Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 118 i The Week Junior

Politicians have released a report that claims that British Cycling (the sport’s national governing body) and Team Sky (a British professional cycling team) may have bent the rules by giving cyclists drugs to help them perform better during important races. One of Team Sky’s best-known cyclists is Sir Bradley Wiggins, who won the 2012 Tour de France. What is the Tour de France? Held every summer, the Tour de France is cycling’s most famous race. Almost 200 cyclists take part, riding more than 2,000 miles over 23 days. The competition is divided into 21 stages, and the best riders at the end of each stage win a coloured jersey. Every cyclist dreams of winning the yellow jersey, because it goes to the fastest overall rider. What did the report say?…

A SLEDGING GRANDMOTHER Ice and snow have caused widespread disruption around the UK and Ireland in the past few weeks, but one grandmother from County Cork in Ireland didn’t let that slow her down. Eighty-six-year-old Eileen Maguire was caught on camera sledging with her grandson, Jack, and the photo has gone viral. PASTY LOVERS The World Pasty Championships, held at Cornwall’s Eden Project, is a pasty lovers’ paradise. This year more than 200 pasties were put into competition. One of the prizes went to a US bakery for its barbecue chicken creation, which included courgette and pineapple. FINDING A FOSSIL A fossil of a baby bird believed to be one of the smallest ever discovered has been unveiled by scientists from the Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US. The…

Tens of thousands of people in Wales and south-east England were left without water last week after two weather events, known as the Beast from the East and Storm Emma, caused chaos across the UK. People living in parts of south-east England and Wales were urged to use as little water as possible, if they had any at all, after the weather caused water mains to burst and leak. Pipes had cracked and split during the freezing temperatures. The cracks and splits were then exposed as the weather grew warmer and ice began to melt. Many water suppliers provided their customers with bottled water while teams worked to fix the pipes. In Cumbria, north-west England, the RAF was asked to fly emergency supplies of food, logs and electrical heating appliances…

Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli set out to shine a light on role models – and ended up becoming inspirations in their own right. They grew up in Italy, where Cavallo was a playwright and Favilli a journalist. After moving to California, US, in 2012, they created products for children such as an iPad-based magazine called Timbuktu. Three years later, they launched an email newsletter called Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. “Every week we would share a story about a female hero that parents could share with their children at the dinner table,” recalls Cavallo. With a loyal group of fans eagerly awaiting each new story, the pair decided to turn their tales into a book. Instead of looking for a publisher (a company that prepares books for sale),…

While the UK and much of Europe has been caught in the grip of the Beast from the East – the ferocious weather that has brought snowstorms and icy temperatures – things are not normal in the Arctic either. The reason we’ve had unusual weather here is because of an alarming heatwave in the Arctic. At this time of year, the Arctic is shrouded in darkness. The North Pole sees no sunlight until March. With the darkness should come icy temperatures. This year things are different. The polar vortex is a system of very cold air that swirls above the Arctic. Usually, it serves to keep freezing air in the Arctic and prevent warmer air from the south getting in and affecting the temperature. This year, warm air from the…

Bees The bee population has fallen dramatically in recent years, and a report by a department of the European Union (EU) has found that a common pesticide, designed to keep bugs off crops, could be to blame. Now, it looks as if the EU will ban the pesticide in a vote later this month. North Atlantic right whales North Atlantic right whales are under threat and numbers are dwindling. Researchers have found that in the most recent breeding season, which runs from November to February, no new calves were born. This leaves just around 430 of them, with experts fearing they could be extinct by 2040.…

Little and large The country with the most people in the Commonwealth is India, with a population of 1.3 billion, and the country with the fewest people is Nauru, a country in Oceania, with a population of around 13,000. Rich and poor Some members of the Commonwealth have a lot more money than others. An average full-time worker in Australia earns around £45,000 a year, whereas the average person in Malawi earns just £230 a year. Word origins The word commonwealth comes from common weal, which was a 16th-century term for well-being. Old and new Most countries in the Commonwealth were once part of the British Empire, except for the latest two members to join: Rwanda and Mozambique. To learn more about the Commonwealth, head to tinyurl.com/TWJ-commonwealth…

