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This year the world slowly returned to normal after the Covid-19 pandemic. At the start of January, our office was still closed because of Omicron. That seems like such a long time ago! 2022 was the year the UK lost a Queen, gained a King and had not one but THREE Prime Ministers. We’ve crammed many of the year’s biggest news stories in pages 4-27, but that is just the start of it. We remember some of 2022’s heroes on page 30 and look back on our favourite innovations in science (page 36). We can’t decide on our favourite animal story (page 32) – is it DJ sparrows or how much dogs adore their owners? If you like animals, you’ll love the pull-out calendar on page 34. 2022 will certainly…

After six years in prison in Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was finally set free to return to the UK. She was arrested in 2016 on a visit to her parents in Iran. The Iranian government said she was plotting against it, but Zaghari-Ratcliffe denied the charges. She was released after the UK paid money it had owed Iran since the 1970s and was reunited with her husband and seven-year-old daughter on 17 March. Elsewhere, the 2022 Winter Paralympics (a big international sports contest for people with disabilities) began on 4 March in Beijing, China. The opening ceremony took place in China’s National Stadium, known as the “bird’s nest”. Many athletes from Ukraine competed, topping the medal table with three golds on the first day. Russia was banned from competing because of…

The war in Ukraine continued and on 6 June the UK announced that it would supply Ukrainian forces with more weapons to defend the country against Russian attacks. The UK’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said, “The UK stands with Ukraine”. On 10 June in Stockholm, Sweden, activists Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Malala Yousafzai teamed up to tell the world that educating girls could help solve climate change. (Climate change refers to long-term changes in global weather patterns, including rising temperatures). In the UK on 14 June, people marked the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire in London, in which 72 people died five years ago. There were artworks, statements by politicians and a silent walk at the site of the tragedy. An official investigation into what happened is still…

American tennis star Serena Williams ended her long career this month. On 3 September Williams, who started playing when she was 14, played the last game of her 27-year career in New York, US. She described her life in tennis as “a fun ride”. World leaders paid tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, whose funeral was held in Moscow, Russia on 3 September. Gorbachev, who died on 30 August aged 91, led the Soviet Union (a group of countries once ruled from Moscow, the capital of Russia) in the late 1980s. He helped end the Cold War, a period of tension between the Soviet Union and the US that lasted for most of the second half of the 20th century. He was described as “a towering global leader”. As one politician was…

The winners of the Earthshot Prize were revealed on 2 December. Prince William handed out five prizes of £1 million each to people who had brilliant ideas for how to save the planet. One of the winners was Notpla, a UK company that uses seaweed to create an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic packaging. Saving the planet was also the mission of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, COP15, which took place from 7 to 19 December in Montreal, Canada. Biodiversity is the variety of animals and plants living in a particular area. Representatives from countries around the world met to talk about how best to protect the Earth’s wildlife. In the UK, lots of workers – including nurses, postal workers, border control staff, train workers and university staff – went…

Korben White The boy in a dress breaking down barriers. When Korben White was 12, he told his mother that he wanted to wear a gown to his school prom, and this year he made it happen. Korben, who is now 16, stepped out in a red, sequinned jacket with a ballgown skirt. He was greeted with loud cheers from pupils and staff at his school in Norfolk, England. Korben’s mother, Nina, tweeted a photo of her son wearing the glamorous outfit and it received millions of views, which made him proud. “It sends a message,” he said. “You can be who you want to be.” Korben says he has always loved wearing dresses. After his school prom experience he appeared on the ITV show called This Morning, where he…

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 142 372 855 966 4 numbers 1065 1619 3823 5 numbers 40232 45822 82419 6 numbers 630683 756808 813608 907751 7 numbers 3763247 5515483 6044755 8 numbers 10435646 56578458 61158767 83684550 9 numbers 268200782 426245161 Code crossword Each number stands for a letter of the alphabet. Can you fill in the grid? 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 words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. AID BORN CHOICE CLASS EDITION FLOOR FROST…

