Innholdsfortegnelse for 355 i The Week Junior

On 25 September, Italy elected its first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. She won in a snap election (a vote called earlier than it was expected to happen) after Mario Draghi, Italy’s previous prime minister, resigned in July. Who is Giorgia Meloni? Giorgia Meloni is the leader and co-founder of Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia), a political party in Italy (see panel). Meloni grew up in a working-class family in Rome, and has been in politics since she was 15. Meloni’s party wants to introduce strict controls over immigration to Italy (people coming to Italy from other countries) and does not support the rights of same-sex couples, such as gay marriage. These views are sometimes described as “far right” or “fascist”. People are worried that Meloni’s new government will be…

PLANET FRIENDLY FASHION The second Sustainable Fashion Week, in Bristol, England, featured shows, talks and workshops promoting reused and repurposed clothes. Sustainable Fashion Week events also took place in other countries including Nigeria and Australia. TWIN RED PANDA CUBS At Longleat Wildlife Park in Wiltshire, twin red panda cubs have made their first public appearance. Born in the summer, the 10-week-old cubs have begun to go outside. They are the seventh and eighth red pandas to be born through a breeding programme for the endangered species at Longleat. AN ACT OF KINDNESS A Royal Mail driver left a toy Royal Mail lorry on a bridge for a man who regularly waves at motorway traffic near Stafford, England. Alex Chesters travels to the bridge two or three times a week with…

Across the UK, most children start full-time school when they are four years old. However, a political party in Scotland has said that children should stay in early-learning education, like nursery, until they are about six before moving to school. The Scottish National Party says that allowing children to have more play-based learning is good for them, and going into formal education too early can be bad for their confidence. Children in Finland don’t go until they are seven and their school performance is among the best in Europe. Some people think that going to school at a younger age helps with reading, writing and maths, and teaches discipline and how to mix well with other people. What do you think? Should children in the UK start school at a…

Children in New South Wales, Australia, have been learning about turtles in a very hands-on way. The Turtles in Schools programme, led by Western Sydney University (WSU), has been organising trips for pupils to visit nearby wetlands where turtles live, and hosting turtles in classrooms. According to a study, Australian turtle species have fallen by as much as 91% in the last 40 years. The programme hopes to turn this around and create an “informed future generation that will take care of the environment.” One school, Presbyterian Ladies’ College, has a turtle pond and a hatchery (where baby turtles can hatch from eggs safely) that is open to other schools, too. The Year 3 students are learning about how to weigh and measure turtles. WSU hopes to put as many…

Mollie King Pop star and BBC Radio 1 presenter Mollie King was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 10. She is an ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association. “There are so many creative people and people who achieve such wonderful things who are dyslexic so don’t let it hold you back,” she says Rory the vet Vet and star of CBBC’s The Pets Factor, Rory Cowlam was first diagnosed at university. “I had always struggled to fully understand how I learnt and why I was good at some subjects and so bad at others,” Cowlam recalls. He wants every pupil with dyslexia to be able to achieve their aims. Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock Dr Maggie is a space scientist and educator. Speaking to The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine, she revealed…

A company called Nuance Hearing has created a gadget to help people concentrate in noisy classrooms. The Voice Selector Study is a small device that sits on a desk and works with any wired headphones. It has eight microphones that automatically track the teacher’s voice as they move about, reducing background noise and helping the user to concentrate on the lesson. It was made to help people who find it hard to focus, including those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Have you ever done something that made you cringe? No one likes feeling awkward, but learning to cope with embarrassment can make you feel more confident. What does embarrassment feel like? Embarrassment is a big feeling that can make you laugh, cry and want to hide under your duvet forever. Falling over in a shop or accidentally calling your teacher “Mum” might feel like the end of the world, but everyone gets embarrassed sometimes. We all react differently, and what feels awkward and uncomfortable to one person might be easily laughed off by another. Childline, a charity that supports young people, says, “Whatever you’re feeling embarrassed about, remember that it’s natural to feel this way.” Why do we feel embarrassed? Scientists believe embarrassment is a way of teaching us not…

