Innholdsfortegnelse for 210 i The Week Junior

Keiren Thompson, from Bulwell, in Nottingham, won the Unsung Hero award. This award was introduced in 2011 for people who have made an important but unrecognised contribution to UK sport. Thompson runs Helping Kids Achieve, a club in one of the most deprived areas of Nottingham, that helps children play sports and take part in other activities. When he was younger, Thompson was attacked. He set up the club to try and stop other children from getting caught up in violence.…

Over the course of his career, British athlete Colin Jackson overcame many obstacles – literally. He was twice world champion in the 110-metre hurdles, where he set a world record for the fastest time and was unbeaten in 44 races. He won medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games between 1986 and 2002. Jackson told The Week Junior that “you never know where your life is going to take you, so it’s important to get a good grounding in education”. That’s why he has now become chancellor of Wrexham Glyndwr University in north Wales and an ambassador for an online school called InterHigh. Jackson’s favourite subject at school was history. “If you understand where you’re coming from, you have more chance of moving forwards,” he…

Young orcas Researchers have found that killer whale grandmothers help raise their grand-calves, which helps the young ones to live longer. The scientists studied 378 killer whales (or orcas) and found that calves with grandmas had a better chance of survival, particularly when food was scarce. Scottish wildlife A group of 35 charities have said that Scottish wildlife is at risk due to funding cuts. They say that in the last 10 years around £100 million (about 40%) has been cut from environment budgets. The Scottish government said the figure did not include other funding sources.…

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (Puffin Books) It’s Midwinter’s Eve, the day before Will’s 11th birthday, but strange things are happening. Although the rest of his noisy family don’t seem to have noticed that anything is wrong, Will soon realises this will be a birthday like no other. As the snow falls, he learns he is no ordinary boy, but actually the last of the Old Ones, destined to take on a dangerous quest to vanquish the evil magic of the Dark... This classic winter story was written more than 40 years ago, and has now been published in a new edition with an introduction by nature writer Robert Macfarlane. It’s a mysterious and thrilling tale that will send shivers up your spine. Perfect for reading on dark…

Cinderella: After Ever After One of the most popular pantomimes around the country is Cinderella, which ends with her and Prince Charming getting married, but what happened next? This comedy version explores the next stage in the lives of Cinderella and Prince Charming. Cinderella: After Ever After is on Sky One on 24 December at 8pm. The Snail and the Whale The Snail and the Whale is a story book by the creators of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. It tells the story of a snail who hitches a lift on a whale’s tail, and the two go on adventures. The Snail and the Whale is on BBC One on 25 December at 2.30pm. The Tiger Who Came to Tea Judith Kerr’s famous tale about an unexpected guest…

Some music-making apps are free, like Splash; others, such as Waay, are paid-for downloads, but most make their money from in-app purchases, such as weekly or monthly subscriptions. These are optional – often they offer more sounds and features, but you can still use the app for free. They can be expensive, and it is possible to accidentally sign up for a “free trial” that turns into a subscription. As with any in-app spending, if a screen pops up asking you to confirm a purchase, check with an adult first.…

What you need ● 200g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease ● 200g granulated sugar ● 50g icing sugar ● 1 egg ● 300g plain flour ● A few drops of red food colouring ● A few drops of green food colouring ● Ruler ● Pen/pencil ● Baking parchment ● One large bowl ● Whisk (ideally electric) ● Three bowls ● Three spoons ● Rolling pin ● Three baking trays ● 24 lollipop sticks Instructions 1. Draw a 20cm x 30cm rectangle on three large sheets of baking parchment. Flip them over so the ink is on the underside. Put them to one side. 2. Place the butter, granulated sugar and icing sugar in a large bowl, and mix with a whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg…

Name: Saskia “Hey Greg! I made a book about you. Would you like to read it? I think you’ll like it. Alright Rowley, pass it here. Greg skimmed the book and I got the exact reaction I expected. Wham! So I decided the only way to make it fair was if Greg, my best friend, made a book review showing the best and worst parts of my diary about us. He agreed, but it took some time to persuade him, ‘You really think I’m going to do that?!’ First of all, that is not the same account of events as I have in my journals. You see things differently to me. For a small book it doesn’t tell much about me, does it? In fact what you’ve done is turn…

Teacher’s name: Miss Fowler School: St Christopher’s School, London “I have picked Miss Fowler to be Teacher of the Week because she is inspiring, kind and caring. She is my English teacher and always makes creative writing interesting, fun and exciting. She is sympathetic when I’m upset or worried, and always makes me feel better.” Daisy If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll sendyourschoolthreefreeissuesof 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…

Most UK citizens over the age of 18 can campaign to be elected as a Member of Parliament if they pay £500. In Boris Johnson’s seat (the part of the country that he represents) of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, in London, there were several unusual characters trying to be elected. Among them were the Sesame Street character Elmo (who received eight votes), Lord Buckethead (125 votes) and Count Binface (69 votes). In 2017, a man dressed as a fish finger got 309 votes.…

