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On 9 March, a military ship set off from the US for Gaza, a strip of land that borders Israel. The ship is carrying equipment to build a pier (a platform extending from the land into the sea) off Gaza’s coast, to deliver essential aid to people in Gaza. What is the US hoping to achieve? The US hopes that once the pier has been built, it will enable two million meals a day to be given out to people in Gaza. The United Nations (UN), a group made up of most of the world’s countries, has warned that at least 576,000 people in Gaza are “one step away from famine”. Famine is a widespread shortage of food that can lead to starvation. After more than five months of war…

GETTING MARRIED ON A TRAIN On 8 March, a couple who met on a train held their wedding on one. Leah and Vince exchanged rings as the train made its way from Paddington station in London towards Reading, England. The couple and their guests then had a celebration meal on board. FINDING MESSAGES IN A BOTTLE On a Scottish beach, Jenny Smith found a bottle with messages from 40 years ago. Three children had written jokes about being kept prisoner at school. Smith shared them on social media and was contacted by Linda Bell, who wrote the notes with friends in 1984. They then met where the bottle was discovered. A DOG AT THE OSCARS Messi, a seven-year-old border collie, was the talk of the 2024 Academy Awards ceremony (also…

Many school canteens across the UK are offering more plant-based options. This month, schools in the London borough of Waltham Forest were said to have the best and most environmentally friendly lunch menus in the country. They are offering a range of healthy, plant-based meals for pupils in their 43 schools, including things like smoky bean and vegetable jambalaya and jackfruit pasta bake. Waltham Forest Catering, which provides the meals for the schools, says pupils love the dishes. Should other schools follow their example? Some people argue that eating less meat is important for health and environmental reasons, but others say people should be free to choose. What do you think? Should schools have plant-based meal days? Yes – starting young is easier Experts and the NHS say that eating…

There are nearly 200 species of poison dart frogs, known for their bright colours and highly toxic skin. Not only are they beautiful – they can do a kind of tapdance. The frogs have a habit of tapping the middle toes on their back feet. Scientists have never fully worked out what the frogs are trying to achieve but a recent study could have solved the puzzle. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in the US, filmed 22 dyeing poison dart frogs in enclosures that had soil, leaves and rocks on the ground – much like the frogs’ natural habitat. At feeding time, the hungry frogs had one of their favourite foods – fruit flies – put in front of them. The researchers found that the frogs tapped their…

Forty years ago – on 5 March 1984 – a group of coal miners in South Yorkshire, England, went on strike. They stopped working in protest at the news that the mine where they worked would be closed. It was the start of huge protests that spread across the industry. King coal In the mid-20th century, Britain could not function without coal (a type of rock fossil fuel made up of ancient plants). It was dug out of the ground by miners and sent to factories to be burned to create electricity. People also burned it in their fireplaces at home for heating. Burning coal made the steam that powered trains and it was also needed for the production of steel. Steel is a strong metal used in all sorts…

Marcus Smith Smith kicked a last-minute drop-goal to score three points and give England a 23-22 win over Ireland in rugby union’s Six Nations championship. James Anderson During England’s fifth Test match against India, the fast bowler took the 700th wicket of his test match career. Matteo Jorgenson On 10 March, the US cyclist won the famous Paris-Nice race, which is held over eight days in France. Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel came second. Luke Littler The 17-year-old darts player beat Rob Cross in the final of the Belgian Open. It was the first European Tour event that Littler had played in.…

by Piu DasGupta (Nosy Crow) Beneath the streets of Paris is a maze of more than 200 miles of tunnels and sewers. Among them are the famous Catacombs, a burial site housing the remains of more than six million people. These tunnels have fascinated people throughout history, including author Victor Hugo, who wrote about them in his famous book Les Misérables, which has also been made into a stage show and a film. In this new story, set in 1890s Paris, Piu DasGupta continues the tradition, making the tunnels the setting for an atmospheric adventure. After her father goes missing, Zélie teams up with Jules to venture into the murky and strange tunnels, solving ancient riddles and mysterious puzzles. Her mission is to find a magical diamond known as the…

Professor Yuval Noah Harari’s new children’s book, Why the World Isn’t Fair, from his Unstoppable Us series, is about how humans learned to control the world, starting with the agricultural revolution of around 10,000BC. From deciding where a field of wheat should grow, humans have gone on to create a world of cars, planes and smartphones. “What starts with trying to control wheat led to controlling animals, weather, other people and the future,” Harari tells The Week Junior. It also led to greater fear of others, because “no matter how much you have, you always fear it will be taken away”. People nowadays can learn from the hunter gatherers who existed before the agricultural revolution, Harari says. Hunter gatherers got their food by hunting animals, fishing and collecting food that…