BBC Earth has collaborated with Minecraft Education to bring out five new worlds for players to explore, all inspired by the TV series Frozen Planet II. The first world was released on 21 September, and the other four will be released weekly. Players can not only explore the landscapes, but also play from the perspective of the animals who live in the freezing conditions, including penguins, polar bears and killer whales. The aim is to help players to better understand the challenges that wildlife faces in today’s world as a result of climate change (long-term changes in world weather patterns, including rising temperatures). The head of Minecraft Education, Allison Matthews, said, “It’s never been more crucial to educate players everywhere about the effects of climate change and inspire a new…

by Robin Stevens (Puffin) It is 1940 and the world is at war. Ten-year-old May Wong is in England, far from home and her parents in Hong Kong. Stuck at boarding school, she wishes she could be a spy helping with the war effort – just like her big sister Hazel is doing (even if she won’t admit it). May takes matters into her own hands, runs away from school and ends up tracking down a Nazi agent. Soon, she’s going undercover in a country house and investigating a murder – with the help of two unexpected allies. But their work will soon lead the three spies into danger. Fans of the Murder Most Unladylike series will enjoy seeing Hazel’s little sister, May, take a starring role in this first…

You may think poetry is not very important or that you don’t hear or see much of it, but it is actually all around us. For example, poetry may be used in the words of songs and in television adverts. Writing or saying a poem is a powerful way to express feelings and ideas. Poetry can make us laugh and smile or make us think about serious things. There is no set of rules for writing a poem. A poem can be as short or as long as the writer likes. In some poetry, the last word in a line rhymes with the last word in the next line. Or the last word in the first and third lines rhyme, and so will the final word in the second and…

Number fit All of these numbers fit in the grid. Can you work out where they go? We’ve placed one to start you off. 3 numbers 272 417 501 647 4 numbers 6040 7202 8702 5 numbers 13251 14304 16010 75228 6 numbers 156623 866507 905573 7 numbers 1153724 4701235 7254266 8577136 8 numbers 61543784 75832072 88272251 9 numbers 258608217 422158057 938734438 Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. APRICOT BASKETBALL CARROT FLAMES FOX GOLDFISH KUMQUAT LAVA LIFEBELT MANGO MARMALADE ORANGUTAN PEACH PUMPKIN SATSUMA SUN TANGERINE TIGER TURMERIC YAM Puzzles page answers…

Name: Phoebe “Before I turned two I was diagnosed with a hole in the heart and a faulty valve, and had open heart surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to fix it. The surgery was successful and I am now a competitive runner, as well as a dancer, acrobat, high jumper and skateboarder. To give something back, I have taken part in GOSH Charity’s event, RBC Race for the Kids, every year since I was five and will be again this month. It’s such a fun day. I’d like to say thank you to GOSH. I’ll miss it when I’m too old to go there!” What have you been up to lately? Which books have you enjoyed reading? What have you made? Have you written a poem or drawn…

Teacher’s name: Mr Gough School: Unicorn School, Richmond, Surrey “Mr Gough is inspiring and fun. He comes up with hilarious ways to make maths lessons enjoyable and encourages everyone to have a go at a question. He makes maths easy to understand by making us the characters in the problems. Thank you for making Year 5 memorable.”Nidhi 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 What is Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s political party called? □ a) Brothers of Italy □ b) Sisters of Italy □ c) Aunties of Italy 2 True or false? The UK Government is paying for the See Monster project. □ True □ False 3 What have the Kataara Women’s Group in Uganda been using to make bags, jewellery and books? 4 In which country do children not start school until they’re seven years old? □ a) Scotland □ b) Finland □ c) Denmark 5 True or false? UK teacher Lotte Clapp plays for the US women’s hockey team. □ True □ False 6 What sort of animal was counted using pictures taken in space? 7 Schools in which country have been hosting turtles in the classroom? 8 What do…

Giorgia Meloni co-founded her political party, Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia), in 2012, taking its name from the first line of the Italian national anthem. The party’s popularity increased when it did not support the very unpopular government led by Mario Draghi. Brothers of Italy’s slogan, “God, fatherland and family”, was used by fascist parties in Italy (fascists believe in strong government, strict rules and few rights for people who are different), including that of Benito Mussolini. Mussolini was Italy’s leader during the Second World War (1939–1945) and was a strong supporter of Hitler’s Nazi Germany.…

