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TV presenter Gary Lineker is coming back to his job on television after settling an argument with the BBC. He was taken off Match of the Day after disagreeing with the BBC’s bosses about what he is and isn’t allowed to say on social media. How did all this start? Last week, the Government said that under its new plan, people who arrive from across the Channel on unsafe boats will be removed from the UK and banned from seeking protection and living in the UK in future. Lots of people disagree with the plan, including BBC presenter Lineker. He wrote on Twitter that it was an “immeasurably cruel policy (plan) directed at the most vulnerable people, in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the…

When 11-year-old Harry Acheampong first realised the importance of protecting the environment, he started writing his own newsletter, The Weekly Tattler, to raise awareness about climate change. Now, he’s making a difference as the “interim (temporary) Prime Minister” of the Children’s Parliament. This is a project that brings together young people aged from seven to 11, to discuss important issues with adults in the Government. Harry works with a group that focuses on looking after the UK’s water. He told The Week Junior, “Meeting other children who deeply care about climate change, the environment and water sustainability is very exciting.” In October 2022, Harry and his group questioned the bosses of water companies to find out what they’re doing to protect the UK’s waterways. He’s also learnt about how individuals…

A new scientific study shows that ancient myths (stories shared between people over many years) about sea monsters could have been inspired by real-life whales that were using an unusual feeding method. Scientists only recorded the strange behaviour for the first time in 2011, when they studied Bryde’s whales in the Gulf of Thailand and humpback whales off the coast of Canada. The whales pointed their bodies upright in the sea, mouths wide open, waiting for fish to swim straight in. This is called “trap feeding” or “tread-water feeding”. This method of eating looks a bit like pictures of ancient sea monsters, a similarity spotted by Dr John McCarthy from Flinders University, Australia. McCarthy studies the history of human relationships with sea, lakes and rivers. When he was reading myths…

This waddling bird spends most of its day under cover in woodlands. Its dull brown, patterned feathers are superb at disguising the bird from predators as it wanders around the forest floor. ● LIFESPAN: 10 years.● HABITAT: Woodlands and fields throughout Europe.● SIZE: They grow to 33–35 centimetres long.● DIET: Beetles, caterpillars, fly larvae, small snails, spiders and worms.● FUN FACT: Dull they might appear, but the underside of a woodcock’s tail has the whitest feathers of any bird.…

The Suffragettes In 1903, Emmeline Pankhurst and others began calling for voting rights for women in the UK, who at the time were not allowed to vote. Suffragettes protested by invading Parliament, disrupting big events and refusing to eat. Many women were given the right to vote in 1918. Greenham Common A protester. In 1981, 32 women marched from Wales to Berkshire, in England, to protest against US nuclear missiles being kept at the Greenham Common air base. They set up a camp and, over a few years, more than 30,000 women protesters arrived. The missiles were removed in 1989. Youth Strike 4 Climate The global Youth Strike 4 Climate took place in 2019, and 1.4 million children around the world took to the streets. They called on politicians do more…

PANGOLIN PHOTO SAFARIS GREEN SEASON…

Should I go for a brownie or a slice of cake? Do I paint my room blue or purple? Is it best to take up football or swimming? People make choices every day but it can sometimes lead to feeling scared, uncertain and torn. When you’re able to reach decisions, and accept and learn from your choices, this can give you a sense of calm. Why does choosing matter? Some decisions, like what to order when you go out to eat, aren’t very serious, whereas others can have consequences (effects) for your health, school and relationships. It can be wise to take time to reach a decision, especially if choosing is making you feel tense and overwhelmed. However, ignoring decision making completely can lead to “burying your head in the…

In September 2022, Historic England asked people to post photos of their local high streets on Instagram with the hashtag #PicturingHighStreets. Historic England is an organisation that advises the Government on how to look after traditional buildings and places. It has chosen 60 of the best photos from the public for an outdoor exhibition about everyday life called Picturing High Streets. The pictures range from portraits of people to photos of cafés and shop fronts. The exhibition is touring England, starting in Derby from 17 March to 9 April, and it will visit Bradford, Bristol, Hastings, London, Middlesbrough, Norwich, Prescot and Stoke-on-Trent. The photos will be shown in different ways, such as in shop windows and on big advertising boards. In London, the show (22–29 March) will also feature photos…

