Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 83 i The Week Junior

LAZY PICNICKERS A picnic is a perfect opportunity to laze around in the sun. Now, picnickers in London parks can enjoy a double dose of laziness; a food-delivery company has announced that it will deliver picnics straight to the park, so that people don’t have to make them. ONE UGLY DOG A dog called Martha has been crowned the World’s Ugliest Dog in a contest that has been running for 29 years. Martha beat stiff competition from 13 other mutts to scoop the top prize. Martha won over the judges with her droopy jowls and lazy manner. A COOL FIND Archaeologists working to preserve a medieval pottery kiln in Pembrokeshire have unearthed a hoard of ancient pottery. The experts have uncovered 10,000 pieces of pottery dating back more than 500…

These amphibians are thought to have earned their name from their habit of sheltering amid damp wood. When the logs were thrown onto a fire, the creatures would emerge from the flames. ● LIFESPAN IN THE WILD: It’s believed that these salamanders could live for as long as 50 years. ● HABITAT: Found sheltering under stones, logs, roots and leaf litter in humid forests in north-west Africa. ● DIET: Small insects, worms, spiders, slugs and snails. When they are young, they have been known to eat tadpoles and crustaceans that live in water, such as crabs. ● FUN FACT: These fire salamanders are ovoviviparous. This means that the female grows eggs in her body but they hatch inside her and she gives birth to live young. DIDYOU KNOW? The eyes…

54,250  The average number of tennis balls used during each tournament. 28 tonnes The amount of strawberries eaten during the competition. 11 hours and 5 minutes The duration of the longest match ever played at Wimbledon (it was in 2010). 147 mph The speed of the fastest men’s serve. The grass is greener... Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament that has a day off in the middle. This is so that the groundsmen can tend to the grass. Around nine tonnes of grass seed are planted every year. Before the tournament starts, the grass is cut down to eight millimetres, which is the best length to allow a tennis ball to bounce.…

World UFO Day flies into view Are we alone in the universe? Do aliens exist? These are questions that scientists have been asking for decades. On 2 July it is World UFO Day – a day dedicated to the existence of unidentified flying objects. Scientists are pretty confident that we haven’t been visited by aliens yet, but some people believe we have. Many people say the Roswell UFO incident is proof. On 7 July 1947, in Roswell, New Mexico, in the US, debris from an object crashed to the ground. The debris was from a secret experiment designed by the US Air Force to detect atomic bomb tests. Someone discovered the debris and took it to the sheriff, believing it was the remnants of a UFO. Soon, the incident was…

Dawid Malan The cricketer scored 78 runs from just 44 balls as England beat South Africa in an exciting Twenty20 game in Cardiff. Brinn Bevan The Team GB gymnast spoke to the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show while doing a handstand. It was to celebrate International Handstand Day on 24 June. Lance Stroll The 18-year-old Canadian Formula One driver finished third at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. It’s Stroll’s best finish so far in his first F1 season. Petra Kvitova The tennis player, from the Czech Republic, won the Aegon Classic in Birmingham. It was her first title since a serious hand injury in December.…

1The Ministry of Defence say that HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to be operational in which year? 2Which party has teamed up with the Conservatives to get a majority in Parliament? a) Labour Party b) Democratic Unionist Party c) Plaid Cymru 3True or false? Amelia Earhart disappeared during an around-the-world flight in 1937. 4How many museums are there in the UK? a) Around 2,500 b) Around 3,000 c) Around 3,500 5In which year was Vladimir Putin elected as prime minister of Russia? 6True or false? North African fire salamanders are ovoviviparous. 7Which dessert has become a symbol of Wimbledon? a) Jelly and custard b) Pancakes and syrup c) Strawberries and cream 8When is UFO day? 9Why did RAF stunt team, the Red Arrows, recently fly over London? 10How many race…

Ben Tapley, keeper at ZSL London Zoo African bullfrogs are one of the larger species of frogs, and males can weigh more than one kilogram. They have stout and muscular hind limbs and are capable of hopping. However, tiny pebble toads from Venezuela are unable to hop. When they are threatened they curl up into a ball and can roll away. Do you love animals? ZSL London Zoo’s Junior Zoo Academy is a great way to learn about creatures from all over the world. Find out more at zsl.org/experiences…

If you dream of going on holiday in space when you’re older, then your wish got a little bit closer to reality this weekend. That’s because space-transport company SpaceX completed two important missions on 23 and 25 June. Although the missions involved satellites not passengers, these operations are vital in helping businessman Elon Musk’s SpaceX company fine-tune its equipment and calculations. This will help the company to prepare for eventually taking humans into space. One mission took place on the east coast of the US; the other was on the country’s west coast. On Friday 23 June, one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets took a satellite called BulgariaSat-1 into orbit. It is the first communications satellite that Bulgaria has ever sent into space. The launch took place at Nasa’s Kennedy…