Crossword Read the clues carefully and write the answers into the grid. ACROSS 1 Shrub (4) 3 Shiny brown seed of the horse chestnut tree (6) 8 Device for heating bread (7) 9 Painting, drawing etc (3) 10 Object hit about on a court (6,4) 13 Coin worth half a pound (5,5) 17 Tall tree (3) 18 Small house in the country (7) 19 Cord to tie up a parcel (6) 20 Make with needles and wool (4) DOWN 1 Small flying mammals (4) 2 Hissing reptile (5) 4 Boat’s paddle (3) 5 Australian marsupial resembling a small bear (5) 6 Baby’s noisy toy (6) 7 Mean with money (6) 11 Caramels, mints etc (6) 12 Pudding, dessert (6) 14 Bone in the leg (5) 15 Metal necklace (5) 16…

Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths by Maisie Chan. Illustrated by Anh Cao (Piccadilly Press) Eleven-year-old Danny loves drawing and hates maths. When his grandmother, a former maths champion, arrives from China, Danny has to spend his summer holidays looking after her – and even share his room. Yet he and his grandmother have more in common than he realises. This funny story scooped two top book awards. The Biggest Footprint by Rob & Tom Sears (Canongate) Imagine if we combined all eight billion humans on Earth into one ginormous giant. This unusual illustrated book explores the results of our combined actions, revealing the damage human beings have done to our planet. By giving the reader lots of facts and figures, it will inspire you to take action to help…

Hello! I’m Olaf Falafel, I’m a stand-up comedian, a children’s author, an illustrator, a father and also a lover of dad-jokes like this one: Q: What do you call a fish wearing a bow-tie? A: So-fish-ticated. In this bumper issue, I’m going to show you how to make something that combines both kinetic art and Pop Art. Kinetic art is any kind of art that involves movement, and Pop Art is actually an art movement that started in the late 1950s – the word “pop” is short for popular. Pop artists turned their backs on traditional art that had gone before; instead they used images from popular culture in their artworks (“popular culture” means things like adverts, comic books, film stars, musicians and everyday household items). The artist Andy Warhol…

There are lots of ways to contact the magazine and we want you to. Write us a report, send us a photo or just say hello (but make sure you have a parent or guardian’s permission before sending us anything). Report your own news Have you done something you’re proud of or that you think others would find interesting? Tell us more. It could be a poem, news about fundraising, a project you did, a prize you won or a report on a topic you think others should know about. It should be between 100–150 words and you need to supply a photo to go with it, as well as a photo of yourself. Nominate your… Teacher OF THE WEEK This is where you get to give a teacher a…

1 What temperature was recorded at St James’s Park in London on New Year’s Day? □ a) 10.5°C □ b) 16.3°C □ c) 24.8°C 2 True or false? At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Team GB took home the most medals with 37. □ True □ False 3 Where did Raja the elephant live? 4 Who presented CBBC Newsround when it started in 1972? □ a) John Craven □ b) Lizo Mzimba □ c) Gemma Hunt 5 True or false? It was announced on 8 May that Lewis Capaldi will be the 14th person to play The Doctor in Doctor Who. □ True □ False 6 With which fictional character did the Queen have tea to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee? 7 Where are the headquarters of the African Union? □ a)…

The year began with the UK’s warmest New Year’s Day on record. On 1 January, the temperature rose to 16.3°C in London’s St James’s Park – the kind of weather that usually happens in late spring. Covid infections were falling across the UK, and by the end of the month many restrictions had been lifted in England, Scotland and Wales, such as limits on big crowds at sports matches. However, many people were upset when it was revealed that parties had been held at 10 Downing Street (the official home of the Prime Minister) during lockdown. Boris Johnson, who was Prime Minister at the time, said he was sorry. Also this month, the skies above Scotland and Northern Ireland were lit up with the swirling colours of the aurora borealis…

