Innholdsfortegnelse for 299 i The Week Junior

ParalympicsGB – the Paralympic team of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – have enjoyed a record-breaking summer Games in Tokyo, Japan. When did the Games begin? The opening ceremony was held on 24 August and the first events took place the next day. The Games will finish on 5 September. When The Week Junior went to press, Great Britain were second in the medal table, behind China. Which records have ParalympicsGB broken? ParalympicsGB have broken many world records during the Games. On 26 August, cyclist Jaco van Gass, who lost his lower left arm when serving as a soldier in Afghanistan, broke the world record to win gold in the men’s 3,000 metres individual pursuit. “It’s the best thing I’ve done,” he said. Another cycling world record was set by…

The last US troops flew out of Afghanistan on 30 August. This marked the end of a 20-year military presence in the country, the longest war in US history. Afghanistan is now under the rule of the Taliban, a military and political group with extreme views. The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to remove the Taliban from power and set up a stable government. The US, alongside allies including the UK, has had soldiers supporting the government for the last 20 years. However, following US president Joe Biden’s announcement in April that US troops would withdraw by 11 September 2021, the Taliban began to capture towns and cities, ending with the capital Kabul on 15 August. The US and the UK have been evacuating British and American citizens from Afghanistan.…

Last year, 17-year-old Dara McAnulty’s first book, Diary of a Young Naturalist, was published. A naturalist is someone who studies plants and animals. In the book, McAnulty records his thoughts and feelings as the seasons change over the course of a year. After its huge success, McAnulty published a second book this year called Wild Child. With illustrations by Barry Falls, the book takes you on a journey through nature. Wild Child was part of a book bundle available to win in The Week Junior Science+Nature’s Scavenger Hunt this summer. McAnulty says his earliest memories of growing up in Belfast are of being out in nature and asking questions. He thinks that all children are instinctive naturalists. “We’re all born with that trait of wanting to discover,” McAnulty says. With…

The population of golden eagles in the south of Scotland has increased after eight chicks were successfully moved to the area. The move was carried out by the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, which aims to raise the number of golden eagles in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway regions. The eight young eagles were moved from the Highlands of northern Scotland, where eagle numbers have been rising. They have been set free at a secret location in the southern uplands, where golden eagles are very rare. The release increases the area’s population to a record 12 birds. All the new arrivals are said to be in great condition, eating well and flying strongly. They have been named Ellenabeich or “Ellena”, Emma, Golden Shine, Heather, Iona, Sinclair, Speckled…

On Sunday 2 September 1666, a ferocious fire broke out in London. It lasted for four days and destroyed a huge part of the city. Historians have an accurate record of what happened thanks, in part, to Samuel Pepys. He worked for the Royal Navy and kept a detailed diary of his experiences as the fire raged around him. Packed like sardines London at the time had a population of around 400,000 people and its inhabitants were crammed like sardines into overcrowded streets. Most buildings were made from wood, so they caught fire easily, and they were built close together, making it easy for the fire to spread. There had been fires in London before – in 1212, more than 3,000 people died in a blaze that resulted in a…

Astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) held their own opening ceremony to mark the start of the Paralympics on 24 August. A group of seven astronauts posed for a picture beneath national flags and holding their own version of the Olympic torch. “The torch itself is a bundle of five tubes in the form of sakura petals with gold trim,” explained Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy. Earlier this year, the crew held their own version of the Olympics on the ISS. One popular event was “no-hand ball”, where they had to steer a ping-pong ball through a hatch by blowing on it.…

AGerman company called Traceless has invented a plant-based alternative to plastic packaging, which is safe to eat. The plastic-like packets, made from agricultural waste products, are fully compostable, breaking down in a few weeks. They can also be eaten – although they’re not very tasty. Dr Anne Lamp, the company’s co-founder, explains, “Should they end up in our environment or oceans, they break down completely... leaving no residues, or they get eaten by animals.” Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Naturemagazinesciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings In cinemas from 3 September The latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduces the character of Shang-Chi (played by Simu Liu), a kung-fu master who is forced to confront his past and the mysterious Ten Rings organisation. This is Marvel Studios’ first film with an Asian director and a mainly Asian cast. Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space On Netflix from 6 September This September, four civilians will orbit the Earth on their own. Follow their journey in real time with this Netflix documentary series. In the first two episodes, meet the crew of the Inspiration4 Mission as they prepare for take-off. Doogie Kamealoha M.D. On Disney+ from 8 September This new series on Disney+ is a remake of an old US…

Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston (Orion Children’s Books) Julia has travelled to the far north of Scotland to spend the summer in a lighthouse on a remote Shetland Island with her mum and dad, and their cat, Noodle. While her dad is busy working on the lighthouse, her marine-biologist mum is on a mission to track down the elusive Greenland Shark out in the wild seas. As Julia gets to know the island and begins to make some new friends, her mum’s obsession with the shark is growing out of control. Soon, it threatens to submerge them all. This thoughtful, beautiful story combines poetic writing from award-winning author Kiran Millwood Hargrave with lots of stunning black-and-white illustrations by her husband,…