Curl up with these collections, which might even inspire you to write a poem too. Courage in a Poem (Little Tiger Press) This joyful and inspiring anthology (collection) is full of poems that will make you feel powerful. You’ll find work by modern poets including Valerie Bloom, Nikita Gill, Matt Goodfellow, Jason Reynolds, Naomi Shihab Nye and Kate Wakeling. The book also features lots of bold, colourful and fun artwork. Cherry Moon by Zaro Weil. Illustrated by Junli Song (Welbeck Kids) Poet Zaro Weil celebrates the magic of the natural world in this lovely collection, which won the CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award). Thoughtful poems about the environment and nature, animals and insects are accompanied by gorgeous illustrations by artist Junli Song. Let’s Chase Stars Together by…

Name: Anaya Alex Rider: Stormbreaker – The Graphic Novel By Anthony Horowitz “Epic, Action-packed, fun. Alex Rider is sent to Cornwall by MI6. Great if you enjoy a mystery.” 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…

Hello, my name’s Olaf Falafel. I’m a children’s author, illustrator, dad and also a stand-up comedian. During the Covid-19 lockdowns I created an online Art Club, and each episode was filled with useful drawing tips, funny animations and information about different artists. This week I’m telling you about one of my favourite illustrators, Eric Carle, who wrote The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Carle had a style that was instantly recognisable. It involved making his own sheets of coloured, textured paper and then cutting out shapes from them to make his artworks. This style is a lot of fun to try out. Carle created all sorts of animals and creatures using this technique – I’m making a dragon but you can choose anything you like. What you need • Sheets of A4…

Here at The Week Junior the message we always want to give our readers is to get involved. Your voice, your ideas and your contribution are valuable and important, whether it is in your school, your community or in the wider world. This is why we are so proud to be working with the Children’s Parliament, which is all about giving young people a voice. Harry Acheampong, our cover star (page 9), has been part of the Children’s Parliament since its first event in October 2021. Last November, he challenged the bosses of water companies to explain what they are going to do about cleaning up our rivers. Since then, Harry has been named “interim Prime Minister” and hopes to inspire other young people to be the best they can…

During the pandemic, the Kindness Postbox was set up by a volunteer based in Northern Ireland called Nuala O’Toole. Through the Kindness Postbox scheme, care-home residents were sent cards of joy from children during the lockdowns to cheer them up. Then, when Russia invaded Ukraine, O’Toole organised cards to be sent to children in Ukraine. So far more than 15,000 cards have been posted. You can take part too by making a Kindness Postbox in your area. Head to kindnesspostbox.co.uk to find out how to get started. The organiser has asked people who set up a postbox to let her know how many letters they send. You can do that through the website above.…

Teacher’s name: Mrs Blaker School: Beit Shvidler Primary School “Mrs Blaker makes learning so interesting and relevant, and even takes us on walking trips to the local area. She has so much energy and makes time for each child and parent. We all love her.” All of the kids at Beit Shvidler Primary School 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 film won Best Animated Feature Film at the 2023 Oscars? □ a) Turning Red □ b) Puss in Boots: The Last Wish □ c) Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 2 True or false? Junior doctors make up 45% of the NHS’s medical workforce. □ True □ False 3 Where was a smiling sphinx found? ________________________ 4 What is the name of the proposed law that would make clean air a human right in the UK? □ a) Ella’s law □ b) Mary’s law □ c) Rosa’s law 5 True or false? David Chipperfield is an architect famous for his modernist design style. □ True □ False 6 How many muscles are in an elephant’s trunk? _____________________ 7 Who was president of the US at the time of the Iraq…

The argument about Gary Lineker may be over but the BBC is still being criticised. Some people say that the BBC is too friendly with the Conservative Government. The chairman of the BBC, Richard Sharp, has been in the news lately. Part of his role is to make sure the BBC is impartial (doesn’t take sides). However, since he accepted the job it has been found that Sharp helped Boris Johnson borrow a lot of money. Johnson made Sharp BBC chairman when he was Prime Minister. The Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, said he didn’t think Sharp could continue in the role of BBC chairman.…

A VERY COLD DRAGON The RSPCA animal charity rescued a bearded dragon that almost froze to death. The reptile, who has been named Dave, was found at a cricket ground in Sussex, England. The RSPCA said the creature, which is native to Australia, would not have survived for much longer. TWO FORMER STUDENTS The University of London has given degrees (official qualifications) to Madge Brown and Sheila Gordon, who are aged 101 and 94. Both studied physical education (PE) during the Second World War in the 1940s. Their course was not recognised as a degree at the time, and the university wanted to put that right. A HEARTWARMING MESSAGE Patients at The Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, England, looked out of their windows on 9 March to see a giant…