Word fill in All these castle names fit in the grid. Can you work out where each one goes? 3 letters Eye Usk 4 letters Dean Etal 5 letters Corfe Flint 7 letters Arundel Lachlan 8 letters Rothesay Sinclair 9 letters Inverness Pendragon 10 letters Caerphilly Donnington Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. BATTER CHIPS COD COLEY FISHCAKE GHERKIN HALIBUT KETCHUP NUGGETS ONION PAPER PLAICE PORTION ROE SCAMPI SCOOP SKATE SOLE TAKEAWAY VINEGAR Number tower Place a number in every circle to complete the tower. The value in each circle is the sum of the numbers in the two circles directly beneath it. Spot the difference These two pictures appear to be the…

On 10 March, actors, directors and celebrities from around the world gathered for the 96th Academy Awards (the Oscars). This is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best films from the last year. The biggest success was a film called Oppenheimer, which won seven awards including Best Picture and Best Director. The Best Animated Feature Film award went to The Boy and the Heron. This was made by Studio Ghibli, a Japanese animation company that has made films including Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle. Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, won the award for Best Original Song for What Was I Made For? from the film Barbie. Eilish said, “I feel so incredibly lucky and honoured.” She is now the youngest person to have won two…

Neurodiversity Celebration Week, between 18 and 24 March, aims to raise awareness of neurodiversity (the different ways people’s brains process information), challenge attitudes and celebrate neurodivergent people. Neurodivergence can take many forms and includes dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, Tourette’s and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Sarah Miller is a member of the National Neurodiversity Youth Council, which gives neurodivergent young people a platform to talk about neurodiversity. She is autistic and has ADHD. Miller tells The Week Junior that being autistic makes her very sensitive to noises, bright lights and crowded rooms. She has found that physical activity is a great way for her to channel her high energy levels and restlessness. Miller has taken up flying trapeze, a daring circus art in which she swings from a bar high above…

March is a great time to spot the unusual flowers of the butterbur. This plant is found across most of the UK and it likes damp places, such as ditches, riverbanks and woodland. Some people describe butterbur as looking a bit like a toilet brush. The thick stems grow up to 40 centimetres high and dense clusters of flowers appear on them, which are pink-purple when closed. When the flowers open, they have white on them too. The large, heart-shaped leaves appear after the plant flowers and they are huge, reaching up to one metre across. In the past, the butterbur had many uses. Its cool leaves were used to wrap butter, and the plant was also used as a clothing dye and to treat migraines (bad headaches).…

Researchers recently found that black-backed jackals wee on fruit to stop other jackals from eating it while they wait for it to ripen. They are also responsible for spreading fruit seeds across the desert in their poo, which encourages more fruit trees to grow. ● LIFESPAN: Up to eight years. ● HABITAT: Coastal areas, deserts and mountains in Africa. ● SIZE: Around 80 centimetres long.● DIET: Berries, birds, fruits, lizards and small mammals such as rodents and hares● FUN FACT: When jackal pups are born, the oldest ones usually stay around to help their parents raise the younger pups.…

We all want to do things well and for things to turn out right. However, growing up also involves accepting when things go wrong. In fact, messing up can lead to some of the most interesting and meaningful outcomes. What does imperfection mean? Aiming for results, whether that’s getting good school grades, sparkling in sport or acing an art project, can help you focus on your goals. However, it’s just as important to focus on enjoying the process. Getting too hung up on things turning out exactly as you think they should can put a lot of pressure on you and lead to anxiety. That’s why it’s good to leave some room for errors and imperfections. Then if things don’t go as planned, it’s not a big deal and you…

What is your favourite place in the world? The beach in Brittany. We go every summer and stay in a cottage on a cliff. We explore rock pools and stuff ourselves with pancakes. It’s fantastic. Favourite magical device? The TARDIS. I love the idea of fading out of a place or time and reappearing in another, without any faff. Best thing you learned while writing this book. Sloths only poo once a week. Do you ever write in other languages? I write poetry in French – a challenge because it’s different to English. I spoke Bengali fluently in childhood, it’s rusty now but I remember chunks of Tagore (a poet) that my dad recited to me. Do you ever speak to yourself, like Zélie does when worried? I often give…

