Innholdsfortegnelse for 302 i The Week Junior

On 18 September, four astronaut tourists landed after three days orbiting Earth. It was the first time a crew who are not specialist astronauts had orbited Earth. The mission, called Inspiration4, was organised by the SpaceX company. Who were the crew? The crew was led by a billionaire called Jar Isaacman, who is thought to have paid an estimated £145 million for all four seats on the Crew Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX is a company researching how people could live on other planets. The mission raised money for St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in the US. One crew member, Hayley Arceneaux, works at the hospital and was treated there when she had bone cancer at the age of 10. Her treatment meant some of Arceneaux’s leg bones had to be replaced.…

INSPIRING YOUNG FUNDRAISERS Paralympics gold medallist Ollie Hynd and Olympic BMX champion Beth Shriever have visited three children at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). The children are taking part in a family fun run to raise money for GOSH. Find out more at tinyurl.com/TWJ-race A RED PANDA CUB On International Red Panda Day (18 September), Edinburgh Zoo announced the name of its endangered red panda, who was born in July. After having her first health check the cub was officially named Ruby. A shortlist of names was drawn up by zookeepers before staff at the zoo voted for her name. A PADDLEBOARDING CHAMPION A sea-safety campaigner and former teacher has become the first person to paddleboard around Britain. On 14 September, Brendon Prince arrived back in his hometown in Devon,…

“I never believed I could be a published author when I was younger,” Serena Patel tells The Week Junior. The author of Anisha, Accidental Detective says, “I couldn’t see authors or characters like me, so it felt impossible. All the books I read as a child had main characters who were white.” Patel, who grew up in Birmingham, England, and is of Indian descent, won a Children’s Book Award in 2020 for the first book in the Anisha series. She says, “I realise now how important it is that all children can see themselves as the hero of the story. When we believe we can be the hero, that is a powerful and inspiring thing.” She adds that it is also important for young people to read about characters who…

All along the hedgerows in parks and beside public footpaths at this time of year, you’re likely to find blackberries just waiting to be picked. They’re common, easy to spot and can be used for lots of delicious sweet and savoury recipes, including chutney, crumble and jam. They are also rich in healthy vitamins and antioxidants. You’ll need a bucket or a box for collecting, and gloves and long sleeves will help you avoid the thorns on the brambles. Wear old clothes – the juice can stain! Only the berries that have properly turned black are good, so leave any unripe red ones for another day or for whoever comes along later. They won’t ripen after you have picked them. Don’t fill your container too full or the berries may…

Yes, they do! In most cases, if a llama is annoyed, it will “mock spit” first as a warning. The mock spit is made up of whatever they are chewing at the time, which could be leaves, hay or straw. If they are really angry they spit a nasty-smelling liquid from their stomach. Llamas often have a droopy lip for a short while afterwards, called “sour mouth”, because of the stomach acids they just spat out. 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…

In February 2021, scientists in the US announced the birth of a rare black-footed ferret called Elizabeth Ann. Thanks to a technique known as cloning, she was born with identical DNA (the chemical that tells living things how to grow and develop) to another ferret called Willa, who died more than 30 years ago. All other black-footed ferrets alive today are closely related (with very similar DNA), so a disease that affects one is likely to affect them all. Elizabeth Ann’s DNA is different from today’s ferrets, which means that her offspring will have a greater mix of features, which may equip them better for survival.…

Textile designers have made four garments from the silk of golden orb-weaver spiders. The eight-year project involved collecting silk from around two million spiders in Madagascar. Three of the garments are on display at an exhibition in London. Spider silk is very strong and tough. Possible uses for it include super-strong surgical stitches and bullet-proof vests. Researchers at Washington University in St Louis, US, recently created an artificial version that is just as strong as the spiders’ own natural silk. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junio Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland football teams They all started their 2023 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaigns with victories. Charlotte Henshaw The British athlete won two gold medals at the Para-canoe World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. Kent Spitfires They beat Somerset by 25 runs to win the final of the T20 Blast cricket competition. Fallon Sherrock She reached her first PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) final at the Nordic Masters, where she eventually lost to Michael van Gerwen.…

