Table of contents for 403 in The Week Junior

There have been celebrations across India after the country successfully landed a spacecraft on the Moon for the first time in its history. What happened? The Chandrayaan-3 mission, which was not carrying any people, was the first spacecraft ever to land near the Moon’s south pole, which is a very cold and dark region. Chandrayaan-2, a previous mission launched by India, crashed near the south pole in 2019. The area is covered with craters and deep trenches (ditches), making it difficult to land there. Chandrayaan-3’s journey to the Moon began on 14 July, when a rocket blasted off from Sriharikota, near the city of Chennai on India’s east coast. On 23 August, while the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was orbiting the Moon (flying around it in a roughly circular path), a smaller…

Do you find it annoying when you want to wear your favourite pair of jeans or T-shirt but they are in the washing basket? Perhaps you’ve even taken them out, given them a sniff and decided they are ok for another wear. What if you could wear your clothes as much as you wanted to, without having to worry about how often you’ve washed them? In recent years, there has been a growing “no-wash movement”. This is a group of people who choose to wash their clothes less often than others. They say this has huge benefits for the environment, and also saves them time and money. However, other people think dirty clothes need a wash to get rid of bacteria (tiny organisms) that can make them smell. What do…

Poliovirus, the germ that causes an illness called polio, can now be detected quickly and easily, thanks to a new method: testing poo. Most people who develop polio don’t feel especially unwell, and some feel no effect at all. However, in a few people it can cause breathing difficulties, paralysis (when you can’t move your muscles) and even death. Poliovirus mostly affects children under five years old and is very infectious. It is spread by poo. Doctors developed a polio vaccine (a medicine that trains the body’s natural defences to fight a disease) in the 1950s. Since then, millions of people have been vaccinated. There have been no outbreaks of polio in the UK since the late 1970s. However, in some countries not everyone has had the vaccine. In those…

Men’s Netherlands hockey The Netherlands beat England 2-1 in the EuroHockey final in Germany. Southern Brave and Oval Invincibles Southern Brave won the women’s Hundred cricket final, beating Northern Superchargers. In the men’s final, Oval Invincibles defeated Manchester Originals. Simone Biles The gymnast won a record eighth all-around title at the US Gymnastics Championships in California. No one has achieved this before. Harry Kane The England footballer scored two goals for Bayern Munich, the German team he joined this summer, during a 3-1 win over FC Augsburg.…

Have you been horse riding before? I started riding when I was five in Zimbabwe. When I was 11, my dream horse, Morning Star, was born on our farm. We grew up together and he was my best friend. How did you come up with the idea for this book? I wondered what would happen if a girl who dreamed of owning a special horse suddenly found herself in the position to buy him, only to have him stolen before she could collect him. To solve the mystery, she travels across the country and encounters several extraordinary horses. Do you have any pets? Three divine cats – Skye, Freya and Bronte. What’s your greatest accomplishment? Helping animals. Most hair-raising experience you’ve ever had? Almost being strangled by my pet python.…

Getting your brain out of summer mode and back into study can be fun. Whether you are working on some homework or are just interested in finding more out about a subject, you can find lots of help online. The BBC Bitesize website is one of the best places to start, with sections for primary and secondary schools. It covers subjects including art, English, geography, history, maths and science, with articles, games and videos. Plus, it is all matched to what you’re learning at school. Oak National Academy is another website that is really useful throughout the school year. Like BBC Bitesize, it is free and you will find thousands of video lessons in its Classroom section. Again, you select primary or secondary school and then choose a subject to…

It’s only ever had one owner, it has six wheels and it’s never going to rust – although it might attract some strange looks. This Hustler kit car (kit cars are bought as separate parts and have to be put together) was made in the 1980s by John Brazier from Bristol, England. It is up for sale and expected to make £2,000 to £3,000. Fewer than 400 Hustlers were built, and most were made from fibreglass (a light, strong material) rather than wood. “I’d love to occasionally see it being driven around,” Brazier told The Guardian newspaper.…