On 12 April Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, and Rishi Sunak were ordered to pay fines as punishment for going to parties at Downing Street during the Covid lockdown. Sunak, the current Prime Minister, was then the Chancellor of the Exchequer (person in charge of the country’s money). On 12 April, the shortlist was revealed for an important art award called the Turner Prize. One of the artists on the list was Heather Phillipson. Her work includes a sculpture of a giant ice cream with a drone perched on top called The End. The strange sculpture could be seen in Trafalgar Square in London until it was replaced in September with another artist’s work. On 17 April, Rio de Janeiro’s week-long carnival in Brazil was celebrated again after two years’…

Across the UK, people sweltered in a heatwave (long period of hot weather). It was hot enough to make train rails bend and to melt the tarmac on airport runways. Keepers in zoos and safari parks had to come up with clever ways to keep their animals cool. The UK’s hottest ever temperature, 40.3°C, was recorded on 19 July. Scientists believe that climate change (long-term changes in weather patterns around the world, mostly caused by human activities) is causing more extreme weather events. On 4 July, the poet Joseph Coelho was announced as the Waterstones Children’s Laureate. The role of laureate is given to someone who has supported and encouraged young people to read. Coelho’s books include The Girl Who Became a Tree and Overheard in a Tower Block. He…

Protests spread across Iran and then to other countries this month after the death of Mahsa Amini in September. The young woman died a few days after she was arrested for showing part of her hair in public, which is illegal for women in Iran. Many people believe she was treated badly by police. Thousands of young people, including schoolgirls, marched in protest and removed their headscarves. A lot of people were arrested and some died after police forces tried to stop the demonstrations. On 18 October, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) celebrated its 100th birthday. The BBC has created many popular TV and radio shows including Doctor Who, Blue Peter and Horrible Histories. Residents of a care home in Coventry, England, found that age is no reason not to…

Word fill in All these words fit in the grid. Can you work out where each word goes to complete it? 4 letters Duck Meat 5 letters Gravy Swede Table Tasty 6 letters Carrot Potato 7 letters Carvery Parsnip 9 letters Courgette Crackling 11 letters Cauliflower Traditional Word jumble Rearrange the scrambled letters to form four words connected with the festive season Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. ARMS BODY BUTTON CARROT COAL COLD EYES FROZEN GARDEN GLOVES HAT HEAD MOUTH NOSE PIPE SCARF SNOWBALL TWIG WHITE WINTER 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…

Hippos’ calls reveal friends Hippos are one of the largest land mammals on Earth, but scientists still don’t know much about them. They’re very difficult to get close to because they can be dangerous and they tend to spend most of the day in water. In February, we reported that scientists from France and Portugal, led by Nicolas Mathevon from France’s University of Saint-Etienne, found out that hippos can recognise their friends from their “wheeze-honks” (the noise hippos make). Working at a safe distance, the team recorded calls from seven groups of hippos in the Maputo Special Reserve in Mozambique, then played them back to each group through a loudspeaker. First they played them to hippos in the same group, then to another group on the same lake, and finally…

The team: the Lionesses On 31 July, there were celebrations as England beat Germany to win the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship (Euro 2022). They won 2-1 after a goal by Chloe Kelly in extra time. A record crowd of 87,192 at Wembley Stadium in London, plus millions of TV viewers, cheered the team to their first important trophy. The Lionesses beat Austria, Norway, Northern Ireland, Spain and Sweden to reach the final. England forward Beth Mead was the joint top scorer with six goals, and won the Player of the Tournament award. After the victory, captain Leah Williamson said, “We’ve changed the game in this country.” The diver: Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix At the Commonwealth Games more than 4,000 athletes from 72 countries competed in 19 sports in Birmingham, England.…

This year, lots of people returned to their local cinemas after Covid-19 lockdowns ended. It was a year packed with much-anticipated sequels, as well as some captivating new films. Minions: The Rise of Gru This film takes viewers back to the 1970s, years before the events of the film Despicable Me, which introduced us to Gru. The Minions are looking for a new boss when they meet 12-year-old Gru. They build their first lair and start plotting evil schemes. Gru is desperate to join an elite group of supervillains, the Vicious 6, but the interview goes badly and suddenly he’s on the run. With the help of Bob, Kevin, Stuart and a new minion named Otto, Gru must outwit the Vicious 6. The Railway Children Return This is a follow-up…