“To thine own self be true…” is a quote from Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust asked children to express themselves with responses to this quote. Their responses included cakes, dances, poems and songs. Nina, 11, contributed a poem and shared an example of being true to herself, “I love to play football… even though I have had people tell me that football is a boy thing.” You can see some more of the responses at tinyurl.com/TWJ-true…

Stealing garlic, dodging bird poo, catching ice cream and–yuck!–plucking armpit hairs. These are just a few a of hundreds of “microgames” that make up WarioWare:Get It Together, and they’re surprisingly good fun. Released for the Switch console, this is the latest in Nintendo’s series of games starring Mario’s arch-rival Wario. Like the previous versions, it’s a collection of microgames, each of which lasts just a few seconds. Get It Together has some new features. You can play on your own or with someone else using the two-player co-op feature. The game also puts you in control of 20 characters (Wario included) who each have their own strengths. Dr Crygor is an expert swimmer, for example, and Ashley is awitch who can zip around on her broomstick. The microgames are split…

What is your favourite thing to draw? Whenever I’m absentmindedly doodling I always draw an apple. I don’t really know why – I guess they’re just really satisfying to draw. What gave you the idea to write this book? For a long time I’ve thought it would be really cool to have a magic pencil that drew things that became real drew, for example, an apple with it, you pick up that apple it. Then I found my wondering what real. So if you example, an could and eat found myself would happen if you were to draw a door. Where would it lead to? I decided it would probably lead to an entirely illustrated world and, before I knew it, this whole story started to form in my head.…

What are some basic lifesaving tips? In open-water areas, going into the water yourself to help someone may also put you in danger. Call 999 or 112 for help, shout loudly to attract others to help the person and throw a floating object, such as a football or tree branch, for the person to hold onto and stay afloat. What is lifesaving sport? Lifesaving sport is a type of competition that helps lifesavers to develop and improve their skills in the water. A competition can involve tests of speed swimming, towing a teammate or dummy to safety, throwing a rope to a teammate and showing that you can treat an injured person.…

In some ways, this is a strange issue. It’s strange in the sense that the past and the future seem to be colliding from page to page. One minute you’re reading a story that takes you back into the past. The next minute, you’re shooting forwards into the future. On page 14, we report on a company that is attempting to bring woolly mammoths back to life, despite their going extinct around 3, 700 years ago. On page 11, there’s news that wolves, which once roamed across much of Europe, are also making a comeback. Meanwhile, private space companies are taking bigger and bolder steps as they reach new milestones – specifically, by sending the first all-civilian astronauts into the great unknown. In doing so, they are changing the course…

“I made this collage poster to celebrate Roald Dahl Day. The main figure is The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) and the quote is from Matilda.” Siyona “I love reading The Week Junior. I have been getting it for three years and I donated my huge collection to my school so that others can read them during wet breaks.” Amelia “I took these flower photos at Lickey Hills Country Park in Birmingham.” Dhuphar…

Follow The Week Junior on PopJam @TheWeekJunior. You can download the PopJam app from the App Store or Google Play. Last week, we asked you if first-class train travel should be scrapped… “I think first-class train travel is unfair to others.” “Yes because everyone is equal so everyone should have first class included in their ticket.” “Depends if you need extra space, but it is unfair for those who can’t afford it.” “It makes the people who can’t afford it feel left out and like they should pay for it.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here. Please include your full name and address so that we can send you a Roving Reporter badge if your contribution makes it…

A new school term has begun in Afghanistan but the Taliban have so far only allowed boys and male teachers to return to secondary schools. The Taliban are a military and political group with extreme views. They seized power from the Afghan government in August, after the US and its allies, including the UK, withdrew their armed forces from the country. When the Taliban were last in power, from 1996 to 2001, they imposed strict rules, including a ban on education for girls. They also closed cinemas and insisted that men grow their beards. Since returning to power last month, the Taliban claim they have changed their views and have promised to respect women’s rights. Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, told CNN that the group is working out…

A serious gas shortage is causing the price of gas to rise for ordinary people across the country. Several energy companies have been forced to close after they ran out of money. Why is there a shortage? The shortage has been caused by a long, cold winter last year, when people used more gas to heat their homes. There has also been more demand for gas in Asia, because more energy is being used compared to last year during the pandemic. Added to that, more gas had to be used to make electricity because the UK had the least windy summer since the 1960s, which meant that wind turbines could not make enough power. Meanwhile, the UK’s North Sea gas production was limited because maintenance work was delayed. Why is…

