Innholdsfortegnelse for 274 i The Week Junior

A RECORD-BREAKING ADVENTURER Richard Garriott has become the first person to travel to Earth’s “four extremes”. He had already been to the North Pole, South Pole and the Earth’s orbit. On 1 March, he reached the deepest point of its seas – 11,000 metres below the Pacific Ocean. RARE CLOWN FROGS Scientists in Manchester, England, have bred endangered variable harlequin toads in captivity for the first time outside their home country. In 2018, researchers visited Panama, in Central America, and returned to the UK with six of the toads. After three years they bred the toads, also known as “clown frogs”, in the UK. BEING INSPIRED BY SIR TOM Vinnie Horspool Wynn, who is eight years old, was inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore to do 100 laps of where…

When theatres closed because of Covid-19 last year, actor Ben Hastings and prop-maker Maddie Sidi came up with a clever idea (props are the items held or used by actors during a performance). If the audience could not come to the theatre, they would take the theatre to the audience. “We thought, ‘Let’s make some puppets because we are sad and that makes us happy’,” Sidi tells The Week Junior, “and if we can share it, that’s great.” Together, they created the Doorstep Puppet Theatre, a shadow puppet show they could set up and perform outside people’s houses. “It’s been heartening to create something that is a bit different and a bit more personal,” says Hastings. Hastings says there is a real magic to shadow puppets. He says something happens…

A chemical called thiamethoxam has been banned from use in the UK – for a second time. It is used as a pesticide (a chemical that stops insects and other creatures from attacking plants) but it also harms bees. Bees are vital to nature because they carry pollen between flowers so plants can reproduce. Milan Wiercx van Rhijn from the charity Bees for Development explained to BBC Radio One that about one third of all food comes from plants pollinated by bees, but bee numbers have been falling. This has been blamed on human activity such as the spread of towns; farmers growing single crops (rather than the variety that bees need to survive); and the use of pesticides. To help support the bee population, thiamethoxam and similar chemicals were…

Daniel Kane Zookeeper ZSL London Zoo Both king and Indian cobras are venomous snakes found in India, and stand tall while spreading a hood when threatened. Indian cobras are smaller and often found around human settlements, where they eat rodents. King cobras are larger – up to five metres long – but eat other snakes, allowing them to live mostly in forests away from humans. 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…

Scientists have published a description of the oldest known primate fossils. The tiny fossilised teeth belonged to a creature called Purgatorius that belongs in the same mammal group as apes, humans and monkeys. Dated to 65.9 million years ago, they suggest that Purgatorius was descended from primates that lived even earlier, during the reign of the dinosaurs. When an asteroid hit the Earth 66 million years ago and the dinosaurs were wiped out alongside three quarters of all animal and plant life, the way was cleared for surviving species – including our ancestors – to evolve and thrive.…

Plans have been revealed for the world’s first 3D-printed school in Madagascar, a large island off the east coast of Africa. The project is led by Thinking Huts, a charity that aims to improve access to education. The project will start as a “pod” – a single-storey building with room for 30 students, but more pods can be added as the school grows. The printing process, which involves a computer-controlled robot laying down layers of concrete, should take 22 days before human builders apply the finishing touches. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+ Naturemagazinesciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Jessica and Nelly Korda have a very sporty family. Their father, Petr, was a professional tennis player who won the famous Australian Open event in 1998. Regina, their mother, was also a tennis professional. Sebastian, the sisters’ 20-year-old brother, took up tennis and won the Australian Open junior title in 2018. Even though Jessica, Nelly and Sebastian often compete in different places around the world at the same time, the family always supports and watches each other’s progress.…

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day From the same director as Yes Day, this film on Disney+ tells the story of 11-year-old Alexander, who has the worst day of his life and wonders why nothing bad ever happens to the rest of his family. The Sleepover When two siblings discover that their parents have been kidnapped by a group of international thieves, they abandon their planned sleepover to go and rescue them. This action-packed film is available now on Netflix. My Spy When undercover CIA agent JJ has his cover blown by nine-year-old Sophie, he has to do everything she says. With help from her new best friend, Sophie sets out to learn all of the skills needed to become a spy. My Spy is on…

Where can I get the right wool to use? If there isn’t any wool in your home you can buy it from online craft shops. There are lots of different colours available, and by using thicker wool (or yarn), you can make something quite quickly. What if I can’t get wool? If you can’t get new wool, Sarah Marks of Buttonbag.co.uk has another idea. “You could carefully unravel an old woolly jumper, if you’re allowed to, and reuse that wool for your finger knitting. Any kind of wool is suitable really.”…

