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On 24 February, Ukraine marked two years since Russia invaded the country. Leaders from around the world joined the president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the capital Kyiv. Zelensky said, “None of us will allow our Ukraine to end.” Why did the war begin? Russian president Vladimir Putin believes that Ukraine should be part of Russia. In 1991, Ukraine became an independent country when the Soviet Union broke up. The Soviet Union was a group of countries ruled from Moscow, the capital of Russia. In 2014, Russia invaded Crimea, a part of eastern Ukraine, and in 2022, Russian forces invaded the rest of Ukraine. Putin called this “a special military operation”, not a war, saying his aim was to “demilitarise” Ukraine (take away its army) to stop it threatening Russia. Ukraine had…

6 March 1945 The trampoline is patented Seventy-nine years ago, inventor and gymnast George Nissen was granted the patent (exclusive legal permission) for a “tumbling device”, now known as a trampoline. Nissen had wanted to build a device that would allow gymnasts to bounce back up after performing acrobatics. The trampoline soon gained fame in gymnastics and other areas such as space training. Trampolining became an official sport in 1962 and an Olympic event in 2000.…

Ashwath Kaushik is only eight but he beat a 37-year-old chess grandmaster at a tournament in Switzerland. A grandmaster in chess is the highest title a player can get. Ashwath, who is from Singapore, beat Poland’s Jacek Stopa, and became the youngest player in history to beat a grandmaster. Ashwath’s father told Chess.com that neither he nor Ashwath’s mum play, and they are surprised by their son’s success. “Every day is a new discovery,” he said. Ashwath practises seven hours a day and said he “felt proud” of his win against Stopa. He called it “really exciting and amazing”.…

Most cuttlefish squirt ink to confuse predators and avoid being eaten, but researchers have found that one species uses it as part of mating displays. Male Andrea cuttlefish try to attract females by stroking them with their long arms and performing a dance for them. For the finale, the males squirt out a large cloud of ink, through which they then emerge – a bit like a performer making a dramatic entrance on stage. They also stretch out their arms and show off dazzling patterns and colours on their skin to impress the female.…

Conservationists have discovered a nesting site for Cantor’s giant softshell turtles in Kerala, southern India. This is the first breeding population to be discovered by scientists. The turtles are critically endangered, so the research team are now setting up a place nearby for them to hatch and grow up safely. ● LIFESPAN: More than 100 years. ● HABITAT: Slow-flowing rivers and streams in south Asia. ● SIZE: Up to 200 centimetres. ● DIET: Fish, shellfish and water plants. ● FUN FACT: They spend most of their life lying still while buried underground. They only surface twice a day to take a breath.…

The RNLI, which stands for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, was founded in 1824 and has saved more than 144,000 lives in its history. The charity provides lifeboats, lifeguards, carries out research and offers educational programmes as part of its work to keep people safe in the sea. How did it begin? The charity was set up by Sir William Hillary on 4 March 1824. At the time, there were nearly 2,000 shipwrecks in the seas around the UK every year. Hillary saw lots of shipwrecks where he lived on the Isle of Man, which lies in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, and he was inspired to do something to help. He gathered 30 people to support a new charity, the National Institution for the Preservation of…

YOUR PHOTOS Email photos you have taken to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If your photo is printed in the magazine you’ll receive a Roving Reporter badge. Photos could be of buildings, pets, nature or anything you find interesting.…

When you move your body, your muscles, bones, mind and heart all feel the benefits – physical activity makes you happy and strong from the inside out. Why does moving feel so good? The mind and the body are connected, so when we are active and move our bodies, our minds usually feel better. This is because movement reduces the levels of stress hormones (chemicals made by the body) and boosts chemicals that make you feel happy. Lildonia Lawrence is a wellbeing coach. She says noticing your body’s sensations can make you more aware of how your thoughts and feelings are affected. “Think of a time when you’ve ridden a bike down a hill and felt the wind against your face. Or when you make up a dance routine with…

Ffeithiau Ffiaidd y Corff by Kev Payne and Mari George (Rily) Welsh speakers will be whisked off on a journey around the human body with this non-fiction book full of ghastly, gross, bizarre and bonkers facts. This is perfect for readers who want to explore the weirdest and most wonderful side of science. Loki: Tales of a Bad God by Louie Stowell (Walker Books) The Loki series stars a mischievous trickster-god, sent to Earth as an ordinary schoolboy, who documents his wacky adventures in a diary. This special Loki World Book Day title includes three new stories and is the perfect pick for fans of funny fiction. Can You Get Jellyfish in Space? by Dr Sheila Kanani. Illustrated by Liz Kay (Puffin) You might have heard of dogs going into…

Email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If it’s printed in the magazine you’ll receive a Roving Reporter badge. Describe the book in three words, what you liked about it and why you’d recommend it to others. 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 futureplc.com/privacy-policy…