New York, US Leaders meet at UN General Assembly On 21 September, more than 100 world leaders gathered in New York, US, for a meeting of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. The UN is a group of 193 countries that work together on challenges that face humanity, such as climate change, famine and disease. The leaders discussed climate change and the global response to Covid-19. Missouri, US 1,000-year-old art is sold at auction A cave in the US state of Missouri, which contains 1,000-year-old Native American artwork, has been sold at auction, despite protests. The cave has more than 290 drawings on its walls. The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe, said the sale was “truly heartbreaking” because thousands of their ancestors are buried there. La Palma, Spain Thousands…

A new study has found evidence that animals are “shapeshifting” to cope with rising global temperatures. The shape changes are an example of evolution, a process that lets species adapt to changing environments. This happens by passing on the characteristics that make individuals more likely to survive and breed. As early as 1877, US scientist Joel Asaph Allen identified a classic example of evolution in action, known as Allen’s rule. This says that warm-blooded animals (those that keep a steady body temperature by generating heat within their bodies) tend to have longer ears, limbs and tails if they live in warmer conditions, compared with similar animals in colder places. The long body parts provide a bigger skin surface that they can use to get rid of extra heat. A team…

Researchers at the University of Leeds are looking for ways to help people live alongside wolves. Grey wolves used to be common in western Europe but their numbers fell drastically until the mid-20th century because of hunting and habitat loss. With laws in place to protect them, wolves are now increasing again. The team studied communities in the Spanish countryside, where people keep animals such as sheep. They can be at risk of attack because they wander across large areas. The farmers protect their animals in several ways – fencing them in overnight, following them on foot by day and using guardian dogs. The dogs live with the flocks and are trained to fend off wolf attacks. The researchers found that methods that work in one area may not work…

Winners of the 31st Ig Nobel prizes were announced in an online ceremony on 9 September. The prizes, given for discoveries that “make people laugh, then think”, take their name from the Nobel prizes, the most important awards for work in areas such as physics, chemistry and medicine. Annals of Improbable Research, the science humour magazine that organises the awards, says they “are intended to celebrate the unusual and honour the imaginative.” The prizes are handed out by top scientists who have previously won a Nobel prize. Among this year’s winners were three Swedish researchers who analysed various types of cat purr, as well as identifying six different types of “chatter” that cats made as they watched birds through a window. Another prize went to an international group who analysed…

These are some of the winning entries in our sister magazine’s Scavenger Hunt photography competition. Readers were challenged to take photos of natural objects within five distinct categories. To see all the winners, grab a copy of The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine – out now! SCIENCE+NATURE MAGAZINE’S SCAVENGER HUNT PHOTO COMPETITION 2021…

Have you ever done something that you didn’t really want to do, just because other people were doing it? All of us feel pressure to fit in at times, and this can lead us to pretend that we like things more than we actually do. When we do this, we’re not being true to ourselves. It’s important to be honest about your feelings with yourself because this can help you feel happier, more confident and less anxious. What is being true to yourself? Being true to yourself means listening to your own thoughts and feelings. If you want some time alone, to unwind or read a book, then being true to yourself might mean saying no to friends who want you to play. Or if there’s a game that your…

Before Gandalf and Harry Potter there was just one wizard who could cast a spell on the imagination of the public: Merlin. Now a new ballet production telling the story of the mythical wizard is se to tour England. The audience meets Merlin as a child and sees him dance into a fully fledged magician during the show. Merlin uses his superpowers to unite a divided kingdom. Along the way he is given a magnificent sword, is imprisoned, loses and regains his power, and meets a dragon. The storyline takes inspiration from the legend of King Arthur, with characters including Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake and the evil Vortigern. The production was directed by Drew McOnie. He has won an Olivier Award (a famous theatre prize) for…