Editor’s note Last Monday, almost all pupils in England returned to school after more than two months of homeschooling – as was the case for younger primary school pupils in Northern Ireland. Some students in Scotland and Wales have been back since February. Wherever you live in the UK, it’s been a challenging and strange couple of months, and some of you might have felt anxious about returning to school. Others of you were excited. Milly told us, “I’m very pleased to go back as I find online learning really hard and stressful and I desperately want to see my friends again.” Lewis in Scotland said, “I am very excited at the prospect of going back to school, mostly because of the social interactions and sport, such as hockey, which…

1 On what date is International Women’s Day held? a) 1 March b) 8 March c) 18 March a □ b □ c □ 2 True or false? The NHS was created in 1998. 3 Which animals in Cambodia laid eggs for the first time in captivity? 4 How many hours of TV does the average child in the UK watch per week? a) 2 b) 7 c) 12 a □ b □ c □ 5 True or false? The first shadow puppet shows were in Asia more than 2,000 years ago. 6 Honey bees snooze for how long each day? 7 In which century was the ship found at Sutton Hoo buried? a) 5th century b) 6th century c) 7th century a □ b □ c □ 8 True…

• Subtitles are the text of the programme written at the bottom of the screen. • A campaign, called Turn on the Subtitles (TOTS), has been set up by parents who would like all children’s TV to have subtitles as standard. • TOTS wants this because reading subtitles while watching TV dramatically improves reading ability, it says. • The campaign is supported by several celebrities, including Stephen Fry, who narrates the Harry Potter audiobooks. He said watching TV with subtitles on could help “change a child’s life for ever”. • The average child in the UK watches almost 12 hours of TV per week.…

On 8 March, many pupils across England went back to school. For eight-year-old Pearl Parkin, it marked the end of a challenge in which she has raised more than £5,000 for the charity Save the Children. Parkin dressed up as a different person each day, including Greta Thunberg and Lady Gaga, until she returned to school. Parkin says all of her outfits were made using materials found around the house. Parkin told The Guardian that she loves dressing up with her family. “I want to raise money for children around the world who might need help right now because of Covid, or other reasons,” she said.…

Alongside yellow daffodils, blossoming fruit trees are a sure sign of spring. Some trees produce blossom as early as January – it’s not only pretty to look at, it also provides an early meal for bees and a pleasant habitat for other insects. In March, however, blossom is at its most abundant – there are lots of different kinds to see. The National Trust includes blossom-spotting in its list of “50 things to do before you’re 11 and three quarters”, and recommends getting up before sunrise for some stunning effects. You can find the Trust’s helpful guide to telling your goat willow from your blackthorn blossom at tinyurl.com/TWJ-blossomwatch Got an eco tip? Send it to us at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk PRETTY USEFUL The wood from blackthorn trees was traditionally used to make…

A very shaggy sheep A merino ram nicknamed Baarack was found wandering in an Australian forest with an overgrown fleece, matted with twigs and insects. His rescuers shaved off the 35-kilogram fleece and now Baarack is happily settled at a rescue centre and can see clearly again. Skylarks in the city London’s skylarks are under threat because of the number of people using parks during lockdown. The birds make nests in low grass in the parks and can be disturbed by walkers straying from paths, or curious dogs. A campaign has been launched to make people aware of the problem.…

Have you ever argued with a friend, and said or done something you regretted? Sometimes it can be hard to put things right, especially when feelings have been hurt. Knowing how to apologise can help you become friends again and to understand why you fell out in the first place. Why do we argue? We argue for all kinds of reasons. You might think your football team is fantastic but your friend disagrees; or you don’t want someone joining in your game; or maybe your sister is being really annoying. Sometimes, especially if you’re angry, things can spiral out of control and you’ll say or do something you regret. Arguing and disagreeing with others occasionally is normal – we all do it – but it’s important to resolve your differences…

Some of the best games released in the past year are going up against each other to win prizes in the British Academy Games Awards, which take place later this month. Dreams, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Fall Guys and Sackboy: A Big Adventure – all reviewed in past issues of The Week Junior – are among the games up for awards on 25 March. The awards are organised by BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), a UK charity that represents the film, TV and games industries and is best known for the awards that it gives for films and TV programmes. Since 2004, it has also held a games awards event each year. This year’s nominations include a category for the best family games – those aimed at…

What did you want to be when you were little? A singer but I sound like a set of bagpipes being thrown down the stairs, so it will always remain a dream. Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Trek! I used to love the 1960s series when I was younger, and it’s so silly and fun to watch now. Favourite piece of technology? Right now it has to be video calling because the past year would have been impossible without it. How did you come up with the idea for this book? My ideas can come from anywhere but this one came when I was reading an article about space debris, and I thought, “What if we threw ALL our rubbish up there?” What makes you bored? I actually LOVE…