Surf’s up This clever snap shows the moment a surfer catches a wave, as photographers wait underwater. Piggy pillow Esther was supposed to be a micro-pig... but she just kept on growing. Eye see you Pop star Katy Perry performs at Glastonbury Festival. Blowing bubbles A wasp dries out its nest by sucking up water and blowing it away in bubbles. Red Arrows The RAF stunt team, known as the Red Arrows, fly over London in celebration of the Queen’s 91st birthday. Doggy rescue Emergency relief workers save a dog from a landslide in China. Hi-ho, silver A rider and his horse prove a hit with the crowds at a festival in Spain. Hundreds of Harrys Last week, 676 schoolchildren from Bolton smashed the record for largest gathering of people…

5 books of puzzles and activities Give yourself something to think about with these brilliantly baffling puzzle books. Around the World in 80 Puzzles by Aleksandra Artymowska (Templar Publishing) Inspired by the classic adventure novel by Jules Verne, Around the World in 80 Days, this stylish book will take you on a fascinating and unusual journey. Turn the pages to find lots of intriguing puzzles and activities to try – from labyrinthine mazes to missing-object hunts. The Usborne Big Book of Puzzle Adventures (Usborne Publishing) The exciting mystery and adventure tales in this collection are woven through with puzzles for you to solve. Follow the clues and crack the codes on each page to help defeat a ruthless scientist, outwit crooks in Egypt, and discover the secrets of a mysterious…

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Let the crystal collecting begin! Anew series of the hit TV show, The Crystal Maze, made its debut on 23 June with a celebrity-packed special on Channel 4. Kicking off the 20-part series, viewers saw stars including Strictly Come Dancing’s reigning champ Ore Oduba, TV presenter Alex Brooker and professional dancer Louie Spence take on a host of challenges to get through the maze and win £10,000 for Stand Up To Cancer. The Crystal Maze was a big hit when it first aired in 1990. In both new and old versions, competitors face physical and mental tasks across four zones to win a crystal, and their freedom. TOP TV The original series of The Crystal Mazewas so tricky that only 17 of 83 teams ever won the grand…

Where’s best for fruit picking? Farms where you can pick your own are great because their fields are full of seasonal fruit. Or, later in the summer, pick blackberries from hedges in the wild. What’s in season? Right now, blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries and tayberries are at their best. In later summer, it’s blackberries, peaches and plums. What can I do with the berries? Ask an adult to help you make jam or smoothies, or try drying the berries. You can decorate a cake, bake into a pie or stir into cereal. Learn more… ● Find a farm near you at pickyourownfarms.org.uk ● Strawberry recipes bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/strawberry ● What’s in season bbcgoodfood.com/seasonal-calendar/20036…

CHARITY OF THE WEEK THE EXMOOR PONY CENTRE The Exmoor Pony Centre is based in the heart of south-west England’s Exmoor National Park and is owned by the Moorland Mousie Trust. The charity run business works to protect the rare and endangered Exmoor pony. Taking in any ponies that need a home, the centre looks after the animals and prepares them for the future, whether at a foster home or released into the wild as part of a conservation scheme. For more information, head to moorlandmousietrust.org.uk Amazing nature “ During half-term I went to Carding Mill Valley, a National Trust place in Church Stretton, Shropshire. It’s beautiful there, full of nature and you can go on long walks. It’s also where the Long Mynd (a large and long hill) is,…

As a youngster, Vladimir Putin wanted to be a spy. When he grew up, he ended up taking control of Russia. For most of the 20th century, Russia was part of the Soviet Union, a collection of states governed by the Communist Party. The Communist Party was the only political party allowed in the Soviet Union from 1918 until 1990. In the late 1980s, the Communist Party’s control on power had weakened, and by 1991 the Soviet Union had collapsed. After the fall of the Communist Party, Russia entered a time of change and confusion... and into this stepped Vladimir Putin. Putin has been described as a “grey, ordinary man,” but in a country under great pressure as it underwent a period of change, he was popular. As a youngster,…

Sticky label waste British department store, Marks and Spencer, has become more environmentally friendly after selling avocados with their origins and the best-before date etched onto the fruit using a laser. Ditching stickers will save 10 tonnes of paper and five tonnes of glue every year. Cornish dolphins A new study says as many as 4,000 Cornish dolphins may have been killed this year by fishing nets. Based on the discovery of 1,000 dead dolphins on beaches around the UK and France this spring, scientists believe that at least 3,000 more could have died but drifted out to sea.…

On 3 July, around 600 of the world’s greatest tennis players will arrive at Wimbledon in London for the world-famous tennis tournament. For two weeks, players will battle it out to become a Wimbledon champion, a title that every tennis player dreams of winning. Around 500,000 spectators will flock to the courts to watch tennis, and of course, tuck into strawberries and cream – a dessert that is a symbol of Wimbledon. The tournament isn’t just a place where tennis players can shine, it is also steeped in history. This year marks the tournament’s 140th anniversary. There are four major tennis tournaments known as Grand Slams: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, but Wimbledon has been described as “the granddaddy of them all” because it…