Molly and the Mathematical Mystery by Eugenia Cheng and Aleksandra Artymowska (Templar Publishing) Join Molly as she sets out on a journey through a strange house, following a trail of clues and solving puzzles to get to the bottom of an intriguing mystery. Lift the flaps to reveal questions and clues, and explore fascinating mathematical ideas along the way. Swarm Rising by Tim Peake and Steve Cole (Hachette Children’s Group) When Danny is kidnapped by Adi, a girl who can run through brick walls and make cars drive on water, he realises that the human race is in terrible danger. Astronaut Tim Peake has joined forces with author Steve Cole to create this action-packed, fun-filled adventure that is rooted in cutting-edge space science and technology. Meet Matilda, Rocket Builder by…

“Witch Wars is full of adventure and I could not put it down! I definitely recommend it if you like adventure or magical books or if you would like to try a new book.” YOUR TURN Email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If your review is printed in the magazine you’ll receive a Roving Reporter badge. Tell us what you liked about the book and why you’d recommend it to others, and don’t forget to include your name and address.* *If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize. Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be found at www.dennis.co.uk/privacy-policy…

What you need TOP TIP Glue two plates together to make a double layer if the cardboard is thin. If you don’t have cardboard plates, cut two 23cm circles from thin card. 1 To make the body, brush glue over a cardboard plate, stick some tissue paper on top then leave it to dry. 2 For the head, cut a plate in half, brush with glue and cover with tissue. Take care to paste down any tissue around the edges. Leave to dry. 3 Cut the whole plate in half to make two semi-circles for the body. Cut each half plate into three equal (60°) wedge shapes as shown. 4 Cut the A4 card into four equal sections, then cut…

Teacher’s name: Ms Ashrae School: Rimon Jewish Primary School, London “Ms Ashrae is amazing because she is a kind, generous good-hearted teacher and she gives us prizes and parties. Our class is lucky enough to have her teach us for the second year running and she is not only loved by the pupils but the parents too. She makes the work fun and goes the extra mile.” Year 5 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…

1 Which of these was not a crew member on Inspiration4? □ a) Jared Isaacman □ b) Elon Musk □ c) Sian Proctor 2 True or false? Four new stations have opened on the London Underground. □ True □ False 3 In which country have taxis been turned into a vegetable patch? 4 Which animals became famous in Llandudno, Wales, during lockdown last year? □ a) Horses □ b) Goats □ c) Seals 5 True or false? Footballer Jimmy Greaves is the top goalscorer ever in England’s top division. □ True □ False 6 What type of animal is a kea? 7 Which cinema has the UK’s largest screen? □ a) BFI Imax □ b) Sol Cinema □ c) Archipelago Cinema 8 True or false? A scientific project is trying…

26 September 1973 Concorde halves Atlantic flight time Forty-eight years ago, Concorde, a supersonic (faster than sound) passenger plane, made its first nonstop flight from Washington D.C., US, to Paris, France, in a record-breaking three hours and 32 minutes. Built by aircraft manufacturers in the UK and France, Concorde cut the previous record for a transatlantic airliner journey in half. In 2000, a Concorde aircraft crashed just after take-off in Paris, killing 113 people. Three years later, all Concorde planes were grounded.…

During lockdown in March 2020, the Kashmiri goats of Llandudno, in Wales, became media sensations when they wandered the deserted streets, chewed on hedges and walked across people’s lawns. The animals’ fame meant that this summer, some people put themselves in danger while trying to take selfies with the goats on the rocky hills where they usually live. The coastguard has asked people to leave the goats alone. As well as being dangerous for humans, a study showed that disturbing wild animals can cause them stress and anxiety, which can lead them to stop eating or caring for their offspring. However, some say that if done properly, taking selfies with animals is safe and fun for both humans and animals. What do you think? Should selfies with wild animals be…

Discovered in Ecuador in 2006, the mutable rain frog can change its skin from a spiny to a smooth texture and back again in seconds. The ability fooled US researchers Katherine and Tim Krynak, who captured what seemed like a new frog species, only to find that it looked completely different when they inspected it back at base. It is thought that the frogs developed their strange ability as camouflage in mossy environments but scientists still aren’t sure just how they do it.…