Martenitsa decorations, made from red and white wool or cotton, are a traditional part of spring celebrations in Bulgaria. Woven dolls, pompoms, tassels and bracelets are given as gifts on Baba Marta Day (Grandma March Day) on 1 March. When a sign of spring is seen, such as a blossoming tree, a Martenitsa is often tied to it. The ancient March festival, which is also celebrated in parts of Albania, Greece Macedonia, Moldova and Romania, has lots of folk stories attached to it. One says that Baba Marta is sometimes angry and sometimes cheerful – which is why the weather in March can be warm and sunny but also cold and frosty. Here, we show you how to make Pizho and Penda, male and female Martenitsa dolls. What you need…

Each issue of The Week Junior is a bit like a jigsaw. We have a big planner for the year where we add celebration days, awareness weeks and important anniversaries. That inspires us with ideas for features, and every week we try to slot them all together. This week’s issue had lots to celebrate. On the cover (and page 12), we’ve got the RNLI, which is marking two centuries of saving people at sea. I have seen videos of the daring rescues lifeboat crews carry out and I cannot believe how skilled and brave they are. The team that took the old bomb from the garden in Plymouth (page 4) and disposed of it safely are amazingly brave too. They are all heroes! Also on the cover we’ve featured one…

Art Fund competition Do you like visiting museums, galleries and historic places? Perhaps you’ve explored how dinosaurs roamed the Earth at the Natural History Museum, taken a ride on the Mail Rail at the Postal Museum, or tried out the interactive exhibits at the Young V&A. If this sounds like a fun day out, ask your grown up to enter our competition to win a National Art Pass membership for the whole family, which gives access to hundreds of arty and historic places for free or discounted prices. You can even get money off in the shops and cafés. To enter the competition, ask a grown up to visit theweekjunior.co.uk/artfund-competition GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Please include your full name and address so that we…

1 How many Asian elephants are there in Bangladesh? □ a) 200 □ b) 400 □ c) 1,000 2 True or false? Trampolining was recognised as an official sport in 1962. □ True □ False 3 In what country has the largest mosque in Africa recently opened? ________________ 4 Golf balls used to be made from what material? □ a) Leather □ b) Cotton □ c) Wool 5 True or false? A grandmaster in chess is the highest title a player can achieve. □ True □ False 6 How many times a day does a Cantor’s giant softshell turtle surface from underground to take a breath? _______________ 7 The first modern-style life jacket was made from what? □ a) Foam □ b) Cork □ c) Wood 8 True or false?…

SELLING HISTORIC COINS A stash of 122 coins found in a field in Essex, England, has sold for £325,560. The ancient coins were found by two people using metal detectors. It’s thought they were buried in 1066, when the Normans (a group from northern France) invaded England. WELCOMING A BABY GIANT A baby giant otter has been named by Yorkshire Wildlife Park, England. Mateo is the fifth baby for his parents, Alexander and Orimar. Giant otters are an endangered species from South America’s Amazon rainforest, and they can grow up to 1.6 metres long. Mateo’s older sibling, Bonita, is helping to care for him. RUBIK’S CUBE ART Eleven-year-old Henil Soni want to break the world record for the biggest portrait made out of Rubik’s cubes. He turns photographs of people…

Strong but soft and smooth, leather has been used by humans as a material for thousands of years. You might find your car has leather seats or perhaps your sofa is made of it. Lots of people wear leather belts and shoes. However, alternatives are becoming more popular as people seek materials that look and feel like leather but don’t come from an animal. Synthetic leather has been around for a long time but it is made using chemicals that can be harmful to the environment. More recently, experts have been experimenting by growing “real” leather from animal cells (cells are the basic building blocks of all living things) in a lab and making leather-like material from plants. Perhaps we don’t need animal skins any more. What do you think?…

A Palestinian para-athlete, Alaa al-Dali, is using his bike to deliver aid to people in Gaza who have lost their homes in the current conflict. In 2018, cyclist al-Dali lost one of his legs. Two years later he set up a group called the Gaza Sunbirds, where para-athletes train together as cyclists. The team hopes to represent Palestine in international tournaments one day. For now they are helping people. So far, they have sent aid to more than 170,000 people in southern and central Gaza, and delivered toys to children in need. Al-Dali told Positive News that delivering aid on their bikes is “a message that life can go on”.…

The razor shell, or razor clam, is an instantly recognisable find that often litters sandy British beaches after storms. These molluscs are so-called because they look like the old-fashioned razors that barbers sometimes use to shave people. The long, narrow shells are up to 20 centimetres long and split into two with a hinge connecting them. Brownish pink, they have paler worn patches near the hinge and curved lines down their length. The creatures dig vertically into sand using their muscular “foot” and you’ll often find them near the low-tide mark. In Scotland, razor shells are called “spoots” – which is a reference to the jet of water they shoot out when they burrow at low tide. They can live for up to 10 years.…

