Innholdsfortegnelse for 326 i The Week Junior

Countries across Europe are welcoming refugees from Ukraine, as people leave the country because of the Russian invasion. A refugee is someone who has left their home country because of war or the threat of violence. How many people have left Ukraine? At the time The Week Junior went to press, more than two million people had left Ukraine. This was according the United Nations (UN), a group of 193 countries that work on the challenges facing humanity. Where are they going? The majority of Ukrainian refugees have gone to Poland. The country has taken in more than 1.3 million people. Ukrainians have also fled to other neighbouring countries, such as Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. A few have gone to Belarus and Russia. The UN estimates that around 160,000…

RAISING MONEY FOR COMIC RELIEF BBC Radio 1 presenter Jordan North has rowed 100 miles along canals from London to Burnley, in Lancashire, England. The gruelling fundraiser took place over five days for Comic Relief. North raised more than £700,000. Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day takes place on 18 March. SEEING A SPECTACULAR BIRD OF PREY Thousands of bird enthusiasts have been flocking to Texas, in the US, to see a bat falcon, which has been spotted in the country for the first time. Normally the bird of prey is only seen in Mexico and Central and South America. Birdwatcher Jeffrey Gordon, who travelled to see the falcon, said, “It’s spectacular.” A BRILLIANT BIRTHDAY SURPRISE A young car enthusiast called Caterjay, from Somerset in England, was treated to an amazing…

Plastics are fantastically useful materials but they can also be a big problem for wildlife when they get into the environment. Many people are trying to cut back on the number of “single-use” plastic materials that they use once and then throw away. However, not all plastics are obvious – there’s plastic hidden in some surprising everyday items. Some brands of wet wipes, for example, contain plastic to make them stronger. These can not only clog up sewers if flushed down the toilet, but when they do break down, they release tiny pieces called “microplastics” into the environment. In February, campaigners called for a complete ban on plastics in wet wipes, and supermarket chain Tesco has already announced its own ban. Ask whoever buys your shopping to look for the…

This colourful snail is a finalist in the Mollusc of the Year 2022 competition. Scientists from Cuba, in the Caribbean, and the University of Nottingham, in England, are appealing for support in the online vote, which they hope will get more publicity for this beautiful but critically endangered species. LIFESPAN: One to two years in the wild. HABITAT: Forest, woodland and farmland in eastern Cuba. SIZE: Two to three centimetres across. DIET: Moss and lichen on leaves. FUN FACT: Painted snails are the brightest of about 1,400 species of land snail living on Cuba.…

Time Transfixed This is a mysterious surrealist painting from 1938 by Belgian artist René Magritte. It shows a train apparently steaming out of a fireplace but in mid-air. The artwork plays with the idea of time, travel and speed. The room is simple but the train is so odd, it’s like a dream. Mae West Lips This sofa was inspired by a famous Hollywood actor called Mae West. The piece of furniture was created by artist Salvador Dalí and British poet Edward James in 1939. Dalí had already created a picture called Mae West’s Face Which May Be Used as a Surrealist Apartment. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Painted by US artist Dorothea Tanning in 1943, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is a German phrase meaning “a little night music”. A sunflower dominates the…

Ever since the first Tyrannosaurus fossils were found in 1902, they’ve been thought of as the remains of a single species. Scientists named the species Tyrannosaurus rex (“tyrant lizard king”). Now, however, a group of US dino scientists have looked again at a large number of the fossils (bones and other traces preserved as rocky minerals after death). The researchers say there are big enough differences between some of the remains to class them as three distinct species – the original T. rex, plus Tyrannosaurus regina and Tyrannosaurus imperator (“tyrant lizard queen” and “tyrant lizard emperor”). The team looked at fossils from 37 animals and found differences in the shape of bones and the pattern of teeth in their lower jaws. They say the age of the fossils suggests that…

Zoe Langham loves cycling and has been riding and racing on open roads since she was a teenager. During the pandemic, when outdoor activities became difficult, she started to do more cycling at home. This works by connecting a bike to equipment and computers, and as a rider pedals, their progress is recorded and shown on a screen. The cyclist doesn’t travel anywhere but can join a virtual race with others from around the world. This is a type of “esport”, which means electronic sport. Langham, from Yorkshire, England, recently took part in the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. She came third in the women’s race, which is the best finish by a British rider since the event started in 2020. Langham finished 1.4 seconds behind the winner – Loes…