What is the best way to hit a volleyball properly? Passing, volleying and spiking (jumping at the net to hit the ball over) use different techniques. To pass, your hands join together in an L shape and the bottom of your palms strike the ball. In volleying, your hands are open. Spiking uses the palm of one hand. A coach will teach you the proper techniques. Is beach volleyball a very different game? Beach volleyball uses a lighter ball than the indoor version and is played on a smaller sand court. In official matches, like those at the Olympics, each team has just two players but when playing for fun you can have as many as you like.…

Teacher’s name: Mr Hillis School: Maltese Road Primary, Essex “Mr Hillis is the funniest teacher in the school. He is very imaginative – once we had the best snowball fight with cotton wool balls. He also sets up lots of events for everyone to enjoy. He makes going to school and doing home learning fun. Mr Hillis is an all-round gifted teacher and he is very much loved and appreciated for all his hard work.” Caden, Nicholas and Ashton If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll send yourschoolthreefreeissuesof 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…

On 30 August, ParalympicsGB athlete Jonnie Peacock won a joint bronze medal in the 100 metres sprint. Both he and Johannes Floors, from Germany, recorded a time of 10.786 seconds. “I didn’t think you could share medals in sprints,” Peacock said. “There’s two ways to take it and, being positive, a 15-year-old me would have been so happy with this.” Felix Streng, also from Germany, won gold. Peacock won gold in this event at the 2012 and 2016 Games, and his time this year was quicker than both of those. “I think the world record is going to be broken very, very soon,” he said.…

A SUNBURNED DOLPHIN A bottlenose dolphin called Spirtle, who was badly sunburned when she was stranded by the Cromarty Firth, Scotland, in 2016, has given birth. Charlie Phillips, from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation charity, told the BBC that Spirtle was a “miracle girl”. FINDING A MISSING RING An 11-year-old girl on a beach holiday in Devon, England, found a wedding ring while swimming in the sea. When Imogen and her father looked at the ring they saw “James and Rebecca, 25.10.03” written on it. They posted a message on social media and, within two days of losing it, the ring was returned to James. TAWNY OWLS Six tawny owls have been released back into the wild after they fell out of trees when they were babies. The owlets (baby…

BBC News presenter Clive Myrie wanted to be a journalist from the age of nine. He was particularly inspired by Sir Trevor McDonald, who was the only black reporter Myrie saw on TV at the time. “I saw this guy who looked like me and I thought, ‘Well, if he can do it, maybe I could,’” Myrie told The Guardian newspaper. Now a successful news reporter himself, Myrie will be taking over from John Humphrys on the famous quiz show Mastermind. “The show is something I grew up watching, so for me to be part of that now is fantastic,” he says. “I’m learning so much and I hope the public will learn a little bit too.”…

The golden eagle is the UK’s second largest bird of prey, after the white-tailed eagle. It has a wingspan of around 2.2 metres, and adult females (which grow larger than males) can weigh up to 6.6 kilograms. Its main sources of food are rabbits and mountain hares but it also hunts foxes, young deer and large birds like grouse. In Scotland, clan chiefs (the heads of groups of people united by a common surname) used to wear three eagle feathers to show their importance.…

The Tower of London Fire breaks were created by blowing up buildings around the Tower to stop the flames from spreading. This helped protect the building that stores the precious Crown Jewels. However, the Tower was damaged by another fire in 1841. St Dunstan-in-the-East Church There is a written account that schoolboys from Westminster School fought the fire around this church to save it. It was bombed during the Second World War (1939 –1945) but the remains of the building still stand. The Guildhall This building was the headquarters of London’s city government. It survived because of its stone structure. An eyewitness called Thomas Vincent described the Guildhall standing amid the flames as being “like a bright shining coal”.…

Engineers have taught a robot called Atlas to do parkour tricks, including backflips and vaults. Parkour, or free running, is the art of moving from one place to another using the obstacles in your way. A video of the routine has been viewed more than eight million times on YouTube. Atlas was developed by Boston Dynamics, a robotics company in Massachusetts, in the US. Lead engineer Scott Kuindersma and his team have already taught the robot how to pick itself up from a fall and how to dance to a pop song. According to Kuindersma, the h robot is disadvantaged compared to a human. “If you or I were to vault over a barrier, we would take advantage of certain properties of our bodies that would not translate to the…

The Trafalgar Junior School Choir in Twickenham, in southwest London, sings together regularly. Anoushka told The Week Junior, “It makes me feel good inside and I lose track of time and enjoy it.” The rest of the choir agree. Amber said it makes her feel amazing and it’s “like a break from the world.” Edie added, “I can get away from everything, and if I’m upset it helps me to calm down and express myself.”…

