Table of contents for March 2021 in K-Zone

GET INTO 1st World Compliment Day 3rd If Pets Had Thumbs Day 6th Dentist’s Day 9th Panic Day 10th International Day of Awesomeness 11th Popcorn Lover’s Day 12th Plant a Flower Day 14th Learn About Butterflies Day 14th Pi Day 15th Everything You Think Is Wrong Day 16th Everything You Do is Right Day 16th Giant Panda Bear Day 18th Awkward Moments Day 20th International Day of Happiness 21st World Poetry Day 25th International Waffle Day 26th Live Long and Prosper Day 29th Smoke and Mirrors Day HAPPY BIRTHDAY 1st Lupita Nyong’o, AKA Nakia in Black Panther 9th Oscar Isaac, AKA Poe in Star Wars 16th K-Zoner Cam 17th John Boyega, AKA Finn in Star Wars SCHOOL 1st Public holiday in WA 8th Public holiday in ACT, SA, Tas and…

Congrats to this month’s ScreenSpace artists! You have scored a copy of Diary of a Minecraft Zombie: The Abominable Snow Golem! We Want YOU! Have you made something AMAZING on your computer, console, tablet or phone? To be in ScreenSpace, visit www.kzone.com.au and click on ‘Be in K-Zone’! Go to ‘ScreenSpace’ to submit your epic gaming screenshot, coding creation and digital artwork. Remember K-Zoners, it’s all about protecting your identity. Be a safe gamer and don’t talk to anyone online who you don’t know for real.…

FELONIUS GRU AKA: GRU Last seen: Young Gru appeared in the Minions: The Rise of Gru trailer, but Gru’s last true appearance was in Despicable Me 3 in 2017. Signature look: Tall, bald, long nose, black coat, striped grey scarf, black pants and black Grucci shoes. Notable skills: High intelligence (particularly in science and engineering), strong, athletic. Gadgets: Freeze Ray, Shrink Ray, Fart Gun, Lipstick Taser, Rocket Launcher, Grumobile and more! Verdict: This former villain turned Anti-Villain League agent has an impressive history, including leading Minions, attempting to steal the moon, and defeating Balthazar Bratt. He also finds time to spend with his wife, Lucy and daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes; the best trait any agent can have is the ability to multi-task efficiently! 9/10 AGENT PEELY Last seen: In…

2 new starfighters are ready to blast off in Star Wars: Squadrons! The New Republic gets a big, bold B-wing bomber, and the Galactic Empire gets the fully fast TIE defender. 6 new levels are waiting for you and a mate (or two) to puzzle through in Trine 4 with the Melody of Mystery DLC. Use the abilities of Amadeus, Zoya and Pontius to save kids! 50,000,000+ people have battled it out in Brawlhalla since the game launched five years ago. For a five-themed milestone, there are now over 50 Legends on the roster! The devs still plan to release a new Legend each month.…

OK, so whether you have or haven’t smashed through the book series for The Last Kids On Earth and annihilated the Netflix show, you can take it to the next level with the first game! The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom is a new, awesome battle game where your opponents are a brainless bunch of brain-munching zombies. The pack of shuffling baddies is standing between you and the Staff of Doom. It’s a sticky situation, and Malondre (Queen of the Slime Monsters) is joining in. She wants the staff so she can spawn Rezzoch the Ancient, who has a bad reputation for wrecking worlds. However, the incred crew of Last Kids aren’t gonna let that happen. Play alone or in the four-player couch co-op. Bring the…

Override: Mech City Brawl was about skyscraper-sized big-bots throwing down against gigantic alien invaders. Now, Override 2: Super Mech League overrules all the aliens and turns the laser focus towards one gigantically cool idea. In this game, you will find massive mechs meleeing mountains of mechanical monstrosities! First, nab your fave fighting friend from a roster of rad robots. Help Watchbot hit his prime, or Pescado (the fishy fighter) reel in a win. No, really – Pescado is a giant fighting robo-fish. Otherwise, jump into Metageckon, a deadly robo dinosaur. Bash and smash your way to the top of the legendary Leagues. Test the mettle of all the metal mechs itching to smash you to bits across epic arenas. Some levels shift, while others have explosive grab-and-toss pick-ups. Nab a…