Have you found yourself scribbling in the margins of your schoolwork while your teacher talks, or squiggling on paper as you speak? Some people say doodling is a sign you aren’t paying attention – but in fact it can be good for you. What is doodling? A doodle is a drawing created in a simple, spontaneous, unplanned way. You might draw a moustache on a face in a magazine, colour in their teeth or add crazy hair. Perhaps you fill in letters in a newspaper or doodle a pattern when you’re listening to a podcast. It doesn’t matter what you draw and there’s no right or wrong way to do it. How is doodling good for you? Doodling is a bit like fidgeting – the repetitive movement can help reduce…

Lots of people are familiar with waving handheld remotes when playing video games. However, British inventor Liam Murphy is applying the idea to something else: helping children and young people who are struggling with their mental health. He has created Stix, a combination of two stick-shaped handheld devices and a smartphone app, which can be used to practise mindfulness – a form of meditation and relaxation. The Stix devices use sound, lights and vibrations to guide people through different mindfulness activities and games. These include balancing on one leg and breathing in and out as if you are a balloon, while the app tracks your progress. Murphy came up with the idea while he was studying product design at the University of Brighton, in England. He had seen the challenges…

What is your favourite film ever? Raiders of the Lost Ark. Where did you get the idea for this book? I found out that Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of the wireless radio, missed out on being on board the Titanic (which famously sank). That got me thinking about those moments where a tiny change can alter the future. I had the idea that a trio of “time thieves” could steal from the future like this and Ship of Doom was born! If you could travel to any year, which one would you choose? Ooh, good question! I love Shakespeare so I think Tudor England would be good. I’d like to go to the first night of Romeo and Juliet. Favourite animal? Giraffe. Radio or television? This sounds awful, seeing as…

What about finding dinosaur footprints? Dinosaur footprints are considered “trace” fossils because they are not a direct part of a creature. Dinosaurs made tracks in mud, which was then baked hard by the sun before more mud set in. The mud eventually became rock and made a cast around the footprint. How can I stay safe while fossil hunting? Always stay at least 10 metres away from the base of a cliff. Cliffs can be dangerous because of falling rocks. Always go with an adult, check the times of high and low tide at the beach and be careful of steep drops and getting stuck in mud.…

Bird brains outwit scientists A group of Australian magpies surprised scientists by spoiling their experiment. The scientists had fitted the birds with trackers in tiny backpack-like harnesses so they could study their behaviour. However, other magpies showed up and pecked at the devices until eventually the trackers fell off. Scientists say this behaviour is an example of magpies working together to solve problems, and it could demonstrate that the birds show concern for each other. Theatre group smashes record The Rubber Chicken Theatre group from Dunblane, in Scotland, has set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest-ever theatrical production. On 20 February, a cast and crew of nearly 200 people undertook the challenge to open an unseen script and put on a play as fast as they could. The…

Young people around the world are being invited to show their support for children in Ukraine by creating an artwork that shows peace and love. Trying this project might also bring you some light relief, because art therapy can help to soothe anxiety. Find a free, downloadable heart template for your work at theweekjunior.co.uk/activity-hub, or come up with your own design using a blank sheet of paper, and if your parents and guardians are happy to share your artwork online, ask them to post it using the hashtag #KidsDrawPeace4Ukraine on social media platforms. To find out more about the project, visit tinyurl.com/TWJ-drawpeace GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…

Teacher’s name: Mrs Atkinson-Hunt School: Chinthurst School, Tadworth, Surrey “We would like to nominate Mrs Atkinson-Hunt because she is a great hockey teacher. I only started at the beginning of term and I really love it and have learned so many skills. She can also still do a cartwheel!” Max and Ben 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…

If you’ve enjoyed this issue of The Week Junior, why not listen to our podcast, The Week Junior Show. This week, Bex from Fun Kids radio and members of The Week Junior team discuss how people across the world are helping those leaving Ukraine. Have a listen at tinyurl.com/TWJshow, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please include your full name and address so that we can send you a Roving Reporter badge if your contribution makes it onto the page. We will only use the details you provide to arrange delivery of badges, and we will not share them with anyone else. By submitting your reports and pictures, you give consent to The Week Junior to print them in the magazine and digital editions. We reserve the right to edit…