A horse has been bred with a giraffe to combine features of both animals. The “hiraffe” can wear a harness (a set of straps that allows a horse to pull loads) but also has the benefit of a giraffe’s long neck, allowing it to grab food from trees. This will be useful for working in hot countries because the animal can find its own food when there is no grass to eat. The animal was born at Brights Zoo in the state of Tennessee, US. What do you think? Is this real, or are we just horsing around?* *Rubbish! The animal born at Brights Zoo is actually a giraffe without spots, thought to be the first born in captivity (rather than in the wild) for 50 years.…

PROMOTING A PENGUIN Sir Nils Olav III, a penguin at Edinburgh Zoo, has been promoted from brigadier to major general after setting a “superb example” for the other penguins. Sir Nils is the official mascot for the King’s Guard of Norway, and around 160 guards attended the ceremony. THE BIG DIPPER’S ANNIVERSARY On 23 August, Blackpool Pleasure Beach celebrated 100 years since its Big Dipper ride first opened. It is one of the oldest wooden rollercoasters in the world and can still transport more than 670 riders per hour. There was a birthday party to mark the occasion and guests could ride on the Big Dipper. A FUNDRAISING TRIATHLON Three families helped raise £1,832 for charity by taking part in the Superhero Tri, a triathlon where children and parents with…

Between 24 and 26 August, thousands of people from around the world visited Dunoon in Scotland for this year’s Cowal Highland Gathering. The gathering, also known locally as the Cowal Games, is an international festival of Scottish culture. The first Cowal Games was held on 11 August 1894, and 2,000 people attended. Since then it has grown massively and includes lots of competitions. People from different countries can show their skills in events such as the Cowal Pipe Band Championship – where bands of bagpiper players and drummers compete – and the World Highland Dancing Championships. Dancers aged from 12 to 15 years old can take part in highland dancing too, for the Juvenile World Champion title. This year, the Juvenile winner was 15-year-old Eilidh Gammons, who has been dancing…

• The first known record of people doing laundry dates back almost 4,000 years.• Early civilisations washed their clothes without soap. Instead, they would soak the fabrics and rub, scrub or pound their clothes against surfaces to get dirt and sweat out of the material.• Today, washing machines make cleaning clothes much easier. They use warm water and mix in laundry detergent (soap) to get clothes as clean as possible. However, this uses lots of water.• Rising energy costs have made washing machines more expensive to use for households across the UK.…

Found across the UK in woodland and grassy areas, this fungi got its name because it appears in circular formations called fairy rings. In legends, fairy rings are linked with mythical creatures or witchcraft but actually they form because of a network of tiny threads under the ground, called mycelium. As the fungus grows it sprouts mycelium in a circle. A year later, more fungi pop up at the edge of this circle, creating a ring that gets bigger each year. Fairy ring champignons are a browny yellow colour and about eight centimetres tall, with a cap three to five centimetres wide. Underneath it is separated into lots of thin ribs called gills. If you think you see some, don’t touch – they could be a similar but poisonous species.…

Are you starting a new school or class this year? This is something that everyone goes through and it can teach you skills that will help you deal with change in the future. Change happens Change is a normal part of life. It might be leaving your old school and starting a new one, joining a different class or moving to a new home, and it can feel strange and scary. Dr Aaron Balick is an author and expert in thoughts and feelings. He says that although you can’t prepare for every change that’s going to happen, you can learn how to deal with it. “Getting skilled up in dealing with change will help you for the rest of your life,” Balick says. Make the most of change Even if…

How to Spaghettify Your Dog by Hiba Noor Khan. Illustrated by Harry Woodgate (Bloomsbury Children’s) Have you ever wondered how you could slow down time? Or what would happen if you fell into a black hole? This unique book explores some of the strangest science secrets of our universe. Packed with bright illustrations, entertaining facts and experiments to try, it’s perfect for budding scientists. A Miscellany of Mischief and Magic by Tom Adams. Illustrated by Jasmine Floyd (Wide Eyed Editions) Discover some of history’s most spectacular and surprising hoaxes, magic tricks and illusions with this enthralling illustrated book. Meet infamous real-life tricksters and find tricks to test out for yourself. If Our World Were 100 Days by Jackie McCann. Illustrated by Aaron Cushley (Farshore) What if the last 10,000 years…

Name: Amelie Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman “Adventurous, unpredictable and inspiring. It gave me a lot of hope and I want others to feel it too.” 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…

