park drew a crowd of 22,134, the biggest for a women’s football league match in England this season. Ronnie O’Sullivan O’Sullivan won the World Snooker Championship for the seventh time. He beat Judd Trump 18-13 in the final. Katie Taylor The boxer from the Republic of Ireland defeated Amanda Serrano, from Puerto Rico, to keep her lightweight world titles. The match was held at the famous Madison Square Garden in New York, US.…

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman (Simon & Schuster Children’s) Skandar has always dreamed of leaving the Mainland and escaping to the Island where powerful unicorns roam free. In this epic adventure, you’ll follow him into a world of magical sky battles, treehouse cities and a shadowy villain – as well as unicorns as you’ve never imagined them. The Unmorrow Curse by Jasmine Richards (UCLan Publishing) When Buzz and Mari make a strange discovery deep in the woods, they find out that humankind has been trapped by the Unmorrow Curse, forced to repeat the same Saturday over and over again. Now the new friends must embark on a perilous journey to collect the Runes of Valhalla if they are to break the terrible spell. Hedgewitch by Skye McKenna…

Name: Rufus The Last Kids On Earth by Max Brallier ”Apocalypse, survival, adventure. This book is a monster and zombie masterwork and had me laughing all the way through.” YOUR TURN Email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If your review is printed in the magazine you’ll receive a Roving Reporter badge. Sum up the book in three words and write one sentence telling us what you liked about it. Please include your name and address.* *If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize. Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be found at www.futureplc.com/privacy-policy…

We’re very inspired by our cover star this week, Jessica Watkins, the first black woman to be part of a long mission on the International Space Station (p9). She and her fellow crew members will be carrying out lots of experiments to see how space is different from Earth. How does it affect the human body? Would it ever be possible for humans to live on another planet? When Tim Peake came back from his long mission on the space station he was asked what he missed about Earth. He responded that he yearned to feel rain on his face. The second I read that I knew I could never go to space because I love Earth so much I would be terribly homesick. It’s also true that I can’t…

Teacher’s name: Rabbi Herman School: Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School, London “I would like to nominate my teacher Rabbi Herman for Teacher of the Week because he makes all our Jewish Studies lessons fun. He makes us all laugh and is kind, and makes us want to be good people.” Madeline If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll send your school three free issues of The Week Junior. Send your nominations, along with a picture of your teacher and your school’s full name and address, to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Please include your full name and address so that we can send you a Roving Reporter badge if your contribution makes it onto the page. We will only use the details you provide to arrange delivery of badges, and…