UK birdwatchers Very low temperatures in Scandinavia (an area of northern Europe) mean that thousands of waxwings have flown to the UK to find food. The birds are quite an unusual sight in the UK – they only come here when cold weather means there are fewer berries to eat in Scandinavia. A Sussex chalk stream A water company has apologised for pumping untreated sewage into a chalk stream in West Sussex, England. There are only about 200 chalk streams in the world and they create a very special habitat. Experts say the river can’t support wildlife now and it needs help urgently.…

The Netball Super League (NSL) is the highest division of netball in England, Wales and Scotland. Ten teams take part in the competition, held each year, and they battle to reach the Grand Final in June and become NSL champions. The 2024 season started recently, with an action-packed day featuring all 10 teams at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England. Loughborough Lightning are the current NSL champions. They defeated Surrey Storm by 63 points to 50, with Lightning’s Mary Cholhok impressing by scoring 51 goals. Severn Stars beat Leeds Rhinos 57–41, Team Bath enjoyed a 53–49 victory over Strathclyde Sirens and Manchester Thunder defeated London Pulse 56–40. Cardiff Dragons and Saracens Mavericks played a draw. In netball only the players playing as goal shooter and goal attack can shoot the…

A new animated science-fiction series set in a futuristic version of the city of Lagos, Nigeria, has just been released on Disney+. Iwájú was created by Kugali, an entertainment company that wants African stories to be told by African people. Iwájú tells the story of two best friends, Tola and Kole. Tola, who has grown up in a wealthy family, has just turned 10 years old and wants to have more independence. Kole works for Tola’s father to earn money to support his mother, and is a self-taught tech expert. The two of them discover that there are secrets and dangers hidden within their different worlds. Olufikayo Adeola, who directed the show, told The Week Junior, “We often describe Iwájú as a love letter to Lagos, Nigeria.” He was born…

World Book Day takes place on 7 March, an annual celebration to encourage all children to enjoy reading. There are plenty of ways to get involved, including swapping the £1 token printed below for one of the World Book Day books, to dressing up as your favourite character. World Book Day is marked in more than 100 countries. In the UK and Ireland, it’s all about encouraging young people to discover the magic of reading. The theme for this year is “Read Your Way”. World Book Day author Jennifer Killick tells The Week Junior it’s important because, “All of us are different, so our reading journeys should all be different, too.” She suggests choosing exactly what you want to read, without worrying about what others are choosing or what they…

For most students, three or four A-levels are plenty. Mahnoor Cheema has decided to take 28. The 17-year-old from Slough, England, is doing four of these A-Level exams at school and the rest at home with her study partner, her mum. She has already completed 34 GCSE exams. Cheema’s method is to “take one subject at a time”, and keep playing the piano, chess, swimming and seeing friends. Her extra A-levels include two maths courses, three languages, three variations of history, economics, business, computer science and film studies.…

Books2Africa Books2Africa is a charity whose mission is to promote a culture of “readcycling” and improve the quality of education in Africa. “Readcycling” is the charity’s word for sharing books, computers and educational materials donated by the public. You gather up the books you don’t want any more and send them to the charity. The staff then sort them and send them to people, organisations and communities across Africa. To find out how you can help, ask a grown-up to visit books2africa.org…

Teacher’s name: Mrs Nyman Job: Home educator, Macclesfield, Cheshire “Mrs Nyman is an awesome teacher and she helps us with our work, and when we don’t understand, she explains things very well. She teaches us maths, music, science and other things too. She is enthusiastic and takes a very creative part in all our projects. She does an awesome job of homeschooling, which is hard, and she makes it super fun!” Tom, Nick, Evelyn, Andrew, Lizzie and Johnny 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…

Rachael Burford grew up in a rugby-loving family and was six when she started playing. She found school difficult but got support from staff. “My teachers saw potential in me through my sport, not through what I got in maths,” she says. “They made me feel school wasn’t everything, that I had other options and sport was one of them.” At 19, Burford got her first call up to the senior England squad. She has played in the Women’s Rugby World Cup four times and won it in 2014. On 8 March, it is International Women’s Day. Burford wants to show girls that they are welcome in the world of rugby, because times have changed. When Burford was younger she had to play on a boys team, and sometimes they…

Humans often get a kick out of playing tricks on their friends and family, and it turns out we’re not the only ones. A new study has discovered that great apes like to tease each other too. A team of researchers found this out by studying 75 hours of video footage from San Diego Zoo in the US and Leipzig Zoo in Germany. The scientists wanted to observe the behaviour of great apes, which include bonobos, chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas. In the footage, the researchers noticed 142 examples of the animals teasing each other. The different methods of teasing included poking; offering an object before snatching it away; and tickling each other. They also enjoyed pulling another ape’s hair to annoy them and even body-slamming them. More than a fifth…