Meghan MacLaren At the New South Wales Open in Australia, MacLaren won her first European Tour golf title. The 23-year-old comes from Northamptonshire, England. Great Britain’s track cycling team They won six medals at the Track Cycling World Championships in the Netherlands. Adam Peaty The Olympic champion won the 50-metre and 100-metre breaststroke titles at the British Swimming Championships in Edinburgh. Sir Mo Farah The British runner finished first in the 13.1-mile Big Half race in London. Farah retired from track racing last year. He will try to win the London Marathon next month for the first time.…

How do you get your ideas? I get my ideas from all over the place. I think the best writers are half-human/half-magpie. We pick away and steal little scraps and details from almost everything we do. Some of my best characters/names/plots are made from sticking lots of little ideas together from stuff I’ve seen on my daily travels. What was your first job? My first professional writing job was a blog for a newspaper about performing on stage, but my first ever jobby-job-job was washing dishes in a pub kitchen when I was ateenager.IT WAS HORRIBLE! What is your best childhood memory? I was lucky enough to have the fantastically funny children’ss author, Jeremy Strong, as my headmaster at primary school. We all LOVED him and thought he was Willy…

Paddington 2 Out on DVD 12 March. Certificate PG Paddington 2 was an instant classic. This heartwarming family adventure has become the best-reviewed film in history. Now, it is available to enjoy at home on DVD and streaming services. Remember, it’s best watched with a marmalade sandwich near to hand. Katy 5pm, 13 March, CBBC Daredevil Katy is always getting in trouble, but one day an accident leaves her worse off than ever before. This new series is based on one of Jacqueline Wilson’s fantastic novels, so it’s guaranteed to offer laughs, tears and plenty of food for thought. Stuck in the Middle 6pm, 13 March, Disney Channel and Disney Life Harley Diaz comes from a big family – she’s the middle of seven children. As you can imagine, it…

Coral Reef by Tinybop iOS (£2.99) In February, scientific research suggested that the world’s coral reefs are at risk of being destroyed as our oceans become more toxic due to a build-up of carbon dioxide gas in the Earth’s atmosphere. This new app provides plenty of reminders why marine biologists are so keen for humans to take action to preserve the coral reefs. It tells you about the huge variety of sea creatures that rely on them, from sharks and clownfish to crabs and sea turtles. You can explore the app’s virtual underwater reef to find out about sea life and play mini-games to understand how they behave, from hiding octopuses to shrimps that pack a powerful punch. There’s a lot to explore here so you won’t get bored quickly.…

“I like recycling because it’s a way we can help the environment that’s also fun and easy to do. It makes me feel like I’m doing my bit for the planet. If we recycle things, they can be reused and animals won’t be harmed by things like plastic going into the sea. I donate toys, clothes and books to my local library and charity shops, refill bottles of water and swap computer games as it’s a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to get new games.”…

What you need A clean glass jar Thin wire Beads A tealight (a battery-powered version would be ideal) Ribbon Glue Instructions Wrap the wire twice around the jar’s neck, ensuring that your starting point has about two centimetres of wire sticking out. Wrap the short length of wire that is sticking out around the rest of the wire where they meet, to secure it in place. Now you can start making the handle. Thread the beads onto the wire until you’re happy with the length of your handle. Connect the end of the wire to the other side of the jar by looping it around the wire that is wrapped around the neck of the jar. That’s the handle done. Now it’s time to decorate the jar. Cut the ribbon,…

Name: Pelumi Year: 4 “Top tips about how to keep safe on the internet: Do not type or put personal information about yourself. The reason is that this can lead to everyone knowing about you, even if you wanted your family and friends to know about it. If you want to start something like a YouTube channel, do not use your real name. Just choose a nickname, and don’t put a picture of yourself. Be careful about who you talk to on the internet. You never know who they could be in disguise! ” What’s going on at your school? Have you taken part in a sporting event, put on a show or done something fun to raise money? Whatever you’re up to, we want to hear about it at…

1Where were the World Pasty Championships held? a) Devon b) Dorset c) Cornwall 2Which branch of the military was called in to deliver supplies to snowed-in communities in Cumbria? 3True or false? Mexico exports more Mexican tarantulas than anywhere else in the world. 4The first Olympic Winter Games took place in which year? a)1844 b)1924 c)2004 5DJ Tom Middleton has created an album designed to make people do what? 6True or false? Banagher Glen is said to be haunted by a snake. 7How many countries are in the Commonwealth? a)53 b)63 c)73 8True or false? Mars experiences snow at night. 9Which sporting team did French president, Emmanuel Macron, recently hang out with? a) Basketball b) Football c) Rugby 10How many gold medals did Team GB win at the World Indoor…