What you need • 40g Porridge oats• Sprinkle of cinnamon•100ml milk•1tsp runny honey or maple syrup•Half an apple On school mornings it can be hard to find time to make a proper breakfast. This recipe, however, is prepared the night before, so breakfast is ready as soon as you get up. Overnight oats are a no-cook type of porridge – instead of cooking the oats on the hob, you soak them in milk for a few hours. This allows the grains to soak up the liquid and softens them enough so you can eat them uncooked. Hey presto! You have a healthy and delicious dish waiting for you in the fridge in the morning. This recipe makes one portion – multiply the ingredients for more people. 1 Measure out the…

A rhino poo decorated with gold leaf (thin sheets of gold) is being auctioned to raise money for charity. The dung was “donated” by a baby rhino at Cotswold Wildlife Park in England and then a professional gilder (someone who decorates things with gold) covered it with Italian gold leaf. The first person to bid for the dazzling dollop was TV personality Simon Cowell, who offered £2,500, although there have been higher offers since then. The money raised will go to the charity Tusk, which supports efforts to protect wildlife in Africa.…

In Scotland, schools started their autumn term a few weeks ago, and schools in England and Wales will soon catch up. I used to face a new term with a mixture of nerves and excitement. When I was starting a new school, however, it was definitely more nerves than excitement. Our report on page 19 offers some useful tips. Coping with any change is not relaxing – but if you look at it as building confidence for trying out any new experience, it seems far less daunting. Remind yourself how you managed the last time you faced something new – you might not have enjoyed it at the time but you did it! We’ve got lots more ideas to get your school brain back into gear, such as interesting online…

Mary’s Meals is a charity that helps feed hungry children across the world. The charity provides school meals in some of the poorest countries to support children as they learn (it’s difficult to concentrate if you are hungry and don’t feel very well). These meals also help young people to grow up healthy and strong. Mary’s Meals is inviting people to Raise Some Dough by holding a bake sale. You don’t have to be a brilliant baker to take part, just apply for a fundraising pack, which contains a cookie cutter, a donation box, a poster and a cookbook. To find out how you can get involved, ask a grown-up to have a look at tinyurl.com/TWJ-Dough GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Please include your full…

Teacher’s name: Mr Keane School: Trinity Academy, Middleton Tyas, North Yorkshire “Mr Keane is so kind and is always telling jokes which make us laugh. He is leaving our school this year and we will all miss him very much as he has been such a big part of our school. He always tells each class about his younger life and his bungee diving adventures. He is also the BEST storyteller! We will all miss you Mr Keane and wish you a happy retirement!” Year 5, Middleton Tyas and all the lucky pupils you have taught. 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…

1 In which year did the Big Dipper rollercoaster open in Blackpool? a) 1963 b) 1943 c) 1923 2 True or false? The Cowal stone, thrown during the Cowal Games, weighs more than 15 kilograms. True False 3 In which rainforest is Yasuní National Park located? 4 True or false? Every household in the UK has a washing machine. True False 5 Which video game character did Charles Martinet voice? a) Sonic the Hedgehog b) Mario c) Pikachu 6 True or false? Cougars are also known as mountain lions. True False 7 Where was the first-ever Rugby World Cup held? 8 True or false? The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella. True False 9 What did two pole vaulters decide to share at the World Athletics Championships this…

Flying to “everyone’s worst day” makes being a medic on an Air Ambulance helicopter a high-pressure job. However, as Dr Jamie Plumb tells The Week Junior, in many cases Air Ambulance teams are able to help people during their worst moments – something he finds “incredibly rewarding”. Plumb was speaking ahead of Air Ambulance Week, which begins on 4 September. The aim of the week is to boost awareness of the UK’s Air Ambulance charities and help them raise money. In the UK, Air Ambulance teams give people lifesaving care and carry out more than 100 missions every day. Plumb works in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, in southern England, and splits his time between flying on an Air Ambulance and working in hospital anaesthesia (medicines that stop people…

Cougars living in Yellowstone National Park in the west of the US have been changing their hunting habits to avoid having their dinner stolen by other predators, such as bears and wolves. These predators haven’t always lived in the same areas in Yellowstone. During the 1920s, cougars and wolves were wiped out in the park because of hunting by humans, and bears weren’t often seen there. However, during the 1980s, cougars made their way back to the park and have set up a permanent home there. Humans reintroduced grey wolves to the park in the 1990s, and around the same time, the populations of grizzly bears and American black bears increased. The problem with these predators all living in the same area is that they hunt the same prey –…