Cold winter weather doesn’t mean having to stay inside all the time. Scavenger hunts are a great excuse to get active outdoors, have fun with family and friends and improve your spotting skills. Best of all, you can hold a scavenger hunt wherever you are, such as your local park, playground or out in the woods. Just draw up a list of things to hunt for – this can include anything you like that might be nearby. The first person or team to find them all wins. All you need to play are warm clothes, paper, pencils and your imagination. Here are some brrr-illiant ideas to inspire your scavenger hunt. 1 Outside search Although trees are bare and lots of animals are hibernating, there are still plenty of things to…

Police find slippery customers A slimy trail at Düsseldorf Airport in Germany helped customs officials to solve an unusual crime. Officers found a giant African land snail on the floor, and its gooey trail led directly back to some bags. Inside, there were 92 other snails, along with some meat and fish. They were being smuggled (moved secretly and illegally) to Germany from Nigeria, but the silvery slime trail gave the criminals away. All 93 snails were safely handed to an animal rescue service. Carrier bag triggers farmers’ fears Wildlife officers in Kenya were called to protect villagers from a lion after one was spotted in Meru County, near Mount Kenya National Park. However, the officials were surprised to find not a lion but a plastic carrier bag that had…

Word fill in All these words fit in the grid. Can you work out where each word goes to complete it? 3 letters Icy Mac Raw 4 letters Cold Hood Soup 5 letters Broth Cloak Slush 7 letters Mittens Skating Snowman 9 letters Hailstorm Snowdrift 10 letters Insulation Snowplough Crossword Read the clues carefully and write the answers into the grid. ACROSS 1 Man-like machine (5) 4 Liquid in veins (5) 7 Almond or cashew, eg (3) 8 Box cover (3) 9 Limb used for walking (3) 10 Part of a staircase (4) 11 Great bird of prey (5) 14 Funny-bone joint (5) 16 Indian dress (4) 18 Baby bear (3) 20 Spike of corn (3) 21 ___ cabin, hut (3) 22 Egg’s outer case (5) 23 Huge sea mammal…

Page 28 Word fill in Wordsearch Word jumble: Advent calendar, snowman, Nativity, Rudolph. Number tower Spot the difference Page 39 Wordsearch Number fit Sudoku Code crossword Page 43 Word jumble: Family time, presents, celebration, North Pole. Crossword Sudoku Number tower Spot the difference Page 51 Word jumble: Dungeon, drawbridge, moat, keep. Number fit Wordsearch Code crossword Page 61 Wordsearch Word jumble: Sandwich, hamper, blanket, outdoor. Crossword Word fill in…

Almost two years after the UK first went into lockdown in March 2020, this month all Covid-19 restrictions – such as having to wear masks in shops and on public transport – were lifted in England and Northern Ireland. Some rules remained in place in Scotland and Wales. It was a month of wild weather in the UK. Starting with Storm Dudley on 16 February, three named storms – Dudley, Eunice and Franklin – hit the UK one after the other, bringing wind and rain that damaged buildings and disrupted transport across the country. Elsewhere in the world, on 4 February the Winter Olympics started in spectacular style in Beijing, China. The host country won 15 medals and Norway received the most medals overall with 37. Team GB took home…

Music and fun were celebrated this month at the Eurovision Song Contest. On 14 May, the Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine won first prize and the UK’s Sam Ryder came second. The winning country usually hosts the competition the following year but the war in Ukraine could make it difficult to organise such a big event there, so in 2023 the UK will host it instead. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO (a military partnership of 30 countries). The countries have a long history of not taking sides in wars, but they both lie very near Russia and the invasion of Ukraine had worried them. Their application was blocked by Turkey, and at the time this issue of The Week Junior went to press, they still hadn’t joined. People and…