Now that the new school year has started again, most teachers and pupils have returned to their classrooms. However, one teacher from Heath Mount School, in Hertfordshire, England, is leaving – for Los Angeles, US. Charlotte “Lotte” Clapp, a Year 3 teacher is off to star for the US rugby team at the Women’s Rugby World Cup next month. The teacher will play for the USA Eagles against Italy, Japan and Canada, and the first match takes place on 9 October. Clapp only began playing rugby aged about 11. Until then, she had been too shy to ask to join in with the boys. “I wish I had started younger,” she admits. She has been hooked on the sport since. Her Year 3 class are looking forward to seeing their…

Using images taken from space and with the help of more than 300,000 citizen scientists (members of the public who volunteer to collect or study information for experts), researchers think they have come up with the most accurate guess ever of Antarctica’s Weddell seal population. Weddell seals are an “indicator species” (one that helps to show the environmental conditions in an area) for the Southern Ocean. Their presence, or absence, can help scientists understand how sea ice and feeding habits are changing. The animals live further south than any other seal and can live up to 30 years in the sea ice around Antarctica. Until recently, though, counting them has been difficult and expensive. Research was often done using ships and planes but you can’t cover the whole of Antarctica…

India is 10 and was diagnosed at the age of seven. She told the British Dyslexia Association, “I remember mum showing me pictures of successful celebrities and telling me that they all had a special power… and so did I! To be able to tap into this gift, I would have to make a few little changes to the way I learn. Dyslexia can be hard in day-to-day life, such as text messaging and keeping up on class, but my special gifts outweigh the difficulties. I am good at communicating with all types of people, I am confident, caring. I love acting, gymnastics and have career aspirations already. My advice is to feel grateful for your special powers! I would choose my powers over 10/10 on a spelling list every…

NASA’s Perseverance rover, which launched from Earth in 2020, is close to achieving its first list of goals on Mars. Nicknamed “Percy”, the robot’s main aim is to find signs of past life on the planet by collecting samples of rock and soil to be analysed. It landed in the Jezero Crater on Mars in February 2021 and has been collecting samples ever since. Although Mars is now a dry and dusty planet, scientists believe that water flowed on the surface billions of years ago. The current harsh conditions on Mars make the existence of life today unlikely, but scientists hope that samples from inside the Jezero Crater, which would have once been a lake, may prove that life has existed there at some point. Percy has been drilling into…

On 23 September, Roger Federer played his last professional tennis match. He is one of the greatest male players of all time, winning more than 100 titles in a career that began in 1998. Federer, from Switzerland, has struggled with a knee injury in recent years and had to make the decision to stop competing. “It’s been a wonderful day. I’m happy, not sad. It feels great to be here,” the 41-year-old said after his last professional appearance. Federer’s final match was at the Laver Cup, at the 02 venue in London. He played in a Laver Cup doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal. The pair have been great rivals on the tennis court for nearly 20 years but they teamed up for the special farewell. Federer and Nadal lost by…

Halloween is arriving early as Hocus Pocus 2, the sequel to the 1993 Hocus Pocus film, will be released on 30 September on Disney+. The film follows three young high school students from the US town of Salem, which has a history of witchcraft. By lighting the black flame candle, they accidentally bring back the Sanderson sisters – three evil, child-eating witches – from the dead. As the witches cause mayhem and mischief in the town in the days leading up to Halloween, it’s up to the three high school pupils to stop them from stealing children’s souls. Expect lots of laughs as well as some spooky scenes. Like the first film, Hocus Pocus 2 will also feature at least one musical number. The original Hocus Pocus followed a similar…

The Premier League football season started in August, but the end of September sees another exciting kick-off. It’s the release of FIFA 23, the latest instalment of the world’s most popular football video game. The new game has one major addition. For the first time, women’s club teams are included. This means that as well as Premier League favourites such as forwards Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min, players from Women’s Super League (WSL) can finally be selected, including stars such as Sam Kerr, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly. With two World Cups coming up – the men’s tournament in Qatar in November and the women’s tournament in July next year – FIFA 23 has included “World Cup game modes” for both competitions. Another exciting change for the new game is…