HILDA STREAMING NOW ON NETFLIX As Hilda explores new places and hidden spaces around Trolberg, her love of adventure and a growing rebellious streak could lead her into trouble. Hilda’s essay about her close encounter with a troll wins a local competition and gives her the chance to join Trolberg’s new head of the safety patrol, Erik Ahlberg, for a day. A quest to uncover secret info about Ahlberg also takes Hilda to the high seas with Wood Man… which is a boatload of trouble. WATCH OUT FOR: TWIG! SIDE HUSTLE MONDAY TO WEDNESDAY AT 5:30PM UNTIL FEBRUARY 24 ON NICKELODEON This new show follows the adventures of Lex and Presley, as they desperately try to make money after accidentally setting their principal’s boat on fire. Lex, the smart and…

Have you ever heard of Coles Law? It’s the theory that cabbage and mayo go well together! Jamie, NSW Q What do you call a pile of kittens? A A meowtain! Yumi, Qld Q What has two legs but can’t do a kick flip? A A pair of pants! Holden, Tas Q Which Australian town is a popular spot for witches? A Broome! Ben, WA Apparently the sun has great Wi-Fi connectivity... It’s a big hot spot. Carson, NSW Q Where are all of the average things made? A The satisfactory! Maddie, Vic Teacher: Name one ground-breaking invention. Me: A shovel! Kira, NT Knock, knock! Who’s there? Luke! Luke who? Luke who it is! AJ, Vic I recently got a new Microsoft console. The old one is now my ex-box!…

AWESOME ARTIST Name: Ian Heroic feat: His portrait, titled ‘My dad’s brush’, was the winner of the 9-12 Year Old category in the 2020 Young Archie competition! FAST FOUR WITH IAN K-Z: Hi Ian! How did you find out about the Young Archie competition? I: When I was six years old (in 2017), a student in my father’s art class showed up with a Young Archie entry form. I entered in 2018, and my first portrait, titled ‘Future tram driver’, received an honourable mention in the 5-8 Year Old category. In 2019, ‘Sing to joy’ was my second challenge for the competition and was one of the 5-8 Year Old finalists. K-Z: Wow! Why did you choose to submit a portrait of your father? I: My father has always inspired…

Tilia, hero of Ocean’s Heart, has found herself in a pirate-packed pickle. Tilia’s pa said he would BRB and sailed off to save someone who had been snatched by sneaky swashbucklers. That sail has now officially become a total fail, and six long months have passed. It’s time for Tilia to hit the ocean road and track down her lost dad. It definitely won’t be easy, because bad buccaneers are seeking powerful ancient magic. The kind of wacky wands that control the winds and waves are on their ‘to steal’ list. Well, not on Tilia’s watch! The game isn’t only serious stuff. There are stacks of fun side quests to help steer Tilia into a fighting force that pirates dread. You can become a tic-tac-toe champion, nab some precious art,…

Family Feud may be based on the US version of the popular game show, but you will find that Aussie spelling totes applies here. The setup is super simple; everyday peeps are surveyed and their various answers are sorted by popularity. You can score points by picking one, two, a few, or all of those varied answers correctly. The most popular answers are worth more points, so think carefully! Family Feud actually uses 1500+ survey questions, which means the game has stacks of replay value. For example, a prompt could be, ‘Things people ask you to smell’. Answering with ‘farts’ may not get you any points, but it’s sure to nab some LOLs from your teammates! Get up to four other peeps on your team, and the couch. You can…

Meet Alexei Hatherley, an animator and visual effects artist who designed and animated characters in The Gamers 2037! K-Z : Hi Alexei! What did you animate in The Gamers 2037? A: I created and animated Tok Tik (a robot who keeps the game time and wants to be friends with the gamers) and the intimidating A.I, The Game Master. I also animated Marvin, who has a huge ego but is actually quite sensitive, and the cunning and quick-witted Maeve. K-Z : What software or tools did you use? A: The 3D characters were created in Autodesk Maya, then brought into Adobe After Effects for further design. I had the privilege of working with Speech Graphics, ground-breaking software that used sound recordings of the actor’s voices to generate the facial animation…

Matthew, SA I used binary code to make a picture of a knight holding a powerful sword. It took three days to make. Carla, Vic This is my gaming screenshot from Roblox – I am doing an obstacle as a race! Will, Vic I used a sketchbook program on my laptop to draw this picture. It took about an hour to draw! Chloe, NZ It took a long time to do this in Minecraft, but once my house was finished I did some things to the village too.…