A DARING RESCUE A bald eagle and a giant octopus that were locked in a dramatic battle have both been rescued. Fishermen in Canada found the two struggling in the water, and used a pole to separate them. Both animals were unharmed. You can watch the video here: tinyurl.com/TWJ-eagleoctopus THIS DANCING DUO Kelvin Fletcher and his professional partner Oti Mabuse have won this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. Their victory was announced during a live final on 14 December, following a public vote. Fletcher is an actor and racing driver who entered the show as a replacement for reality TV star Jamie Laing, who injured his ankle. A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE A man who has spent Christmas alone for the past 20 years has been given a Christmas tree from students at…

21 December 1937 Snow White premieres in the US On 21 December 1937, Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered (shown for the first time) at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, US. It was the first full-length animated film in colour with sound to be released. The film took three years to make, and included almost two million paintings, which were put together to create the animation. The film went on to receive an Academy Award, which consisted of a full-sized Oscar, along with seven other “dwarf-sized” Oscars.…

Wow! We were snowed under by the number of entries for our 2019 Christmas cover competition, and blown away by your talent. We received almost 1,000 fantastic cover designs, and the competition was fierce. Some of your covers made us laugh, others were more thoughtful. There was a range of themes – several were political, others focused on the environment, and there were lots of quirky characters and clever designs. In the end, though, there could be only one winner: Audrey McCormick’s adorable polar bear was beautifully drawn, wonderfully festive and stood out to us as the clear winner. Children’s Laureate, author and illustrator Cressida Cowell said, “This is a beautiful piece of art that is very skillfully executed. It’s festive, with the Christmas hat, but the polar bear’s…

Magnus Carlsen The world chess champion reached the top of the global rankings in the Premier League’s official fantasy football game. Tiger Woods The golfer captained the US team to victory in the Presidents Cup contest, playing against a team that represented the rest of the world (except for Europe). Zoe Atkin The 16-year-old British skier won her first World Cup medal at the halfpipe event in Colorado, US. Carys Lloyd & Sebastian Grindley They won the Under-14s National Trophy in cyclocross. Cyclo-cross is a bike race around a course with different obstacles and terrains.…

How would you recommend that people get into writing? Just write and write. Stories or articles for your school or college magazine, for the local paper, for anywhere online that you can find. My first children’s book, Over Sea, Under Stone, was turned down by more than 20 publishers before it found a home. Don’t lose hope! What’s your favourite part of The Dark Is Rising? I especially like the moment when Will wakes up on his birthday, the shortest day, hearing that magical phrase of distant music, and looks out of his window to find his whole world changed into a great silent, snow-clad forest, filled with mystery, into which he knows he must walk... What’s your favourite animal? At the moment it’s a small flat-nosed Boston terrier, with…

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) DVD, Blu-ray, Disney Life, Sky Cinema There have been plenty of adaptations of Charles Dickens’s novel A Christmas Carol. The most beloved is The Muppet Christmas Carol. This was the first Muppet film made after the death of their creator Jim Henson, and it’s directed with real love by his son Brian. With a terrific songbook, the film is also quite a faithful adaptation of the source text, just with Michael Caine singing badly, some very funny jokes, and Charles Dickens accompanied by a rat! Since its release, the film has become one of the most popular Christmas films ever made – and what better time of year is there to check it out?…

A lot of people think ballet is all tutus and pink slippers, but there’s plenty more to it than that. The dance’s image has changed a lot over the past few years, and the days of boys thinking it was an activity just for girls are long gone. Once you have a go at ballet you will quickly find it’s an exhilarating way to express yourself. Ruth Brill, artistic director at London Children’s Ballet, recommends trying the activity mostly because it’s fun. “It’s a great opportunity to move to music and inspire your imagination,” she says. “Dancing is always a challenge and it builds your confidence.” Your body will quickly grow stronger and more agile, and your posture will improve as you become more adept at the moves and your…

The Stratford Literary Festival is running two national competitions for young poets and designers. There’s a poetry competition and a design-the-cover competition. To enter the poetry competition, submit a poem of no more than 600 words on any theme. A collection of the winning poems will be published as a book next spring, and the second competition is to design the cover for it. The book will be available to buy both online and at the Stratford-upon-Avon Waterstones shop. The deadline for poems is 21 February 2020, and for the book cover it’s 28 February. To find out more, visit tinyurl.com/TWJ-Stratford…

Follow The Week Junior on PopJam@TheWeekJunior. You can download the PopJam app from the App Store or Google Play. An expensive artwork that consisted of a banana taped to a wall has been eaten by another artist. You said... “That is just bananas!” “That’s amazing and kind of gross.” Last week, we asked if social media apps should get rid of “likes”. You said... “Yes because it removes the stress of comparing things.” “No. People feel happy when they receive ‘likes’, so why ruin the fun?” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