Games can be stressful, especially if you’re playing online against other people and worrying about letting your friends down. There are other kinds of games that can help you relax, though. In recent years they have been given their own genre (a group of things with a similar style) called “cosy games”. Cosy games often don’t have time limits or high scores, and they are designed to be played at your own pace, as fast or slow as you feel comfortable with. They often have cute and colourful graphics too. One new example of a cosy game is A Tiny Sticker Tale. You play a donkey called Flynn, who sets off on a journey carrying a magic sticker album. The twist is that the stickers you collect can be used…

It may be just 12 millimetres long, yet a fish species called the Danionella cerebrum makes a noise as loud as a gunshot or a bulldozer. Scientists in Berlin, Germany, started to investigate the fish tanks in their laboratories after hearing some very noisy clicks. It turned out that the noise was coming from the tiny creatures, and researchers think it is a way for the fish to communicate with each other. Verity Cook, one of the lab’s scientists, said, “I couldn’t find another animal of this size that makes sounds this loud.”…

Here at The Week Junior we believe that everyone is unique, and that we should celebrate each other’s differences. That’s why we’ve been learning all about Neurodiversity Celebration Week, which aims to change people’s opinions about neurodiversity (the different ways people’s brains process information). Thanks so much to Sarah Miller for sharing her experiences on page 9. We also know that we all learn in different ways, so it was fascinating to read on this page (right) about Asher, Arlo and Ezra’s experience of home learning, and that they’ve written a book with their friend Dylan! We really have the most creative readers. You can channel your creativity by writing your own limericks – funny five-line poems – on page 25. We’d love to read yours, so please send them…

BAFTA Young Presenters Competition BAFTA is looking for two presenters, aged 10–14 and 15–18, to host its content and events for children and young people in London, and to represent BAFTA at special events around the country. This year’s theme is My Voice Matters. Send in a two-minute video talking directly to the camera or interviewing guests. The theme can be interpreted however you choose. You might want to chat about how you get your voice heard, or how to influence change. Talk about something you care about and bring your own unique style. To enter, go to bafta.org/youngpresenters 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 Roving Reporter badge if your contribution makes…

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 parks should close at night… “No. People might just want access to the park all the time for space and freedom.” “Yes, to prevent them being damaged and vandalised overnight.” “They could be monitored by CCTV but there is no need to lock them.” “Yes, people could be disturbed by the noise at night.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

According to the fashion designer, decorator and influencer Iris Apfel, “Life is grey and dull. You might as well have a little fun dressing up.” Apfel’s interest in fashion started early. She grew up in the Queens borough of New York, in the US, where her Russian mother ran a clothing shop and her father owned a glass and mirror company. As a child Apfel enjoyed visiting markets to find cheap clothes and accessories. This passion for discovering unique items of clothing lasted her whole life. She collected archives (historical collections) of antique materials, taught fashion and, with her husband (to whom she was married for nearly 70 years), set up a material company. Together they decorated homes for people – including the White House (where the US president lives).…

The animal kingdom has many talented dancers. The great crested grebe, a bird found in the UK, conducts a kind of water ballet. Males and females shake their heads and run their bills (beaks) through the feathers on their backs. Next, they dive underwater and collect weeds before approaching each other with their mouthfuls. It’s thought that this ritual strengthens their bond. Amphibious (can live on land or in water) mudskipper fish also dance to attract a mate. They twirl their tails, arch their bodies and leap into the air.…

ASK A ZOOKEEPER ALEX JOHNSON, ZSL WHIPSNADE ZOO Our animals do enjoy the weather, from wintry snow to hot sunshine. Some of the animals can be seen outside playing in the snow during winter but others will prefer to stay cosy under heat lamps or snuggled in extra bedding that we provide to help keep them cosy inside their dens. In summer, we ensure there are shady areas and plenty of water to drink and splash about in. Sometimes animals get ice treats to enjoy too. 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…

When people are bitten by a venomous snake, they are treated with a medicine called an anti-venom. Now, scientists believe they are close to creating a laboratory-made anti-venom that could transform the way snake bites are treated. Every year, about 5.4 million people worldwide are bitten by snakes. The UK’s only venomous snake is the adder but bites are rare and don’t usually cause serious problems. Other snakes’ bites can cause serious illness or even death. At the moment, anti-venom is created from the venom of each species of snake. That means you need to know what sort of snake bit you, which isn’t always possible. Anti-venom has been made in the same way for more than 100 years: by collecting antibodies. Antibodies are special molecules in the blood that…