Where’s the most remote place you’ve ever been Kiran and Tom: A tiny island in the Arctic Circle called Vardo. We went in winter, when the Sun never rises and the cold freezes your breath! Describe Julia in three words. Kiran and Tom: Curious, fearful, brave. What was your favourite snack to eat while working on this book? Kiran: Crumpets with butter. When I’m writing I can’t focus on anything else, so I live off toasted goods! Tom: Grapes, red and seedless, cold from the fridge... nature’s candy. If you could try out one job for a day what would it be? Kiran: Zookeeper – I love animals and would love to feed otters, play with pandas, and get a closer look at tigers and lions. Tom: Cricket commentator –…

Design a discovery poster The National Space Centre in Leicester is running an exciting competition. Design a poster that answers the question, “What is the most important space or science discovery?” and you could win a school trip to the National Space Centre for your whole class. Second prize is a video workshop with the National Space Centre’s Discovery team experts. Plus, 10 winners in each of the two age categories (six to 11 years old and 11 and over) will win a family pass to visit the National Space Centre. Ask your parent or guardian to download the entry form via Facebook at tinyurl.com/ TWJspacecompetition, and make sure you enter before the 26 September deadline. Good luck! GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…

Follow The Week Junior on PopJam@TheWeekJunior. You can download the PopJam app from the App Store or Google Play. Last week, we asked whether robots could replace artists… “No way, humans create art from the heart, robots just do what they are programmed to do.” “It depends if a human artist is controlling the robot.” “No, because artists have emotion and can feel loss and love, whereas robots can’t, so their art would be a lot less meaningful.” “Depends what the art is.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

• This summer there have been long queues and crowds on some of the UK’s tallest mountains, such as Ben Nevis in Scotland and Snowdon in Wales. • The overcrowding is largely because more people are going on holiday in the UK this year, rather than going abroad, because of Covid travel restrictions. For example, around 200,000 more people are expected to visit Snowdon this year, compared to 2018. • An estimated 23 million people planned a staycation in the UK this year. A staycation is a holiday in the country you live in, rather than travelling abroad.…

Each September, thousands of people get together to tidy up beaches all around the UK in the Great British Beach Clean. This year the event, organised by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), takes place from 17 to 26 September. If you want to take part, you could join a local beach clean or organise your own. You can even do your bit if you don’t live anywhere near a beach; the Source to Sea Litter Quest encourages people to pick up litter in parks and streets, so that it can never reach the sea. Whichever event you do, be sure to take a pair of thick gloves to protect your hands; a big bag to collect the rubbish; and a litter picker if you have one. Don’t pick up anything…

You have to start off with lots of eucalyptus for them to eat. Koalas can sleep for up to 22 hours a day so we need to make sure there are plenty of trees for them to climb and sleep in. When they are awake they spend a lot of time eating and like to move from tree to tree. You can see Tanami, one of our male koalas, on our free live webcams at edinburghzoo.org.uk/ koalacam Do you have a question about an animal you would like answered? We’d love to include it in the magazine. Send your question in an email to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…

Joe Root When the England cricket team beat India in the third Test match in Leeds, it gave Root a record 27th win as the captain of England’s Test team. Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen Driving for the Andretti United team, they won the Extreme E Arctic X Prix in Greenland. Evie Richards The British cyclist won gold in the cross-country race at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Italy. Yalemzerf Yehualaw The Ethiopian runner set a world record to win the Antrim Coast Half Marathon race. Her time of one hour, three minutes and 44 seconds is 18 seconds faster than the previous record.…

Vivo Netflix It was originally going to be released in cinemas but you can now watch the delightful Vivo on Netflix. It’s the story of a musical kinkajou (a cute little mammal) called Vivo, who embarks on a trip from Cuba to the US with a very special song. The songs for the film were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also voices the character of Vivo. You might know his work from the superb Disney animated hit Moana, as well as the musicals In the Heights and Hamilton. The music here is equally memorable and the film is bursting with warmth and adventure.…

The Story of Flight by Jakob Whitfield (Wren & Rook) This illustrated history of flying machines includes everything from the earliest balloons and airships to the latest stealth jets and drones. Discover how historical events and social changes have affected the extraordinary story of human flight – and the incredible inventions that might await us in the future. Sky Chasers by Emma Carroll (Chicken House) Inspired by the real-life story of the Montgolfier brothers, this historical adventure follows Magpie, a pickpocket who dreams of flying over the rooftops of Paris. When she meets Pierre, she is soon caught up in a race to be the first to fly a hot air balloon in front of the King and Queen of France. Skyward by Sally Deng (Flying Eye Books) It’s 1927,…

For those of you who enjoy playing online games, you may be surprised – or even outraged – by the news coming from China this week. China’s video-game regulator has said that online gamers under the age of 18 will only be allowed to play for an hour (8pm to 9pm) on Fridays, at weekends and during holidays. The regulator wants online gaming companies to make sure that children are not playing outside of this hour, and will be inspecting them to ensure they follow the rules. You can read more about the story on page 3. The Chinese authorities are worried about the impact of gaming addiction on young people, concerned that it could be having a negative impact on their wellbeing. It’s an issue that has been raised…