The lanner falcon. These birds of prey stoop (go into a high-speed dive) when they are chasing prey and they can reach speeds of nearly 90 miles per hour. The fastest mammal we have at the zoo is the cheetah, which is the fastest land animal on Earth. They can run at 70 miles per hour. We have three cheetah brothers living at Whipsnade, called Fred, Billy and Robyn. 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…

Between 245 and 66 million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the land. Some groups of dinosaurs evolved to be able to fly but, until now, experts thought that they never truly took to the water – apart from having a bit of a paddle. However, dinosaur bones that were discovered in Africa have now challenged this theory. The bones came from a group of dinosaurs called hadrosaurids. Scientists describe hadrosaurids as “duck-billed” because their snouts were shaped a bit like ducks’ bills (or beaks). They first appeared in North America during a period known as the late Cretaceous – between 100 million and 66 million years ago. They eventually spread into Europe and Asia, which were connected to North America at that time. However, scientists were very puzzled by the bones…

Kye Whyte Whyte won a gold medal for Great Britain at the BMX Racing World Cup in Brisbane, Australia. Grace Clinton Clinton played her first game for the England women’s football team and scored in the game as England defeated Austria 7–2 in a friendly match held in Cadiz, Spain. Wigan Warriors In the rugby league World Club Challenge, Wigan beat Australian team Penrith Panthers to win the trophy for the fifth time. Liverpool Liverpool beat Chelsea 1–0 to win the English Football League (EFL) Cup. Captain Virgil van Dijk scored the goal with a header from a corner in extra-time.…

Iwájú is a type of story known as Afrofuturism. This is work created by artists, writers and musicians to show futuristic and science-fiction themes inspired by black history and culture. The Black Panther comic books and films are an example of Afrofuturism. Wakanda, the African country where Black Panther is set, is one of the most advanced nations on Earth. Another story adapted from a comic is Raising Dion. The Netflix TV series follows a boy who develops superpowers and his mother who tries to conceal Dion’s abilities. Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, by Tola Okogwu, is a book set in Nigeria about a girl whose hair has powers. She is caught up in a battle. The third book in the series is out later this month.…

Which book world would you like to live in? The world created by Dr Seuss (Green Eggs and Ham is my favourite). It’s bonkers and so much fun. What was your favourite subject in school? Why? I think it was geography. I remember finding it so interesting how drastically different places across the world can be. Has any book changed your world? The Hobbit. It was the book that introduced me to fantasy worlds. I have great memories of my dad reading it to me when I was young, too. He did really scary voices! Do you prefer modern children’s books or the classics? I think classics because, from my personal experience, they feel slightly more magical and are what made me interested in stories.…

When EastEnders actor Rose Ayling-Ellis won the Strictly Come Dancing TV show in 2021, millions of people saw how she used sign language to communicate, along with her dancing. Since then, Ayling-Ellis has made another TV programme, Signs for Change, about her experience learning British Sign Language (BSL), and why she wants more deaf children and young people to have the chance to learn it too – as well as their families and the people around them. You can expect to hear more about BSL – and the Irish version, ISL – later this month during the annual Sign Language Week event, organised by the British Deaf Association, which starts on 18 March. The official Sign Language Week website is a good place to find out more about the week,…

You might think paper is just something to draw or write on. Wrong! It can become a warrior, a flower or even a bee. Artist Juho Konkkola spent 50 hours folding a single sheet of paper into a samurai warrior with fingers, teeth and eyes. No glue or scissors were used. Daphne Lee turns thousands of strips of paper into a beautiful flower and Kate Kato creates paper sculptures of the natural world, such as bees and mushrooms. These are just three of the artists in a show, Pulp, at MAKE Southwest in Devon, England, until 13 April.…

Name: Plip “I have weekly violin lessons with West Sussex Music and we were invited to the Benedetti Strings Day, a full day workshop where we performed to our parents at the end. I really enjoyed the day – I learnt many things, made a talk about my painting inspired by both pieces of music we were about to play, made up an improvisation for the finale concert and had fun with my friends. I also played my new purple glittery violin that I received for Christmas. The day was organised by the Benedetti Foundation and West Sussex Music so I’d like to give a big thanks to them for the special day. I will definitely attend next year, and my friends probably will too.” What have you been up…

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 our readers whether leaders need an age limit… “No, old people have the most experience and know what choices should be made.” “Yes, their ability to make important decisions will deteriorate as they get older.” “It is how good they are at doing their job that counts.” “Yes, having old leaders might lead a country to be stuck in the past.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…