● In 1883, Edward Hibberd Johnson strung 80 red, white and blue light bulbs around a Christmas tree in New York City – the first electric Christmas lights. Johnson was a friend of Thomas Edison’s, who helped invent the electric light bulb. ● At the time, these lights were very expensive for ordinary people. It wasn’t until the 1930s that people could afford to put them up outside their homes. ● These days, festive lights are everywhere. Oxford Street’s display, in London, has 222,000 lights. ● Byron Road in Hampshire is the UK’s most festive street, with 10,000 flashing lights and lots of other decorations.…

Suzi Hyde Senior keeper of birds, ZSL London Zoo Penguin colonies are hectic places, with up to 120,000 individuals. Most penguins pair up. To find their mates, they have complex calls that help identify individual animals. Their vocal organ, called a syrinx, splits into a fork shape near the lungs. By using both branches of this organ, they can make two sounds at once, creating unique signals with which to call each other. Enjoy unlimited visits to ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos, plus a host of other benefits with ZSL Membership. Find out more at zsl.org/membership/zsl-membership…

How Winston Delivered Christmas by Alex T. Smith (Macmillan Children’s Books) Divided into 24 (and a half) chapters – so you could read one each day of Advent if you like – this is the delightful story of Winston, a brave little mouse who sets out on a Christmas adventure. Each chapter also includes a different festive activity, such as baking mince pies or making decorations. It’s great for sharing with your whole family. The Twelve Days of Christmas with Roald Dahl Illustrated by Quentin Blake (Puffin Books) Fans of Roald Dahl will love this collection of things to make and do, inspired by books from Matilda to The Twits. There are whipple-scrumptious recipes, tricksy pranks to get you on Santa’s naughty list, jokes, activity ideas and lots of Quentin…

The kindhearted scarecrow A comedy with an important message that everyone will enjoy. Worzel Gummidge, the kind-hearted scarecrow who comes to life, is returning to TV screens this Christmas. Gummidge is a popular character from children’s fiction, and first appeared in 1936 in a book by Barbara Euphan Todd. From 1979 to 1981, there was a popular TV version of the book, and now the story has been updated for the 21st century. Mackenzie Crook (who appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean) wrote and stars in the new version of the classic tale. He sums up the programme as a comedy about a scarecrow who comes to life on Scatterbrook Farm, befriends the local children and leads them on adventures. There are two one-hour films, and Crook, who plays Worzel…

A cool new type of mobile app is aiming to help people with little or no musical training to start making and sharing their own songs. Apps such as Splash, Jambl and Humtap make it easier than ever to turn ideas in your head into tunes playing on your phone, and others like Big Ear and Waay will teach you music theory, from scales to composing tips. Splash is the newest app, and it is released this month as a free download for Android and iPhone. It gets you to choose from collections (or “pads”) of sounds in genres (styles of music) that include pop, dance and hip-hop. Next, you tap on buttons to trigger beats, basslines and melodies. You can record the music that you make and share it…

Where do I begin? The first thing to do is find your nearest dance club. Most clubs do ballet lessons, and there are some specific ballet schools for the very best dancers who want to make dancing a career. What do I need? “You don’t need much to start ballet,” says Brill. “Some schools have a set uniform, but all you really need are comfortable clothes that you can move in and a pair of ballet shoes so that you can spin and jump.” What if I’ve never danced before? “Dance is for everyone,” says Brill. “Whether it’s ballet or dancing in your kitchen, everyone can dance. There are beginners’ ballet classes available for all ages. Classes will give you the technique to keep on improving.”…

I love this week’s Christmas issue, and I hope you do too! Thanks to Audrey McCormick’s gorgeous cover design, I am well and truly in the festive mood. We had so much fun going through all the competition entries – take a look at some of our favourites on pages 14–15. A huge well done to everyone who entered – the entries were all brilliant. Elsewhere, our That’s Unbelievable page is looking very Christmassy indeed, and don’t forget to join in the debate over whether Christmas light displays have gone too far, on page 8. On a not-so-festive note, see if you can spot lurking somewhere within these pages an incredible story about a giant octopus doing battle with a huge eagle… The festive fun doesn’t end with this week’s…

1 Who has been picked by Time magazine as its Person of the Year? a) Greta Thunberg b) Abiy Ahmed c) Megan Rapinoe a ■ b ■ c ■ 2 True or false? Cricketer Ben Stokes won Sports Personality of the Year. 3 What animal was found in a Christmas tree in Australia? 4 Who introduced the Christmas tree to Britain? a) Queen Victoria b) King Henry VIII c) Prince Albert a ■ b ■ c ■ 5 True or false? Colin Jackson was a two-time world champion in the 100-metre sprint. 6 What have researchers learned about young orcas recently? 7 In which country was the first printed Advent calendar released? a) United Kingdom b) United States c) Germany a ■ b ■ c ■ 8 True or false?…