The mayor of Suginami is fighting Japan’s sexist attitudes (sexist means treating someone unfairly because of their sex). In 2022, Satoko Kishimoto won the election to become mayor by 187 votes, and she promised to challenge the country’s male-dominated politics. The country has never had a female prime minister and there are only two women in important government jobs. Kishimoto says that having so few women in politics is a “crisis” for the country. In a report about men and women having equal pay, Japan came 116th out of 146 countries. Kishimoto says, “The only way is up and ahead.”…

Everyone knows they feel much better after a good night’s sleep but now scientists have discovered it can help you to live longer too. According to a study in the US, healthy sleeping habits mean men can live almost five years longer, and women for two years. It also found that sleep improves our health and reduces the risk of heart disease. However, the study by the American College of Cardiology shows it’s not just about how long you sleep; the quality of your sleep is important too. Dr Frank Qian, who led the study, said sleep must be restful. The researchers said that good quality sleep for adults depended on five important factors: getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night; having trouble falling asleep no more than…

This month, nearly 3,000 youngsters took part in the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships (NJIRC). Indoor rowing is an activity where a person sits on a machine that has a handle attached to a chain. When the handle is pulled, the person’s seat slides and the chain spins a wheel. The faster it is pulled, the faster the wheel spins. The rowing machine doesn’t move and a computer works out how far you have travelled in virtual terms. The rowing action is like rowing a boat outdoors on water. The NJIRC was first held in London in 2007. This year an event also took place in Leeds, England. Male and female rowers aged from 11 to 18 competed, representing their school, community group or rowing club. More than 150 young…

Anita Garai explains how to explore your body for answers: Start by closing your eyes and placing your attention on your body (feel your legs against the floor or your hips against your chair). Take a big breath in and out. Next, place a hand on your heart (or stomach) and ask yourself the question that you want to answer. Listen carefully and you’ll find the answer reveals itself – as a feeling, an image or a word. With practice you will soon recognise what a “yes” and a “no” feel like.…

by Natalie Crowley and Elaine Batiste. Illustrated by Chris Duriez (Magic Cat) Can you imagine what life might have been like before the internet? What did people do without phones, computers or online games? This fascinating book will introduce you to some simple, old-fashioned pleasures – and teach you some useful skills. Learn to tie knots or perform simple magic tricks; find out how to build a campfire, use a compass or change a bicycle tyre. Make a paper aeroplane or a quilt or a garden bird-feeder; try your hand at growing and cooking your own food. With plenty of illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions, this book is a treasure trove of fun activities. At the back you will find a list of extra ideas to explore, plus some useful tips…

The Gymnastics British Championships begin in Liverpool, England, on 23 March. With lots of talented gymnasts competing, it may make you feel like giving it a go too. Gymnastics has three main categories – artistic, rhythmic and trampoline – which gives you the chance to do a range of fun indoor activities. Children as young as three can get involved and classes and competitions can be for individuals and teams. Artistic gymnastics is the most popular and well known. Gymnasts do routines on four different pieces of equipment: beam, vault, bars and floor. In beam, you learn how to turn, twist and jump on a thin padded beam raised above the ground. In vault you run fast towards a springboard on the ground, then launch from it to clear the…

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 566 857 881 917 958 4 numbers 1352 1603 8629 8812 5 numbers 21184 72075 73186 96801 6 numbers 122861 307861 7 numbers 1805878 8478934 9534575 8 numbers 18378214 31538571 64142549 9 numbers 141751000 819700236 918668278 950336048 Sudoku Place the numbers from 1 to 6 exactly once in each row, column and 2x3 bold-lined box, to complete the grid. Wordsearch Can you find all of the colours listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. APRICOT BLACK CARMINE CORAL EMERALD GOLD GREY INDIGO KHAKI MAGNOLIA MAROON MUSTARD OATMEAL PINK PURPLE RUSSET SABLE TAWNY VIOLET WHITE Word jumble…

A man in India nursed a sarus crane back to health after he found it with an injured foot on his farm in Uttar Pradesh. With no vet nearby, Arif Gurjar and his family mixed mustard oil and turmeric into an ointment to heal the bird’s foot. Gurjar expected the bird to fly away once it could stand on its own two feet, and didn’t bother to give it a proper name, calling it simply “Sarus”. Instead, Sarus stayed. Gurjar said, “On some days he flies away but always returns by sunset. Friendship thrives on freedom. He roams around freely and we never constrain him.”…