Tony Stark, the person who turns into Iron Man, is a fictional character, but Elon Musk may be the closest thing we have in real life – and he appeared in Iron Man 2. Musk loved making computer games as a child in South Africa, but was bullied at school. As a teenager, he moved to Canada, and later he moved again, this time to the US, where he became a citizen. He started SpaceX because he finds space travel exciting. He hopes to send people to Mars and runs Tesla, a company that makes electric sports cars. He is also involved in Hyperloop, a futuristic planned transport system that he hopes will carry people in pods through tubes at speeds even faster than a plane.…

On 1 July, 198 riders will set off to compete in the world’s most famous cycle race. The Tour de France has 21 race stages over a total distance of 2,199 miles. Apart from two rest days, riders race every day for three weeks, on roads around France and other European countries. The stages range from 8.7 miles to 138 miles and cover mountains, hills, flat roads and short, speedy sections. The rider with the quickest overall time after all the stages is the winner. Britain’s Chris Froome won the Tour in 2013, 2014 and 2016 – and he’s the favourite to win again in 2017. There’s also a women’s competition called La Course. It covers 55 miles, and 126 riders will compete in two stages. The first is a…

A reformed super-villain, odd, yellow creatures spouting gibberish and a baddie in shoulder pads can only mean one thing: Despicable Me 3 is finally hitting cinemas. After the mayhem of the second film, Despicable Me 3, shows the no-longer-so-evil Felonious Gru happily married to Lucy, the Anti-Villain League agent of his dreams. Together, they raise Margo, Edith and Agnes, the three girls whose adoption first lured Gru away from his life of crime. For Gru, however, the temptation of evil is never far away – and this time, it arrives in the form of his long-lost twin brother, Dru Gru. Dru seems to be everything Felonious isn’t: charming, rich – and with thick blonde hair. He lives in a fancy castle, packed to the rafters with fast cars and helicopters,…

Groovebox iOS (Free) In the past The Week Junior has written about apps that help you learn to play real instruments, but Groovebox is a new app that allows you to make dance music on an iPhone or iPad. The app is divided into three sections: Drumbox for beats, Retrobass for basslines and Poly-8 for the melody that sits on top. Your job is to use them (in whatever order you like) to make a tune. Drums are easy: you hit a record button and then tap the different sounds with your fingers to create a pattern, from a bass drum to cymbals and handclaps. For bass and melodies, the screen looks more like a keyboard, but the idea is the same because you choose different noise packs, with names…

Bake a mango-chutney potato What you need (makes one): ● 1 large jacket potato ● Teaspoon vegetable or olive oil ● Salt ● Handful of grated cheddar cheese ● 1 tablespoon mango chutney ● Kitchen towel ● Fork ● Skewer ● Oven glove or tea towel ● Masher ● Bowl Instructions Preheat the oven to 200° C. Wash the potato with cold water and dry it with some kitchen towel. Rub the potato with oil and salt before pricking it evenly with a fork. Put it in the oven for an hour or up to an hour and a half, depending on its size – a big one will take longer. To check if it is cooked, poke a skewer through the middle of the potato. If it’s hard to…

Last week, I was lucky enough to attend two awards ceremonies that celebrated the success of creative young people. The first, Shine School Media Awards, is a competition for secondary school pupils to create a publication – whether that’s a newspaper, magazine, website or digital edition. The event was held at a beautiful old building in the City of London, and each of the shortlisted pupils was invited to attend a morning of media workshops with publishing experts, before the winners were revealed in the afternoon. The prize-winning publications were really impressive – well written, beautifully designed and professionally presented. If it sounds like the kind of competition you’d like your school to enter, you can find out more about it here shine-schoolawards.org  – tell your teacher to…

Follow The Week Junior on PopJam @TheWeekJunior You can download the free PopJam app from the App Store or GooglePlay. Last week we reported on an intrepid canoe crew who’d completed a round-the-world trip. We asked if you’d be up for it… “No because it’s dangerous although it does look fun” @GalaxyPrincess18 “I would like to try but it may be a bit crazy” @TheMadepicMouse “I hope to do that some day” @EvieTheTiger1239__B The Guinness World Record for longest pizza was recently smashed. You said... “I love pizza” @pinkunihorse8 “Mouth starts watering” @PopJazzDino “I wonder how messy the floor would get…” @PopJazzYana “Yum!” @Puppy_Sisters Tell us what you think of this week’s issue. We’ll give you a shout out if your post is printed here.…

An Ed Sheeran-shaped cake To mark the 10th anniversary of one of London’s most famous music venues, the O2 Arena in North Greenwich, a selection of life-size sculptures of well-known pop stars have been created – from cake. The sculptures, including one of Ed Sheeran, took food artist Lara Mason around 500 hours to make. She used 400 eggs, 23 kilograms of sugar and 28.5 kilograms of butter. TASTY!  pop-Mason’s star cakes come in different flavours: Ed Sheeran, for example, is made from gingerbread. Super-strong rat When you put your rubbish outside every week, you expect it to be taken by the bin lorry. However, during one woman’s journey to work in New York, US, she spotted a huge rat that had got there first. The determined rodent managed to…