Table of contents for 417 in The Week Junior

Several countries have promised money to help the world’s poorest nations recover from the effects of climate change. A new “loss and damage fund” was launched on 30 November, the first day of COP28. COP28 is a meeting for world leaders to discuss how to tackle climate change. It is taking place in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). King Charles III gave a speech at the beginning of the event, saying he hoped that COP28 would be a “critical turning point” in efforts to help the planet. What is the loss and damage fund? The fund has been designed to help some countries, often poorer ones, that have been hit by disasters linked to climate change. This includes floods and droughts (long periods of little or no rain).…

A TALENTED ARTIST A former teacher from Lancashire, England, has turned her hobby into a new job. Caroline Jane Buckley is now artist-in-residence at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), a gardening charity. She says that she finds drawing plants very relaxing. TOBY, THE LONG-LOST CAT After going missing for 11 years, a cat called Toby has been reunited with his owner in Nuneaton, England. Luckily, Toby was fitted with a microchip under his skin. This meant that when he was picked up by the charity Cats Protection, staff scanned him and found the address of his family a few miles away. WRAPPING PRESENTS A group of 100 volunteers in Suffolk, England, took part in a “wrapathon” on 2 December. They wrapped 7,200 Christmas presents donated for Ukrainian children. The gifts,…

For Iryna, a teenager living in Ukraine, the ongoing war with Russia has become part of normal life. “We are all used to the air raids that are every day,” the 15-year-old, whose name has been changed for her safety, told The Week Junior. “We almost don’t pay attention to them.” Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Iryna and her family left their home city. The decision to leave was made suddenly and, as they were fleeing, there was an explosion nearby. Iryna’s cat jumped out of her arms and hasn’t been seen since. It was three months before the family returned home. With the help of Street Child, an international children’s charity, Iryna has been able to channel her experience of war into the art of photography.…

Blue whales have made themselves at home in a part of the Indian Ocean where they haven’t been seen for many years, according to a study published this November. The blue whale, an endangered species, is the largest animal on Earth. These whales can grow up to 30 metres long, and the animal’s heart alone can be the size of a small car. Blue whales were filmed in the waters around the Seychelles in 2020 and 2021. The Seychelles are a group of islands that make up the smallest African country. Hunters almost completely wiped out blue whales in the area in the 1960s, but research suggests that the recently spotted creatures are spending months in the region, rather than just passing through. The discovery was made with the help…

Prehistoric women hunted as often as men and were better suited to it, according to two new studies. Prehistoric people lived many thousands of years ago, before humans as we know them today had fully evolved. Before now, most experts thought prehistoric men went out hunting animals while prehistoric women picked edible plants, like berries, and looked after children. One study looked at fossils (traces of animals or plants left in rocks). It found that both women and men from prehistoric times had suffered head and chest injuries in similar patterns and at similar rates. The injuries were like those that would be caused by wild animals, which suggested that women hunted as much as men. Another study argued that hormones (chemical substances in the body) helped women’s hunting abilities.…

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.…

Do you love feeling warm, cosy and calm indoors? Winter is a chance to slow down, snuggle up and recharge. What does snuggling mean? When it’s cold and dark outside and you feel like getting cosy at home, it means snuggle season is here. This is a time for pulling on comfy clothes, enjoying warm drinks and spending time with others. Meik Wiking is an author and expert on getting cosy. “It is about being with the people we love,” he says. “A feeling that we are safe and are allowing ourselves to let our guard down.” Watching films, playing board games and doing jigsaw puzzles are good to try because they slow things down and take your mind off any worries. How is it good for you? Getting warm…

The Body in the Blitz by Robin Stevens (Puffin Books) In the latest book in the Ministry of Unladylike Activity series, 11-year-old trainee spies May, Eric and Nuala have a murder to solve. Set in London during the Second World War (1939–1945) amid the chaos when the city was heavily bombed, it’s a brilliant mystery inspired by classic detective fiction. The Case of the Haunted Wardrobe by Kereen Getten (Pushkin Children’s) Young sleuth Fayson returns in the second instalment of the Di Island Crew Investigates series. This time, she must deal with squabbling friends, a wardrobe making strange and spine-chilling sounds and mysterious letters that threaten to reveal all kinds of secrets. Can Fayson follow the clues and work out what’s going on? Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner…