Ukraine has been trying to create humanitarian corridors with Russia, so that civilians (people who aren’t soldiers) can leave conflict zones. A humanitarian corridor is a safe zone where both sides agree no fighting will take place for a certain period. This is to create space and time for civilians to move to safety. Humanitarian corridors had been created for Ukrainians to leave some cities that are under attack, such as Mariupol. However, Ukraine has criticised Russia for breaking these agreements. On 8 March, a humanitarian corridor from the city of Sumy was set up, allowing two groups of vehicles to leave.…

The Labour Party’s Paulette Hamilton has become Birmingham’s first black Member of Parliament (MP). She will represent Erdington in the House of Commons. Hamilton won a by-election that took place after the previous MP, Jack Dromey, died in January. A by-election is held when an MP resigns or dies. Hamilton, who used to work as an NHS nurse, won just over half the total number of votes. “I feel honoured, and I know I’ll do a good job,” she said.…

People in the UK drink 98 million cups of coffee every day. High streets are full of coffee shops and social media is full of creative coffee-making ideas. The NHS says that caffeine drinks, including coffee, are unsuitable for young children. However, there are no rules about drinking coffee for older children and teenagers. Many shops won’t sell energy drinks with caffeine in them to under-16s. Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it makes people feel more alert and awake for a short time but it can also make it hard to sleep, which affects mood and concentration. Countries including Canada have guidelines on how much caffeine young people should drink but there are none in the UK. What do you think, are teenagers too young to drink coffee? Yes…

A nine-year-old student at a primary school in Rainham, England, has been inspired to tackle drivers who park dangerously during the school drop-off. Andromeda Joseph started by making a poster asking parents and guardians to be careful, drive safely and look out for road signs. Joseph’s headteacher liked the posters so much that she put copies up around the school. Joseph was made the school’s health and safety officer and she was given a badge and a clipboard. Joseph’s next plan is to target motorists who drive too fast. THEY SAID IT! “I’d like to tell Hollywood to get rid of their fear. Don’t be afraid of being creative.” Troy Kotsur, who became the first deaf actor to win an individual Screen Actors Guild award for his part in the…

Yes, just like humans, other animals do squabble as well. Primate groups have big social structures with important levels of power. In the wild, two silverback (big, male) gorillas will sometimes fight to be the leader of the troop. Whoever wins will have the best chance of surviving and creating a family. Also, when a young male gorilla starts to grow larger, he may fight his dad to be in charge of the group. 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…

British scientists are investigating why some people don’t get Covid-19, even when they’re deliberately exposed to it. It’s just the latest step in a worldwide effort to understand the SARS-CoV-2 virus behind the pandemic, in order to better understand viruses in general – and hopefully to make us better prepared for the threat of future diseases. In spring 2021, a team led by Professor Christopher Chiu of Imperial College London signed up 34 volunteers aged 18–29 who hadn’t already had Covid-19. At the time, people of that age hadn’t been offered vaccinations, and the age and health of the volunteers meant that there was little risk of a Covid infection making them seriously ill. A vaccine is a type of medicine that trains the body to fight a disease using…

The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, England, is the biggest gallery of its kind in the world. Housed in what used to be a flour mill, the centre’s home is a fascinating building in itself. Once you get inside, the wonders continue, with an exciting range of art on display and new exhibitions opening throughout the year. The original flour mill was built in 1950. Work began in 1998 to turn it into an arts centre for the north-east of England. Since opening on 13 July 2002, the Baltic has featured work by nearly 500 artists and has welcomed more than eight million visitors. As part of a series of projects marking its 20th anniversary year, the Baltic has launched a new mobile exhibition that will tour the…