AUS company called Colossal has raised £11 million to bring woolly mammoths back from extinction. Mammoths died out about 3,700 years ago but their bodies are sometimes preserved in ice. This allows scientists to recover their DNA (a chemical that tells living things how to grow and develop) – which could hold the key to bringing mammoths back to life. Colossal was founded by businessman Ben Lamm and Dr George Church, a professor at Harvard Medical School. They plan to use information from mammoth remains to edit the DNA of Asian elephants – their closest living relatives. The team will focus on DNA that is linked to shaggy hair and other adaptations for cold weather. These were what helped mammoths survive on the Arctic steppe – ancient chilly grasslands in…

On 19 September, a groundbreaking match was held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The Premier League match between Tottenham and Chelsea, which Chelsea won 3-0, was the first time a top-level “net carbon zero” football fixture had happened anywhere in the world. Being net carbon zero is good for the environment. It means that, overall, the match didn’t result in any extra carbon being released into the atmosphere. Any harmful emissions, for example, from the power used by the stadium, were reduced as much as possible. Emissions that were released are offset by schemes such as tree-planting, to put oxygen back into the atmosphere. The fixture was called GameZero. Both teams travelled by coaches powered by biofuel, an environmentally friendly diesel made from food waste. Fans were asked…

• To be true to yourself, you have to know yourself. Think about what your favourite and least favourite things are and why. • Think about any times when you felt particularly happy, worried or sad. • It might help to keep a diary or journal and write down how you felt after different activities. • By writing down your thoughts and feelings, you might understand more clearly what it is you enjoy and don’t like. This can help you be true to yourself.…

The Russian National Ballet This autumn the Russian Nationa Ballet is perform three shows across the UK: Swan La The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty Find out more at russian-nationa-ballet.com Romeo and Juliet From 5 October until February next year, a modern adaptation William Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet will be performed at the Royal Opera House in London. The production first toured in 1965 and quickly become a favourite with audiences. You can read more at tinyurl.com/TWJ-romeo The Snow Queen This retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale will be performed across the UK this autumn and winter. The story follows Gerda as she goes on a journey to break the curse of the Snow Queen. To find out more, go to ballettheatreuk.com…

(Macmillan Children’s Books) Peanut Jones has a whole lot of problems. Her beloved dad has disappeared and she’s stuck in an awful new school where there's no place for creativity. The closest thing she has to a friend is Rockwell, her study buddy who only seems to be interested in science revision. Everything changes when Peanut discovers an unexpected gift from her dad – a drawing pencil, turbo-charged with special powers. Soon, Peanut is pulled into an astonishing new world packed with creativity and excitement. With help from Rockwell and her sister Little Bit, she sets out to the illustrated city of Chroma to find out the truth about her dad. The first book in a new series, this fun adventure story has fabulous illustrations and is a celebration of…

Many of us spend time around areas of water, whether it’s visits to the beach, going for walks by rivers and lakes or swimming in a pool. If you saw someone in trouble in the water, would you know how best to help them? A lifesaving course teaches you what to do if there’s an emergency in the water. It will show you how to help a person who’s struggling, what equipment and methods to use to rescue them and how to be confident when you’r confident you’re around water. The techniques are usually taugh over several sessions at a swimming pool, earning awards and certificates. Not all lifesaving courses are held by or in the water, though; “dry” still teach lots of essential sessions essential facts. As you progress…

Boat gets stuck on top of rock A boat has been marooned on a rock in the Channel Islands, balanced more than three metres above the water. The boat ran aground when the tide was high and the rock wasn’t visible. The crew weren’t able to dislodge the boat before the tide went down, and they had to be rescued by the coastguard. The boat was later pulled off the rock when the tide level was high again. Local people joked that it was a good bit of parking. Britain’s priciest beach hut on sale A beach hut in Christchurch Harbour in Dorset, England, has gone on sale for £575,000. The beach hut, number 180, can sleep up to six people and has a fitted kitchen with fridge-freezer and a…

Ahead of the United Nations Climate Conference (COP26), taking place in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November, a campaign has been launched to get 100,000 children’s voices heard. The campaign was started by Votes For Schools, which encourages pupils to get involved with political and social issues. Votes For Schools has prepared resources for you and your school to have your say on climate change. Submit your opinion by the end of September, and in October Votes For Schools will publish a report using this information, showing what young people want from COP26. Encourage your tea to register so that you and your class can get involved attinyurl.com/TWJ-VotesforSchools GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…