Why did you set the book in the 1940s? The Second World War (1939 to 1945) is such a fascinating part of history, and what I was taught about it at school barely scratches the surface of what really happened. I could ask what for me is a very interesting question: when the world is at war, does murder still matter? Fun facts you learned when you wrote the book? The whole series comes from a brilliant fact I discovered years ago – that during the Second World War there was a British spy unit nicknamed the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare! I started wondering what an Unladylike Ministry might be like… Who is your favourite character in the book? I think the heart of the book is Eric. He’s so…

Nina, aged eight, is a regular Week Junior reader and a keen poet. She has loved poetry ever since her father read verses to her from a big book called The Lost Words. Now, Nina’s favourite poem is Tarantella by Hilaire Belloc. Poetry is a way for Nina to express her thoughts and feelings. Here is one she wrote to inspire other children. “When you’re writing Poetry, you don’t Have to rhyme. In fact, you Don’t have to Use similes and Metaphors. Just keep it Simple and write What you like. It can also Be hate or Fear. Just get all Your feelings down On paper. You can have Lots of repetition In it. It doesn’t even Have to make Sense. Just do it! Poetry is beautiful And expressive. It’s…

Snail’s slime trail solves crime When officials in Düsseldorf airport, in Germany, saw a snail on the floor, they thought it was a toy that had been dropped. That is, until it started moving. They followed the slime trail the large snail had made, which led them to six bags containing 93 giant African snails. The snails were being smuggled (moved illegally) from Nigeria to Germany. Thanks to the snail’s trail, officials also found bags and suitcases containing smuggled meat and fish. The snails were handed over to an animal rescue service. Prehistoric poo found After studying some soil samples from the Upper Euphrates Valley in Syria, a group of scientists made an unusual discovery: 13,000-year-old sheep poo. The soil contained tiny balls called dung spherulites, which are formed in…

It’s National Poetry Day on 6 October. This year the Children’s Bookshow is running a poem-writing competition to get young people (you must be under 11 years) writing poems about nature. One lucky winner will meet Michael Rosen and stay overnight with their parents/guardians in London. Plus, the winner and six runners-up will receive prizes from each of the poets on The Children’s Bookshow tour. To submit your poem, email it along with your name, address, telephone number and school name to competitions.bookshow@gmail.com or post it to: The Children’s Bookshow competition, 9A Peploe Road, London, NW6 6EB. Entries must be in by the 30 November deadline. GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Please include your full name and address so that we can send you a…

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 people should eat more insects… “Yes, as it helps the planet and is good for you.” “No, because you never know what is on them so they could give you disease and make you sick.” “Yes, we should because we already eat animals so what’s the difference?” “I don’t fancy eating insects.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

Artist Yinka Ilori’s fun and colourful designs are on display at the Design Museum in London. The exhibition, which is free to visit and lasts until 25 June 2023, is called Yinka Ilori: Parables for Happiness. On show are projects like the Launderette of Dreams, which is built from more than 200,000 Lego bricks and which Ilori made with the help of children from his old primary school. There is also a beautiful chair, street crossings and murals (wall paintings). His creations are inspired by his British-Nigerian heritage, such as materials from West Africa and furniture from his childhood home.…

The common toadflax begins to bloom in June but its flowers continue to brighten grassland, roadside verges and hedgerows well into November. The plant grows throughout the UK. Its upright stems can grow 75 centimetres tall and have narrow pointed leaves. Toadflax flowers are tightly packed into a cluster on top of each stem and are a creamy yellow, with orange centres and long spikes at the bottom. The plant is a food source for buff-tailed and white-tailed bumblebees, common carder bees, honeybees and many species of fly. Nicknames for toadflax include “butter and eggs”. In the 17th century, people put toadflax leaves under their bare feet and between their toes to ward off fever.…

Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso have something in common. They were all extremely clever, brilliant and creative – and they all had dyslexia. Today, around six million people in the UK have some degree of dyslexia. Yet many people don’t understand the condition or even realise they have it. Dyslexia Awareness Week (DAW) aims to change that. Starting on 3 October, dyslexia charities across the country will be encouraging conversations about it, raising awareness and giving people advice and support. What is dyslexia? Dyslexia is not an illness or a disease. It is a condition that affects the way a person learns. It doesn’t mean that person isn’t intelligent, it just means that their brain works a little differently. Just like people have different skin,…

It is generally believed that the dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid (large rock that fell from space) but scientists now have another theory. New research suggests that big volcanic eruptions may have added to the extinction of the dinosaurs. The theory was that a massive asteroid hit Earth, triggering events that led to dinosaurs dying out. It is supported by the existence of the Chicxulub Crater. The huge, bowl-shaped dent in the ground in Mexico was caused by an asteroid smashing into Earth, and scientists discovered that the crater was formed at a similar time to when the dinosaurs died. Now, researchers from Dartmouth University in the US believe that volcanoes may also have played a part. Scientists were studying the Deccan Plateau, a large mountainous area in…

Arsenal Women They beat north London rivals Tottenham 4-0 in the Women’s Super League football competition. The game was watched by a record crowd of 47,367. Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey won the County Championship title after beating Yorkshire by 10 wickets. St Helens St Helens lifted rugby league’s Super League Grand Final trophy. They beat Leeds Rhinos 24-12 to win it for the fourth season in a row. Great Britain rowing team At the World Rowing Championships, Great Britain came top of the medal table with seven golds, one silver and four bronze medals.…

Am I Made of Stardust? by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock. Illustrated by Chelen Ecija (Buster Books) How long would it take to fly to a star? What would happen if you fell into a black hole? Could you get a phone signal in space? Scientist and broadcaster Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock answers questions about the universe in this fascinating fact book. Wonders of the Night Sky by Professor Raman Prinja. Illustrated by Jan Bielecki (Wayland) Explore our galaxy and beyond with this beautiful book, which invites you to take a look into the sky and learn more about the stars and planets. Produced together with the Royal Observatory Greenwich, and written by an expert in astronomy, it’s a must-read for all young stargazers. The Secrets of the Universe by Mike Goldsmith (OUP…

Name: Iszy The Unadoptables By Hana Tooke. Illustrated by Ayesha L. Rubio “Mysterious, gripping, heartwarming. Five children trying to find home, with a hint of magic.” 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.futureplc.com/privacy-policy…

What you need • 2 ripe bananas• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence• 180g oats• Pinch of salt• 30g raisins• 30g of broken mixed nuts or dried fruit (optional)• A handful of fruit of your choice, such as blueberries (optional)• Bowl• Fork or masher• Spoon• 23cm baking tin• Baking paper• Cooling rack If you’re busy juggling schoolwork, sport and after-school clubs, then it’s easy to reach for sugary sweets and snacks as soon as you get home. Instead, why not try these homemade energy bars? Made with bananas and oats, these tasty bars are packed with healthy ingredients and are super easy to make. You can easily change the recipe by adding your favourite fruit, seeds, nuts or even chocolate drops. (See allergy information before taking to school or offering…

This week’s cover story (p10) shows what’s possible with teamwork – 300,000 members of the public teamed up with scientists to study satellite images to accurately estimate the population of Weddell seals in Antarctica. If you’ve been watching Frozen Planet II, you’ll be aware that they aren’t just super cute and mightily impressive creatures. They are “indicator species” that help scientists understand the impact of climate change. Having reliable information is key to tackling any problem, so this is an important step and it’s heartening that the method of volunteers working with scientists is now being used to count walruses in the Arctic. This issue has plenty of positive planet-friendly news, such as conservationists in Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands, growing coral to restore its “rainforests of the sea” (p3) with encouraging…

“I wrote to the Queen to wish her a happy Jubilee and said we had similar interests, like horses. I got a letter dated 7 September (the day before she died) from Balmoral Castle. She even sent pictures of her own horses.”Jess “I really like reading The Week Junior with my cat, Morse. He keeps me warm when he’s not scratching…”Wilfred “I cut out a section of my Week Junior – the tips on how to save water – and stuck it on the fridge to remind my family.”Emmy…