Sabotage on the Solar Express by M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman. Illustrated by Elisa Paganelli (Macmillan Children’s Books) In the latest Adventures on Trains instalment, Hal is excited to be joining his Uncle Nat travelling across the Australian Outback. Not for long! The train has been sabotaged, hurtling Hal and the other passengers into danger. Can Hal find the saboteur and stop the runaway train? The Primrose Railway Children by Jacqueline Wilson. Illustrated by Rachael Dean (Puffin Books) Inspired by The Railway Children, this is the story of Phoebe and her family, who move home when their dad suddenly disappears. Phoebe finds it hard to cope – but then she discovers the trains at a nearby station and her new life becomes filled with adventure. The Silver Arrow by Lev…

Name: Romy The Secret Detectives by Ella Risbridger “Surprising, Creepy, Eventful. This book has many unexpected plot twists, unlikely friendships and will keep you guessing.” 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. Sum up the book in three words and write one sentence telling us what you liked about it. Please 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…

Holly King-Mand is the nation’s favourite English teacher, with thousands of young people joining her online lessons during lockdown. She enjoys bringing grammar to life and sharing her love of learning with everyone. Here she shares with us how to best use punctuation in your writing to create effects such as suspense, surprise and clarity. You can find more tips at hollysclassroom.com 1 Your toolbox Punctuation can often feel like a tedious technical element of writing that we have to “get right”. In fact, you should think of punctuation as an incredibly useful tool for giving precision of meaning to your writing and making sure that, no matter what you are writing about, you are not misunderstood. 2 Questions that don’t need an answer Question marks should always be placed…

Do you doodle? It might seem like a silly question, but it turns out (see p19) that doodling – the sort of patterns and scribbles you draw when you’re not really trying too hard – are good for calming an anxious mind and boosting your creativity. When you’re worried about something, it’s good to try an activity that requires a bit of concentration and some physical action. Not a doodler? Try baking, crafting, playing sport or even dressing up and inventing a play with a friend. All these things can help. It’s taking action that is the key. The big worry for lots of people at the moment is, of course, what’s happening in Ukraine. Families are having to leave their homes to find safety – but what has been…

“We took part in our school’s Extreme Reading Photo competition for World Book Day. We had to capture a photo of us reading a book but doing something extreme whilst reading.”Genevieve and Jack “My pet tortoise Happi loves reading the animal section every week.”Clementine “My friends and I up-cycled lots of items for kids, and then sold them door-to-door in our local neighbourhood. We raised £51 for the UNICEF Afghanistan Appeal.”Isobel…

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 you think parents should track their children… “No, they should have their own freedom to do what they like.” “Yes they are trying to keep their children safe because they care about them.” “Only if the child isn’t answering messages or calls.” “Yes, so children don’t do something dangerous.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

1 Which country has taken in the most Ukrainian refugees? ⬜ a) Hungary ⬜ b) Poland ⬜ c) Romania 2 True or false? A family in Northumberland were photographed with a shooting star. ⬜ True ⬜ False 3 Which country has reopened its borders to citizens after two years? 4 Which of these countries produces one third of the world’s coffee? ⬜ a) Brazil ⬜ b) Belgium ⬜ c) Bolivia 5 True or false? Elle McNicoll was born in Edinburgh. ⬜ True ⬜ False 6 How long does the Cuban painted snail live in the wild? 7 Which of these artists was a surrealist? ⬜ a) Salvador Dalí ⬜ b) Vincent van Gogh ⬜ c) William Blake 8 True or false? A study has found there may be two species…

More than £100 million has been raised by UK charities, as people support those affected by the conflict in Ukraine. How was the money raised? On 7 March, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) announced that it had raised £100 million for its Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. This milestone was reached just four days after the appeal was launched. The DEC is a group of 15 charities. This figure included £25 million from the UK Government, as well as donations from the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William. This money is being used by aid workers in Ukraine and nearby countries to give people food, water and medical supplies. The DEC said it is better to give money rather than items because the items aren’t always what people need and they’re hard…

When she was nine years old, Elle McNicoll was diagnosed with dyspraxia. It’s a condition that affects coordination and it can cause people to bump into things and have speech problems. McNicoll’s new book, Like a Charm, is about a 12-year-old girl with dyspraxia called Ramya, who discovers a magical secret. Speaking to The Week Junior, McNicoll explained why it was so important to her that dyspraxia featured in her book. “I think that would have been really impactful for me as a young person to say, ‘Oh, people like me do exist in books’,” she says. All of McNicoll’s books so far have featured neurodivergent characters. Neurodivergent is a term used to describe a person whose brain works a bit differently to most people’s. “It’s so important to me…