Name: Katherine “Three years ago, I was bullied. I felt alone, isolated and like I had no one to talk to. I moved school, made lots of new friends and managed to turn around the awful experience. As I got older, I started to understand things like this were happening everywhere. Girls would feel alone without anyone to turn to. That is when I had the idea to start something to help girls around the world who might be struggling with something like what happened to me. Sometimes the whole thing of having to work hard and find content would overwhelm me, but I said to myself, ‘I can do it.’ Now I am in Year 8 and I have started a podcast – The Girls Classroom – on Spotify,…

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 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 contributions for length, accuracy and suitability. Ensure you have your parent/guardian’s permission before sending anything to us.…

We love hearing from you. It’s easy – just write a comment when you vote in our online Big Debate poll, or even record a voice note for The Week Junior Show. Last week we asked if you think exclamation marks are necessary… “Yes, because they add extra punch to your sentences!” “If you don’t like them, just don’t use them.” “They’ve been part of literature for years, they are as important as any punctuation.” “They are useful, but overused.” “They help to express what you write!” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

The UK Parliament is debating whether to pass a law that would make breathing clean air a human right. This would mark the 10-year anniversary of the death of Ella Kissi-Debrah, the first person in the UK officially to die of air pollution. In the UK, around 36,000 people die of air pollution every year. Campaigners argue that by passing this law, people will be able to challenge polluters and improve air quality across the UK. Opponents question the impact of a law like this. They say the Government should be encouraging change, rather than trying to force it. The introduction of “low emission zones”, discouraging polluting vehicles from being used in certain areas, is met with protest. What do you think? Should clean air be a human right? Yes…

On 15 February 2003, around one and a half million people gathered and marched through London with a simple message: no to war in Iraq. It was the largest protest in the UK’s history. Weeks later, the UK joined the US in invading Iraq. Why did people protest? To try to stop the US and its allies, including the UK, from invading Iraq. The US president, George W. Bush, claimed that Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, had broken international law by developing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), which were designed to harm large numbers of people. However, the United Nations Security Council wasn’t convinced that Iraq really had WMDs. The United Nations is a group of 193 countries that work together. Its Security Council is responsible for ensuring international peace and…

Sam Kerr Kerr scored a brilliant goal as Chelsea Women beat Manchester United Women 1-0 in the Women’s Super League. Chelsea are now top of the table. France rugby union team They beat England 53-10 in the men’s Six Nations competition. Wales beat Italy and Ireland defeated Scotland. Tadej Pogačar Pogačar, from Slovenia, won the famous Paris-Nice cycle race. It’s an eight-day event where riders racing from the capital city to the south coast of France. Charlotte Bankes The British snowboarder won two gold medals over two days at the Snowboard World Cup tournament in Sierra Nevada, Spain.…

If you’ve ever wanted to go out and hug a tree, 21 March would be a great time to do it. That’s because it’s the International Day of Forests. It was first held in 2012, launched by the United Nations (an organisation of 193 countries that work together on the challenges that face humanity) as an annual celebration of the importance of forests and trees to our planet. The United Nations’ official website (tinyurl.com/TWJ-UNForests) tells you more about the day, including this year’s theme:“Forests and Health”. It’s about how forests create clean air and water, fight climate change, provide humans with food and medicines, and boost people’s wellbeing. There are several organisations in the UK that focus on protecting our forests and woods, as well as helping people to enjoy…

Have you learnt any new skills while working on the book? I’ve loved learning about knots – their many uses and the art of tying them for everything from fishing to securing a hammock. What is your favourite food? Simple but true: I’m a roast chicken and green salad girl. What did you want to be when you were little? I wanted to write and make books. So it seems that dreams do come true. If you could only keep five possessions what would they be? My two children (haha) and my husband, my trainers, my laptop, my poetry collection and my bike.…

How can I try it? Ask a grown-up to help you find a gymnastics club near you and try a beginner session. The British Gymnastics website (tinyurl.com/TWJ-gymnastics) is a good place to start. People with a physical or learning disability can give it a try too – you can find out more at tinyurl.com/TWJ-gym-disability What is tumbling? Tumbling is another type of gymnastics. A gymnast runs fast on a 25-metre indoor track, gaining speed and power, then performs amazing somersaults and twists in the air. These moves are called “passes”. The routine is usually over in a few seconds but it is very spectacular to watch.…

A family in France learnt that a valuable piece of art had been hanging behind their door since 1900. The picture, which is called L’Avocat du village (“The Village Lawyer”), was painted by Pieter Brueghel the Younger more than 400 years ago. It is estimated to be worth around £700,000. It’s value was only discovered when the family decided to see how much their other art might be worth. Malo de Lussac, the expert who identified the painting, said, “They thought it was a copy; just a bit of decoration that wasn’t worth very much.”…