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…

Crossword Read the clues carefully and write the answers into the grid. Across 1 Christopher Robin’s bear (4) 3 Heavy hook to stop a ship drifting (6) 8 Eight-sided shape (7) 9 Pea case (3) 10 Spiked running footwear for athletes (5,5) 13 Vehicles driven by pilots (10) 17 Fishing-pole (3) 18 Umbrella for sunny days (7) 19 Front of a TV set (6) 20 Union Jack, for example (4) Down 1 Game like snooker (4) 2 Fish-eating riverbank animal (5) 4 Granny (3) 5 Large African water mammal (5) 6 Small red salad vegetable (6) 7 Breakfast food holder (3-3) 11 Alternative to a lift (6) 12 Tusked sea creature (6) 14 Person on horseback (5) 15 Artist’s stand (5) 16 Slimy garden pest (4) 18 Shepherd’s ___, dish…

Mary’s Meals Mary’s Meals serves school dinners to more than 2.4 million children in 18 of the world’s poorest countries. The promise of a nutritious meal brings the children into the classroom, where they can gain an education and hope of a brighter future. Founded in 2002 by Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, the charity works with volunteers. It costs £19.15 to feed two children for a school year and as little as 10p can provide a meal for a hungry child. Learn more at marysmeals.org.uk…

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 driver should choose the car tunes… “No, if there are other people in the car, they may want to listen to something completely different.” “Yes, it makes them happy and relaxed so they can drive better.” “It should be everyone in the car’s decision.” “The driver should just agree with the songs.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

1 Where was the World Architecture Festival’s winning school? ☐ a) Egypt ☐ b) England ☐ c) China 2 True or false? The Great Polish Map of Scotland is made from wood. ☐ True ☐ False 3 Students from which country built a mini satellite called EIRSAT-1? 4 In which country are some schools trialling four-day weeks? ☐ a) Australia ☐ b) Taiwan ☐ c) China 5 True or false? Two schoolchildren have designed football kits for people to wear on Mars. ☐ True ☐ False 6 What is the largest animal on Earth? 7 Who is Columbine in traditional pantomimes? ☐ a) A cheeky servant girl ☐ b) A villainous clown ☐ c) Someone who dances around with a magic sword 8 True or false? Every planet in our…

The UK’s native red squirrel was almost wiped out when grey squirrels from the US were introduced in the 1870s. Now, the species thrives only in small pockets outside of Scotland. In England, they live in pine forests in Northumberland and the Lake District, and on the Isle of Wight and Brownsea Island. In Wales they live in Anglesey. Red squirrels are smaller than their grey cousins – between 18 and 24 centimetres long. They range from ginger to dark brown with a cream chest and tummy and a large bushy tail. In winter, the tufts of fur topping their ears become more fluffy than ever. Now the trees are bare, you might see them scampering along branches and leaping as high as two metres through the air.…

A team of researchers have discovered a group of six planets revolving around a distant star, and they say it is “the perfect solar system”. The discovery is 100 light years away from Earth. A light year is the distance that light travels in one year (about six trillion miles). The planets are all roughly the same size and look as if they have barely changed since they formed around 12 billion years ago. By contrast, our solar system contains eight planets of very different sizes orbiting (travelling around) the Sun. The largest planet is Jupiter, which is more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined. Our solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago. A very dense cloud of gas and dust in space collapsed, which…

Over the last two months, more than 50,000 primary school children from all around England have enjoyed playing in the Pokémon Primary Schools’ Cup. It is a big football competition involving teams from around 5,000 schools. The event is organised by the English Schools’ Football Association (ESFA) with support from Pokémon – the company that makes computer games, trading cards and animated TV shows. The cup has three categories; Under-11 Schools’ Cup, Under-11 Girls’ Cup and Under-11 Small Schools’ Cup. Each team has seven players, games last for 14 minutes and are played on a small pitch. Between October and December, teams competed in local district rounds. Next month, the district winners will take part in county rounds, followed by regional finals in March. The schools that finish in the…

Most people know Roald Dahl’s famous story, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about a boy who finds a golden ticket and wins a tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Now a new film tells how Willy Wonka became the world’s most famous chocolate maker. Ever since he was young, Willy Wonka has wanted to sell his magical chocolate at the Gallery Gourmet shop. However, when he arrives, things don’t turn out quite as he had hoped. Three other chocolate makers, known as the Chocolate Cartel, aren’t happy about his new creations. After getting into trouble, Willy enlists the help of Noodle, a girl with her own dreams, to help him open his own chocolate shop. Calah Lane, who plays Noodle, told The Week Junior that everything behind the scenes was…

If you’ve played the game Minecraft, you’ll know that living on top of a mine can have lots of risks, from skeletons and zombies to lava pools. It can have lots of rewards, too. That’s also the case for SteamWorld Build, a new game for Switch, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and PCs. However, unlike Minecraft, your job isn’t just to explore the underground depths but also to run the town above. The game is set on an alien planet where you are in charge of building your town and keeping its people healthy and happy, while searching for ancient technology hidden in the mine. That’s important because you face a big challenge: the planet around you is dying and the buried tech could be the key to helping you and…