DEADLY AUSTRALIAN ANIMAL FACTS AND INDIGENOUS SCIENCE! As the founder of DeadlyScience, Corey Tutt loves sharing cool science facts. He’s also the 2020 NSW Young Australian of the Year. Wow! DeadlyScience provides science books and equipment to remote schools in Australia. For more information, you can visit www.deadlyscience.org.au! THE FIRST ENGINEERS For over 65,000 years, the First people of Australia have built and managed effective relationships with the water and the sea. The First engineers had to develop special canoes, using bark cut from gum trees in two large cylinder shapes. The bark was held over fire to bend it, then tied with rope made from grasses and bark. Later, a type of glue called resin was made from beeswax or gumtree sap, and then used to make the canoe…

HINT! Tick each box that applies to you! I THINK… Skateboarding is just OK. ‘Nollie’ is a typo of ‘ollie’. Building your own board is a waste of time. Learning to turn is tough. Scooters are better than skateboards. A '360' is just something from maths class. My mates are too serious about skateboarding. Smooth concrete is the best surface to skate on. Mini boards are super fun for tricks. I KNOW… Some of the rules at my local skatepark. What ‘goofy’ means. How to do ollies (but no other tricks). The difference between freestyle and cruising. A ‘nose pick’ isn’t gross. I'm not a noob. How to take care of my skate equipment. What an old-school board looks like. Who Tony Hawk is! I LIKE TO… Skate every single…

In Sackboy: A Big Adventure, the big bad villain is Vex, and Vex’s snatching of Sackboy’s friends leads to a new adventure! Instead of letting Vex flex his fiendish skills and enact a plan to say goodnight to Craftworld, you can try to stop him. Play as Sackboy and help the character transform from a wonderful wonderkid to the good Knitted Knight and, obvs, saviour of the day. Guide Sackboy through the dangers and avoid a total stitch up! You can play Sackboy solo, but most knights find they fight best with their buds by their side. The Craftworld’s sack-folk are easier to save with up to three mates in the cool couch co-op. Whether you’re playing solo or with others, you will be able to dive into secret-stuffed, coin-filled…

DYNAMIC DASH Dynamic Runs is a neat new feat(ure) for your footballers’ feet in FIFA 21. Press the controller’s left bumper, then flick the right stick to direct a dash for your AI teammates. Pass to an open player, or distract with the runner! PACE RACE Get to know the players with the most speed (minimum 90 pace). These are the players who will nab you the most netters. Want to test a full pace attack? Tweak stats in the Settings Menu (up to 99%). Swing up the wing, or zip through the centre. Now scooore! SHOT SELECTION Tap or hold the shoot button while running toward the goal. On the edge of the box, use right bumper + shoot with lots of power, or use left bumper + shoot…

THE OCEAN BOOK DEREK HARVEY Dive into the hidden depths of Earth’s oceans and seas! This beautiful guide to the world’s oceans covers everything from lost underwater cities to prehistoric oceans. Discover the secrets of the deep blue sea and meet the animals and plants that live beyond our shores. Explore the diverse habitats that support ocean life, and journey through sunken cities and shipwrecks. ON DRY LAND! THE EXTRAORDINARY ELEMENTS COLIN STUART ILLUSTRATED BY XIMO ABADÍA Rock out with Roentgenium or get fizzy with Francium, because this brilliant book introduces the periodic table of elements as you’ve never seen them before. With weird and wonderful characters (real and imagined), this read is full of gripping facts, amazing info, and colourful illustrations. Watch the elements come to life! LISTENING TO…

HOLED UP Cut a rough circle out of black card or paper. The aim is for the shape to look like a hole in the wall! Carefully stick the fake hole on a gyprock wall in your house. Do not use tape, as it might damage the paint! Now, simply wait for someone to discover the mysterious void. MAGNETIC PERSONALITY Double over tape (the stronger, the better) and stick several fridge magnets to your arms. While you are covered in magnets, walk into another room in the house and warn your chosen prank victim to avoid touching the fridge for a while. Otherwise, their body might end up magnetised, just like yours! LOL! COLA LOL Tip soy sauce into some cold, refreshing lemonade – enough that the fizzy drink becomes…