Banagher Glen is one of the few places in the UK that still boasts ancient woodland largely untouched by humans. Its magnificent old oaks tower over the local rivers, offering a mysterious and beautiful glimpse into the past. Rare red squirrels can be spotted, and there’s something spookier to look out for. According to local legend, this is the place where St Patrick trapped the last of Ireland’s snakes. The serpent is said to haunt the pools in the heart of the glen. Find out more at tinyurl.com/TWJ-banagherglen…

A study has found that flattie spiders make the fastest leg-driven turn of any creature on Earth. Scientists hope studying it will help them improve robots’ movements. ● NUMBER OF EYES: Eight. A row of six and a row of two. ● HABITAT: Found in cracks and crevices around the world. ● DIET: Insects. ● FUN FACT: Researchers have discovered that flattie spiders can spin around an astonishing 3,000° per second. This means that these speedy spinners can fully rotate their bodies three times in the blink of an eye. EIGHT LEGS OF AWESOME Some people are scared of spiders, but they make the world a better place. Spiders help keep other creepy-crawlies under control. Without them, insects like flies would run riot.…

The discovery of super-tough bacteria that can survive in one of the driest places on Earth is giving scientists new hope that there could be life hiding somewhere on Mars. It hasn’t rained for decades in some parts of Chile’s Atacama Desert, which means that the ground there is very dry. A team of scientists from the Technical University of Berlin in Germany headed to the desert in 2015, a month after it had experienced a freak bout of rain. When they studied the damp desert soil they found evidence of microbes (tiny organisms, such as bacteria) that had adapted to the extreme conditions. The team tested the soil again after it dried out over the next two years and found that the microbes go into a dormant state (similar…

Game on An umpire throws the ball in an Australian rules football match. Bright spark A worker wears protective clothing at a steel factory in Germany. Slam dunk French president Emmanuel Macron hangs out with a basketball squad. Dome sweet dome Buddhist monks attend a religious ceremony in Thailand. Holi moly People mark the Holi festival in India with brightly coloured powder. Snow patrol A guardsman on duty in chilly London. Crashing out Both drivers survived this spectacular smash during a race in Arizona, US. Tap dancers Great tits perch on a frozen tap in Wales.…

Guinness World Records: Science & Stuff (Guinness World Records) Explore record-breaking science with this book of weird and wild facts, which comes with an introduction from TV’s Science Bob. You’ll find out about everything from vampire squid to what it’s like to spend a year in space. Plus, have a go at some record-breaking science challenges. Rebel Science by Dan Green and David Lyttleton (Red Lemon Press) Think scientists are boring? Think again! This massively entertaining book will introduce you to some of history’s craziest rebel scientists. Find out fascinating stories of scientific mayhem – mess-ups, mix-ups and blunders – as well as the surprising successes and unexpected discoveries that happened along the way. Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky (Hachette Children’s Group ) Delve into the history of science…

When you hear the word opera, you might think of old singers warbling in Italian at the top of their lungs – but you’d be mistaken if you thought that was it. In fact, for hundreds of years, opera was the height of entertainment. Forget big-budget Hollywood films; in the 17th and 18th centuries the opera was the place to go for a good time. Productions often involved magnificent technical effects and huge casts, and the stories were taken from ancient myths and legends. These weren’t dusty old stories, but exciting tales filled with adventure. The production considered by many to be the first true opera told the story of Orpheus, a figure from Greek mythology who went into the underworld to rescue his love, Eurydice, from the clutches of…

You’ve probably heard of snowboarding, but how about sandboarding? It’s the same thing – swooping down slopes and somersaulting through the air – but on the desert sand rather than snowy mountainsides. Alto’s Odyssey is simple to play: your sandboarder moves automatically, so you just tap to jump and hold to spin while airborne. The challenge comes in avoiding rocks, chasms and other obstacles along the way. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets make the game a treat to look at, while its Zen Mode lets you play without a score or risking a game-over when you crash. AN ANCIENT SPORT Sandboarding isn’t a new idea: ancient Egyptians would slide down sand dunes on wooden boards to transport goods.…

Oliver Quinlan is a Raspberry Pi researcher and writer. He uses maths in his job every day and loves playing with computers and teaching others how to use them. He works with UK-based charity the Raspberry Pi Foundation to provide low-cost computers to young people all over the world. What’s your favourite thing about maths? Maths is such a powerful tool to solve problems and work out how things work. I love that feeling of having figured something out and better understanding how it works through using maths. Why is learning coding important for the future? We’re only just starting to understand what powerful tools computers are for us to solve problems and create things. Computers are built on maths, and understanding how they work is really important. What has…