What you need Olaf Falafel is a children’s author, illustrator, dad of two daughters and a comedian. During the first lockdown he created a weekly online art club (tinyurl.com/TWJ-olafart). Each episode is filled with jokes, useful tips, animations and facts about his favourite artists. Over to you, Olaf... “The artist that we’re looking at this week doesn’t go by his real name, mainly to stop himself getting into trouble. I, on the other hand, am 100% definitely called Olaf Falafel, there’s no way I would have just made that name up to get an easy laugh. I don’t know much about this week’s artist, apart from that he was born in Paris in 1969 and goes by the name of “Invader”. He is…

Follow The Week Junior on PopJam@TheWeekJunior. You can download the PopJam app from the App Store or Google Play. Last week’s Big Debate question was “Are dogs better than cats?”. You said… “Dogs and cats have very different personalities. If you want a cuddly calm friend cats are the one, but if you are looking for an active buddy, a dog would be great.” “Personally, I prefer dogs to cats, but everyone has a different opinion!” “Well I have a cat but I still love dogs so much.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

15 March 1927 The first women’s boat race takes place On 15 March 1927, the first women’s boat race was held in Oxford, England. The boat race is an annual set of rowing races between Cambridge and Oxford University Boat Clubs. The first men’s race was in 1829, yet it wasn’t until 1927 that women were allowed to compete. This was because of gender discrimination, the unfair treatment of people because of their gender. The crews raced at separate times and were judged on how fast and well they’d rowed. Oxford were the winners.…

Now that you’ve read a bit more about it, tell us what you think by voting in our poll at theweekjunior.co.uk/polls. Vote YES if you think children should watch TV with subtitles, or NO if you don’t. We’ll publish the results next week. The aim of the Big debate page is to present two sides of an issue fairly and objectively, in order to stimulate discussion and allow our readers to make up their minds. The views on the page do not reflect those of The Week Junior, and the page is not funded by third parties. The page is created in association with the English-Speaking Union, an educational charity helping young people discover their voice and realise their full potential. For more information, please see esu.org…

Because honey bees do not hibernate (go to sleep for winter), they need flowers and plants that provide nectar all year round. A mixture of species helps all bees survive and keep their strength up – balconies, gardens and even window boxes can be fantastic havens for bees if they contain the right plants. The best have single, open flowers where the bees can easily land and reach the pollen and nectar. Good flowers for winter and early spring include cyclamens and crocuses.…

Tammy Beaumont The England cricketer has become the world’s No.1 ranked batter in one-day cricket for the first time. Glasgow Rangers They have been crowned the Scottish Premiership champions for the first time since 2011. Rangers’ big rivals, Celtic, had won the previous nine titles. Hollie Doyle The jockey won five horse races at the same event. The achievement is very rare but it’s the second time that Doyle has done it. Keely Hodgkinson The 19-year-old won the 800 metres race at the European Indoor Athletics Championships. She’s Britain’s youngest winner at the competition since 1970.…

Imagine if for one day a year, your parents or carers had to say yes to everything you asked of them. That’s the idea behind Yes Day, a new comedy film on Netflix. The film is based on a book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, which inspired actor Jennifer Garner to start having Yes Days with her family. Garner wanted to share her experiences, and so she talked to director Miguel Arteta about turning the book into a film. “It’s pretty hard to say no to a movie called Yes Day,” Arteta said, speaking to The Week Junior. Making the film “was like a big adventure”, Arteta says. Highlights included eating ice cream all day for two days; riding rollercoasters for four days; and having a water-balloon fight for five days.…

Out and About: Night Explorer by Sara Lynn Cramb & Robyn Swift (Nosy Crow) Discover the creatures in your garden at night or take this book and a grown-up on a night-time nature walk. Written with experts from the National Trust (a charity that protects nature and historic buildings for the public), it shows how to identify more than 100 animals, birds, insects and stars. What to Look for in Spring by Elizabeth Jenner and Natasha Durley (Puffin Books) This illustrated spotter’s book includes information about all sorts of things you can look out for at this time of year: buds, blossoms, butterflies, bleating lambs and boxing hares. Pop it in your pocket when you head out for a walk, or share with your family and see what you can…

Finger knitting is fun, easy, cheap and you can use it to make lots of different things. Whether it’s cute and comfortable scarves, beanie hats, bracelets or headbands, it is simple to get the hang of the craft once you’ve have some practice. The usual type of knitting uses two knitting needles to weave the wool together, but finger knitting doesn’t use any needles. Before starting you can watch a video at tinyurl.com/TWJ-fingerknitting for a close-up look at how it’s done. First, choose your wool. If you are right handed, hold the long wool strand in your left hand with the palm facing up. Do it on the opposite side if you are left handed. Using your dominant hand (the one you write with), wrap the wool behind the index…