On 1 August, the first ship carrying grain (such as wheat and barley) sailed from Ukraine across the Black Sea after the country agreed a deal with Russia. Before the deal, Russia had been stopping ships from leaving Ukraine by sea. Ukraine sells grain all over the world, so this action had caused food shortages in many countries. Tributes were paid to campaigner Roy Hackett, who died on 3 August at the age of 93. Hackett was one of the organisers of the Bristol Bus Boycott in 1963. A boycott is when people stop using something as a protest. This was a protest against the Bristol Omnibus Company, after it banned black people from working on its buses. Lots of people stopped using the company’s buses, and after months of…

The highest mountain in Wales was renamed this month. Mount Snowdon will now be known by its original name in the Welsh language, Yr Wyddfa, and the area where it is, the Snowdonia National Park, will be called Eryri. The National Park Authority said the move would help people connect with Welsh culture. On 2 November, the two sides in Ethiopia’s civil war (war between people in the same country) agreed to stop fighting. The peace deal means that essential food and medical supplies can now reach people in the Tigray region. World leaders gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on 6 November for the COP27 conference, to discuss tackling climate change (long-term changes in world weather patterns, including rising temperatures). A plan for richer countries to give poorer countries money…

Although some people have set times when they try to go to sleep, many don’t on New Year’s Eve because it’s a special occasion. During celebrations, people usually spend time with family and friends to mark the year that’s just passed, and to wish their loved ones a joyful and lucky year ahead. It’s also a time to make some New Year’s resolutions, which are a chance to reflect on yourself and focus on goals for the upcoming year. Although it’s fun, some people think New Year’s Eve is overrated because they think that, really, it’s just like any other night. There isn’t any point in staying up late and making yourself really tired the next day if it just feels the same as any other evening. What do you…

NASA changes asteroid path This year, NASA scientists managed something that sounds like a science fiction story. They changed the path of an asteroid (a small rocky object orbiting the Sun) by deliberately smashing a spacecraft into it. NASA’s aim was to prove it’s possible to protect Earth from any space rocks that might be heading our way. When an asteroid hit Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out 75% of life on the planet, including the big dinosaurs. On 26 September, the DART spacecraft crashed into a 160-metre-wide asteroid called Dimorphos, which was about 6.8 million miles from Earth. Dimorphos was orbiting a larger space rock named Didymos, and before the crash it took 11 hours and 55 minutes to complete one circuit. For the mission to be…

Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, use a guiding word to give you encouragement throughout the year. Why choose a word for the year? The word you pick acts as a reminder of how you want to feel or be, or what you want to do, as you go through the year. The purpose of the word is to inspire, encourage and motivate you. There’s no wrong or right word, it’s what feels right to you. You could choose a word for a season, a school term, a month or a week. How to decide your word Start by thinking about how you would like to feel or what you’d like to do during 2023. For example, you might want to be more confident, feel happier or try a new…

Switch Sports This Switch game is designed to get you jumping around the room (or at least swinging your arms on the sofa) as you play sports such as badminton, bowling, football, tennis, volleyball and even sword fighting. It makes clever use of the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers to turn your real-world movements into actions within the game, from swinging your tennis racket to swishing a sword. Switch Sports is one of the best multiplayer games released in 2022, whether you are playing with friends or family in the room with you, or testing your skills in its online competitions. A seventh sport, golf, was added to the game before Christmas, so you can practise your swing safely. FIFA 23 Among the thrills of the women’s Euro 2022 and the men’s…

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 446 628 748 870 4 numbers 4055 7408 8282 9310 5 numbers 28776 68368 76548 6 numbers 135812 730270 888227 936418 7 numbers 6481168 7371848 9422598 8 numbers 13341053 67274092 67517865 83015158 9 numbers 311483267 577786103 757270000 Code crossword Each number stands for a letter of the alphabet. Can you fill in the grid? Word jumble Rearrange the scrambled letters to form four words connected with castles. Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. ANORAK BOOTS CARDIGAN EARMUFFS FLEECE GLOVES HAT HOOD JUMPER MITTENS PARKA PULLOVER SCARF SNOWSUIT…

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