Rami Almordaah has a special ability that is proving very useful in business. The 21-year-old, who works for a shoe company in Los Angeles, US, has such a keen sense of smell that he can tell if pairs of trainers are real or fake by sniffing them. He says that crafty shoe-makers can sometimes recreate the look of popular trainer brands – but not the scent of the factories where they are made. “The factory, I guess, has its own smell,” he told the Times newspaper.…

Unleash your creativity Fire up your imagination for the start of 2024. Your mission is to come up with a song, piece of music, poem or short story and enter it into the Worcester Competitive Arts Festival 2024. The theme of the poem is “oceans” and for the short story it is “myths and legends”, so get thinking! The idea of the competition is to offer people of all ages the chance to compete and perform in a friendly and supportive space. Enter via the Play&Perform platform by 31 January, and send in your story, poem or piece of music by 19 February. The winners will be announced on the first day of the festival on 3 March. Find out more at wcaf.org.uk/writeandperform GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and…

Sometimes, between taking part in sports clubs, doing chores and catching up on homework, a two-day weekend doesn’t feel long enough. If schools had weekends that lasted three days, there would be lots more time for pupils and teachers to do the things that they really enjoy. The idea of a four-day week has been tested out by some schools before, who have reported that it puts less pressure on teachers. However, for a four-day week to work, the days in school would have to be longer so that pupils still get the same amount of education. This means getting up earlier and finishing even later than usual. Some people think this would be harder for everyone so there is no point. What do you think? Should schools have a…

AMANDA FERGUSON, ZSL LONDON ZOO In a variety of ways. Tigers eat meat that is full of protein and fat. We often tie it at the top of a “tiger pole” or on a bungee rope, so they have to climb and pull to get the meat, exercising for their food as they would in the wild. For ant and termite-eating aardvarks, we feed them mealworms, which they have to find by sniffing around their enclosure. They also eat a very nutritious “porridge” we make. 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…

Scientists in Switzerland have used a robot digger to build a stone wall six metres high and 65 metres long. The digger uses sensors to create a 3D map of the building site and work out where the blocks need to go. It also scans and grabs the stones to see how heavy they are. The software works out the best place for each stone to go before the machine carefully puts it in place. Scientists say the technology could be useful for building in remote areas. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Have you ever had a favourite tree? My favourite tree was an oak in my childhood garden, where my uncle built a treehouse with a wooden deck and a rail, which was like the prow of a ship. Do you believe in fairies? I do and I will clap and cheer to prove it, like they do in Peter Pan. Which do you prefer to write about, villains or heroes? Villains. They are more fun to write because they don’t play fair. If you could be King for a day, which rules would you introduce? I would ban anchovies on pizza because they are yuck! Which was your favourite fairytale when you were little? Little Red Riding Hood is the best. It’s so visually distinctive with its girl, wolf, woodcutter, grandma…

Hello, my name’s Olaf Falafel. I’m a children’s author, illustrator, dad and a stand-up comedian. I also have an online Art Club. Each episode is filled with useful drawing tips, information about different artists and jokes like this one: Who makes sure the elves have clean hands? Sanitiser Claus! One of my favourite Christmas books is The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs, and I was lucky enough to be asked to draw the official map for the Walking with the Snowman™ trail. This experience is taking place in the Fleet Street Quarter in London throughout December – and it’s free to do. I’m also a huge fan of Raymond Briggs’s other books, like Father Christmas and Fungus the Bogeyman. I love his use of soft, subtle shading and the sense of…

Did you get snow last weekend? I didn’t but I was ready if it came – boots, scarf, hat, gloves and shiny red nose. We report on the wintry blast on page 4. It’s starting to feel festive, even if I can’t say that my decorations quite match up to those in the White House on page 6 (2.8 miles of ribbon?). Adding to that holiday feel is our report into the dangerously daring history of pantomime (page 12). Snuggling at home is lovely at this time of year, and we’ve got some ways to stay toasty on page 19, plus brilliant adaptations of Roald Dahl stories to watch on TV (page 20). On page 25, Olaf Falafel shows how to draw your very own snow cat in the style…

Teacher’s name: Miss Johnstone School: Marus Bridge Primary school, Wigan “Miss Johnstone is a very nice teacher, and she is kind and very caring. She’s always happy and smiling and helps us do well in school. She keeps us busy in fun ways such as funny maths problems. And she plays music on her computer in the morning because it helps us relax and be ready for lessons.”Joshua 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…