Catarina Macario will never forget her first goal for Chelsea Women. The talented footballer from the US had not played since June 2022 because of injury but she finally made her debut for Chelsea this month and scored only six minutes after coming on as a substitute. “That was really fun,” Macario said after getting the team’s fourth goal in a 4-0 win against Leicester in the Women’s Super League (WSL). “Finally I’m able to be back on the pitch and it felt like a dream come true to be back from injury and play for Chelsea for the first time.” Macario scored her second goal in two games on 10 March, as Chelsea Women beat Everton Women 1-0 to reach the FA Cup semi-finals. Macario joined Chelsea in June…

You’ve probably heard of K-pop – it stands for Korean pop music. It has become popular all around the world thanks to superstar groups such as BTS and Blackpink. In South Korea, where K-pop comes from, young people can go to special training schools to perfect their singing, dancing and performance skills in preparation for life as K-pop stars. A new CBBC drama series called Gangnam Project is set in one of these schools. The Week Junior spoke to the star of Gangnam Project, Julia Kim Caldwell, who plays 16-year-old Hannah Shin, to learn more. Like Caldwell, Hannah has Korean and Canadian heritage. In the show, Hannah travels from her home in Canada to South Korea to take up a summer job teaching English. Her students are pupils at a…

Make Art With Nature by Pippa Pixley (DK) This book is packed with inspiring and exciting ideas for using nature in your artwork. Discover how earth can be used to make paints and pastels and how flowers can create ink. You can also find out ways to add natural materials into your artistic creations using collage and print-making. The Repair Shop Craft Book Illustrated by Sonia Albert (Walker Books) Fans of The Repair Shop on TV will enjoy this book, which is written to go with the series. There are ideas for 50 crafts, and whether you’re a beginner or want to develop your skills a bit further, there are projects here that will appeal to everyone. It is also packed with lots of tips, tricks and fun facts. This…

Name: Freja Moonflight Gill Lewis “Remarkable, magical, stupendous. I love Moonflight because it is full of adventure and fantasy. I think people about 8+ should read it. It is an absolutely brilliant story!” YOUR TURN 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…

Holly King-Mand is a writer, presenter and campaigner for literacy (the ability to read and write) who has inspired thousands of children. Holly loves funny poetry and has created this guide to writing your very own limerick. Limericks are five-line poems that have been enjoyed by adults and children for centuries. They are usually light-hearted and silly. The origins of the limerick aren’t clear, but it’s thought the name comes from an 18th century Irish song. Limerick is also the name of a county and a city in Ireland. The first limericks in English appeared around 1820 and a writer called Edward Lear became famous for publishing collections of them. Limericks are fun to write and read aloud. It’s Saint Patrick’s Day on 17 March – a religious day that…

Salaam Shalom Kitchen Salaam Shalom Kitchen is a joint Muslim/Jewish-led project that believes that working across communities helps break down barriers. Every Wednesday it offers a hot meal, hot drinks and treats, plus access to free groceries. It aims to help relieve food poverty in Nottingham, England, and prevent loneliness by providing a warm and friendly community café. It uses supermarket food that would otherwise be thrown away. Find out more at salaamshalomkitchen.co.uk…

Teacher’s name: Jack School: Gayhurst Primary School, Hackney, London “Jack isn’t your average teacher. He’s taught all over the world and even knows martial arts and has a crested gecko. He has a story for everything and is always sharing his worldwide experiences with us. Learning is so exciting with Jack and he is always so extremely helpful if we don’t understand something. Since this is our last year of primary school, we will be devastated to leave his class.” Edit and Sunday 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 movie won Best Animated Film at the Oscars this year? □ a) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse □ b) Elemental □ c) The Boy and the Heron 2 True or false? Former Chancellor Geoffrey Howe named his cat Budget. □ True □ False 3 Officials found 87 animals hidden inside luggage at an airport in which capital city? 4 What percentage of people in the UK are eating a plant-based diet in 2024? □ a) 4% □ b) 16% □ c) 32% 5 True or false? Horseshoe crabs evolved before the dinosaurs appeared. □ True □ False 6 What do black-backed jackals do to fruit to stop others from eating it? 7 Who was the UK Prime Minister at the time of the miners’ strike? □ a) Harold Wilson…