Rugby fans are gearing up for the men’s Rugby World Cup, which starts on 8 September. How does rugby work? Rugby union is one of the two main types of rugby – the other is rugby league, which has different rules and its own World Cup. In both games, the ball can only be passed backwards, although it can be kicked forwards. A rugby union team has 15 players on the field. Matches last 80 minutes and are split into two halves. Teams get five points for scoring a try, which is when a player places the ball on or behind the “try line” at the opposition’s end of the field. After a try is scored, a team has the chance to kick the ball through the upper gap in…

With more than 2,100 athletes and 49 events, this year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest finished on 27 August. Great Britain won 10 medals at the event: two golds, three silvers and five bronzes, and ranked 7th overall. Josh Kerr won gold in the men’s 1500 metres race; Katarina Johnson-Thompson won gold in the heptathlon. There were silvers for the mixed 400 metres relay team, for Keely Hodgkinson in the women’s 800 metres and Matthew Hudson-Smith in the men’s 400 metres. The most memorable moment came when two pole vaulters decided to share the winner’s gold medal. This has never happened at the championships, which is the second biggest athletics tournament after the Olympics. Katie Moon, from the US, and Australia’s Nina Kennedy were both leading the women’s pole vault…

After a long day at school, it’s nice to have something to look forward to when you get home. Netflix’s new animated series, Supa Team 4, offers the perfect way to unwind after lessons. Prepare to enter a fun, fantasy world where school pupils become superheroes. The action-packed show is about four teenage girls living in Lusaka, Zambia, who just want to get through secondary school. However, their lives take an unexpected turn when a retired secret agent, Mama K, recruits them for her superhero team. The girls must work together to save the world but they also need to balance their mission with their normal lives as school children – and keep their superhero status a secret. Supa Team 4 is the first TV series on Netflix to be…

Have you ever thought that a book can take you anywhere in the world? A story written in another language but translated into English can show you what it might be like to live in a place that could be on the other side of the world. Jackie Friedman Mighdoll’s job it is to translate children’s books from Japanese to English. It’s fascinating work, she says, telling The Week Junior that translating is “like a marvellous puzzle.” She also looks for new books coming out in Japan that she can introduce to English-speaking readers. It can take a few tries to match up a Japanese sentence with English, and often she has several ideas for the same sentence. For example, she explains that Japanese has more onomatopoeia (when a word…

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 534 734 823 4 numbers 2835 2855 6715 7636 5 numbers 44311 50561 78374 85131 6 numbers 265370 387352 428326 7 numbers 2264367 2538616 6362246 6366384 8 numbers 55136505 55271165 55505313 9 numbers 343126553 570148846 660244368 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. BADGE BLAZER BLOUSE BLUE CAP GREEN GREY JACKET PINAFORE PLIMSOLLS RUCKSACK SATCHEL SHIRT SHOES SKIRT SOCKS STRIPES TIE TIGHTS TROUSERS Spot the difference…

Dance Base There’s nothing like dancing to boost your mood and keep you fit and active. Dance Base in Edinburgh is Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, and it runs classes in all types of dance, including Bollywood, hip hop and Highland. Whether you are starting out, starting again or just looking to have fun, Dance Base offers lots of opportunities to get people dancing. It needs help, though, to make sure everyone, from any background, can join in. Find out more at dancebase.co.uk…

“We were out for a walk on holiday in Wales today and spotted a slow worm resting by a wall. It stayed for a picture then went back under cover.”Toby and Ella “My sister and I have just found a pound coin while moving house and it says 2008 on it, which is very old. Here’s a picture of us holding it.”Beth and Harriet “My mum enjoys finding me in these cosy positions reading The Week Junior. Her favourite is when I had two copies open at the same time. I love them that much!”Nathan…

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 you if the very rich should pay more tax… “The rich have money to spare. It would be fair for the rich to pay more and the poor to pay less.” “No. Just because they’re rich doesn’t mean that they should pay more.” “Rich people probably spend a lot on things they don’t need.” “It is not fair on rich people. They already pay a lot of tax.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here. If you’ve enjoyed this issue, why not listen…