An important new report has warned of a “rapidly closing window” to limit the worst effects of climate change – the shift in long-term weather patterns linked to human activity. The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was written by 270 scientists in 67 countries, also drawing on the work of thousands of other researchers. It stresses the need to limit the global rise in average temperatures to 1.5°C if the worst effects of climate change are to be avoided. However, huge changes need to be made in the next 10 years in order to meet that goal. Climate change is caused by gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane, which trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere. Burning fuels such as oil, gas and coal has been…

A new study has found that American song sparrows have an impressive musical memory. They remix complex performances by combining individual snippets of song in various ways. Researchers recorded hours of song from more than 30 male birds at woodlands in the US state of Pennsylvania, and then analysed them with computers. They found that most of the sparrows knew between six and 12 short tunes or snippets, which they repeat a certain number of times to make a longer chunk of song known as a “bout”. Sparrows work through bouts of all their different song snippets, keeping the number of repetitions in each bout roughly the same until they’ve showed off their full range. Once they’ve done that, they continue singing – but the new bouts are a different…

At the Tate Modern gallery in London, an exhibition recently opened displaying more than 150 surrealist artworks from all around the world. Surrealism is an exciting but unusual type of art. It makes people see things in a different way and can be inspired by an artist’s dreams or by putting strange objects together in unexpected groups. What is surrealism? Surrealism started in the 1920s in Paris, the capital of France. A French poet called André Breton wrote about it. He was very interested in the thoughts, dreams and unusual ideas artists had, rather than just life-like recreations of everyday things. One of the most famous examples from this era is by German artist Max Ernst and is called Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale. Serious stuff Some surrealist…

Manchester City Women They beat Chelsea 3-1 to win the Continental League Cup. It is their fourth time winning the trophy. Ko Jin-young The South Korean lifted the Women’s World Championship golf trophy. She has now won 10 of the past six Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour events. Dan Bigham Bigham won the men’s individual pursuit race at the British National Track Championships in Newport, Wales. The cyclist now has six national titles. Stephen Mokoka The runner set a world-record time of two hours, 40 minutes and 13 seconds when he won a 31-mile race in South Africa.…

Wouldn’t it be amazing to search for dinosaurs and other creatures that existed millions of years ago? When you go fossil hunting, that’s exactly what you do. Fossils are the remains – or traces of remains – of ancient animals, creatures and plants preserved in the ground. A fossil can also be made by any marks they left in the earth. Nearly all fossils found are from animals and other life forms that lived in or near a place where there was once a sea. When they died the life forms sank to the bottom of the sea, or were carried there from the land during floods. The skin and flesh rotted away to leave bones and teeth. Layers of sediment (mud, sand or silt) built up over the remains…

Word fill in All these words fit in the grid. Can you work out where each word goes to complete it? 3 Letters Dam Dun Hay 4 Letters Crop Race Trot 5 Letters Brush Owner Reins 6 Letters Hooves Manege 7 Letters Mustang Trainer Trotter 8 Letters Blinkers Eventing 10 Letters Equestrian Lipizzaner Word jumble Rearrange the scrambled letters to form four words connected with rain. Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. AEROPLANE AIRCRAFT AIRSHIP BALLOON BAT BEE BIRD BLIMP BUTTERFLY DRONE FLAG GLIDER HELICOPTER KITE MOSQUITO MOTH ROCKET SHUTTLE SPACESHIP WASP Number tower Place a number in every circle to complete the tower. The value in each circle is the sum of…

Name: Anveshana “Me and my twin sister go to St Michael’s CofE Primary in Stoke Gifford, near Bristol, where our teachers encourage us to read a lot. Seeing what everyone had to go through last year during the Covid pandemic, I realised that only “hope” can get us through these tough times. I wanted to express myself by writing a story on the importance of “hope”. I also wanted to include climate change in it because I am really passionate about protecting our planet and preserving it for future generations. Thanks to my family’s encouragement and my twin sister Avantika’s help (she illustrated and edited the content), I am so glad that I have self-published this book on Amazon as I feel that it is important for people to know…