What if I’m not in Scotland? The ideas behind Pass It On Week are universal. Start with your nearest charity shop and ask what they need most. Many can’t accept electrical items (things with a plug). How can I get my friends involved? Why not organise your own recycling event with the help of your school or parents? It could be a bring-and-buy sale for charity, a clothes swap, donation drive or toy hospital. You can print out posters from tinyurl.com/TWJ-passiton What can I donate? Almost anything is welcome at charity shops. If you have a musical instrument you don’t use, Pass It On Week is collecting them and giving them to budding musicians. You’ll find a nearby collection point over at passitonweek.com Learn more… ● Still not sure of…

On 6 March it was announced that the word “embiggen” had been admitted into a US dictionary, along with another 849 new words and phrases. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, embiggen means to make bigger or more expansive. New words are being added to dictionaries all the time, but what’s funny about this one is that it was first used more than 20 years ago in the animated TV show, The Simpsons . It was allegedly invented and inserted into the script as a dare between the writers of the show, along with another made-up word – “cromulent” – which didn’t make it into the dictionary. The writers at The Simpsons aren’t the only ones to have made up their own words. Author Roald…

Teacher’s name: Mrs Clarke School: Holywood Primary School, Northern Ireland “Mrs Clarke is the best teacher ever. She is very helpful and kind, and has helped us through our transfer tests in year P7. She is strict when she needs to be. We all will be really sad when we have to leave primary school this year to go on to secondary school. We will all miss you.” Sam, Primary 7 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 GET INVOLVED Email your news, viewsandpictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Every reader who has a report, review, Teacher of…

Follow The Week Junior on Popjam@TheWeekJunior. You can download the free Popjam app from the App Store or Google Play. Tech company Samad Aerospace has released plans for an aircraft that can take off and land just like a helicopter. You said... “Oh wow” @bellaboo101 “Cool, I cannot wait for it to be launched” @Flexible_JoJoSiwaLover “Looks very futuristic and dangerous” @happy_emoji123 On 8 March, International Women’s Day was celebrated around the world. You said... “Girls rule” @significantking3481 “Yay! We rule! Girls still get paid less than men though” @ravenclaw_blossom21 “Women deserve the same rights as men” @BritishTacoBoy “We are all equal!” @gringgring “Hooray for women” @Benkibonks Tell us what you think of this week’s issue. We’ll give you a shout-out if your post is printed here.…

9 March 1973 Northern Ireland votes to stay in the UK For much of the 20th century, Northern Ireland was divided between those who wanted to remain part of the UK, and those who wanted Northern Ireland to join the rest of Ireland. On 9 March 1973, a vote organised by the UK Government was held in Northern Ireland so that the public could decide whether they wished to remain part of the UK or leave. The vote was won by those who wanted to remain in the UK; 57% of voters opted to stay.…

What you need to know ● Just like the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics takes place every four years. ● This year, British Winter Olympic athletes received just under £28.4 million from UK Sport, a Government agency that supports Olympic and Paralympic sport. ● Team GB won five medals (one gold and four bronze) at this year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The team won most of their medals in an unusual event called skeleton, in which a competitor lies on a small sled and races head first at high speeds around a course. This year’s Winter Olympics came to a close on 25 February, after more than two weeks of exciting sporting action on the snow and ice. One of the highlights was Lizzie Yarnold winning gold in…

What do Australia, India, Jamaica and the UK have in common? They are all part of a family of countries known as the Commonwealth, and on 12 March these countries and others will celebrate Commonwealth Day. On this day, people in some countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean, the Pacific and Europe will celebrate the values of the Commonwealth. These values include friendship and diversity – which means recognising, respecting and valuing people’s differences. The theme of this year’s celebrations is “Towards A Common Future” and the aim is to explore how the Commonwealth can work together to create a better future for all its citizens. In London, the head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, will give a speech in Westminster Abbey and there will be…

Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Andrew Pozzi have become world champions for the first time. At the IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships at the Arena Birmingham in early March, 25-year-old Johnson-Thompson took gold in the pentathlon. Pozzi also raced to a gold medal with victory in the 60-metre hurdles event. There are five events in the pentathlon: high jump, shot put, long jump, 60-metre hurdles and 800-metre race. Johnson-Thompson won the most points after all five events to become world champion. Pozzi, who is also 25, won his hurdles race in dramatic style. He finished just one-hundredth of a second ahead of US athlete Jarret Eaton. Pozzi won the 2017 European Indoor title but this is his first world title. Team GB won seven medals at the indoor championships: two gold, one…

Welcome to the Nothing to See Here Hotel! The hero of this hilarious illustrated story, Frankie Bannister, is mostly human but one thirty-sixth troll. He helps his parents to run Brighton’s leading hotel for magical creatures, where the guests range from banshees to werepoodles, and the hotel cook is a giant spider. When a messenger arrives to announce that Grogbah the goblin prince is coming to stay, everyone has to rush into action to get the hotel ready for their very important guest and his huge entourage. What is the badly behaved prince really doing at the Nothing to See Here Hotel? Steven Butler’s rambunctious, rip-roaring tale is perfectly paired with wacky illustrations from Steven Lenton, which help everything from skeleton pirates to Frankie’s terrifying troll grandma to come to…

The Jungle Book 20–24 March One of the world’s best-loved children’s stories is coming to the Arts Theatre in Cambridge. The Jungle Book is a fantastic musical adventure that is packed with new songs, telling the story of Mowgli the man cub.See tinyurl.com/TWJ-junglebook for tickets. Awful Auntie 9–13 May The New Theatre in Cardiff is staging an adaptation of David Walliams’ hilarious story, Awful Auntie. When young Stella sets off on a visit to London, little does she know that she’s about to engage her beastly aunt in a battle for her very life. For tickets and more, check out tinyurl.com/TWJawfulauntie A Monster Calls 31 May–16 June Bristol’s Old Vic theatre is putting on an adaptation of Patrick Ness’ popular book. It tells the story of a boy called Conor.…

Thunderbirds Are Go! (1966) DVD, Blu-ray, Amazon Video CITV is about to begin screening series three of the animated series, Thunderbirds Are Go! But the show actually shares its name with a 1966 spin-off film, from the original Thunderbirds TV series. The film was one of two Thunderbirds big-screen versions, overseen by the show’s creators, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. It was made with puppets, and included an appearance by 1960s music star Cliff Richard. He reportedly loved the puppet version of himself. Although fans liked the film, it wasn’t a box office hit. When a 1968 sequel, Thunderbird 6, A didn’t do very well either, plans for more films were shelved. WOW!  live action Thunderbirds movie was released – and widely criticised – in 2004. Many fans complained that it…

The success of the mobile game Pokémon Go has already inspired a new Harry Potter title that will get fans running around in the real world. Now the Ghostbusters film franchise is getting its own location-based game too. It’s called Ghostbusters World, and like the two games above, it uses augmented reality (AR) to put virtual images of spooks into the real world when you look through a smartphone or tablet, and encourages players to capture them. The game will run on iPhone and Android smartphones when it comes out later in 2018, and the game’s developer promises characters from the Ghostbusters films, TV shows, comics and games, as well as some new spectres and ghouls. Moree details of Ghostbusters World are due to be released later this month, including…

Do you donate old books to the library, give clothes to charity and put plastics in the recycling bin? Good for you, you’re already doing your bit to help the planet. During Pass It On Week, which runs 10–18 March, however, you can take your recycling to the next level. Pass It On Week is Scotland’s national week of action dedicated to reuse, but the ideas behind it will work anywhere. It encourages people to do more when it comes to passing it on, whether they’re swapping clothes, donating books or repairing toys. Rather than throwing things away, the week is all about teaching people how to keep things in use for longer, and how to renovate, recycle and reuse our things to save money, reduce waste and help the…

A long wait for a sweet treat Three women camped outside for 36 hours to ensure that they were the first to get their hands on a Krispy Kreme doughnut after the US brand opened its first shop in New Zealand on 28 February. The trio began queuing outside the shop in Manukau, South Auckland, at 8.30pm. They slept on beanbags and were brought food and clothes by their parents. Eighteen-year-old Shannice Godkin was first in line, winning herself a year’s supply of doughnuts. Expensive plastic bag How much would you pay for a plastic bag? 5p? 10p? How about £425? That’s what the French fashion brand Céline is charging for its new carrier bag. The see-through shopping bag, designed by the fashion designer Phoebe Philo, was first spotted at…