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54 Articles

Relief and joy as 12 boys are rescued from flooded cave

On 10 July, 12 boys and their football coach were rescued from a flooded cave in northern Thailand. They had been trapped there for more than two weeks. News that the incredible mission had been a success was greeted with joy around the world. What happened? A football team called the Moo Pa (Wild Boars) academy team, made up of 12 boys aged 11–16, decided to explore Thailand’s Tham Luang cave with their coach after football practice on 23 June. Heavy rain caused the water in the cave to rise, forcing the group to go deeper into the cave system and then trapping them inside. On 2 July, after days of searching, the group was found by two British divers two miles inside the cave. The divers had come specially…

Relief and joy as 12 boys are rescued from flooded cave

Torrential rains cause chaos in Japan

More than 179 people have died and many others are missing after torrential rains caused flooding and landslides across Japan. The country’s south-west region was the worst affected, with evacuation orders or warnings issued for 4.72 million people. Warnings were also given across several of the nation’s smaller islands, which faced the full force of typhoons (powerful tropical storms). The country’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, cancelled a trip to Europe and the Middle East to focus on the recovery operation. Around 75,000 members of the Japanese army, coastguard, fire services and police were sent out on search-and-rescue operations, using boats and helicopters to reach remote communities cut off by flooded roads. In some villages people have been seen escaping to their roofs to avoid the rising water, and landslides (a…

Torrential rains cause chaos in Japan

England storms into the records

England have set a new record at the football World Cup in Russia by reaching the semi-finals for the first time in 28 years. In their quarter-final match on 7 July, Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored a goal each, and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made three crucial saves to knock Sweden out of the tournament. The last time England reached the semi-finals of the World Cup was in 1990, when they lost to Germany on penalties. The only other time England have reached this stage of the competition was in 1966, when they got through to the final and beat West Germany to win the World Cup. England’s semi-final match against Croatia took place after The Week Junior went to press, but whatever the result, the England players and the…

England storms into the records

IT’S AN AMAZING WEEK FOR…

A SPECIAL SURPRISE The actor Gal Gadot took a break from filming the Wonder Woman sequel to make a surprise visit to Inova Children’s Hospital in Falls Church, US. She dressed in the superhero’s costume and had photos taken with staff and patients. Staff said Gadot was “a true Wonder Woman”. UNCOVERING HISTORIC REMAINS A 12th century chapel that disappeared almost 400 years ago has been rediscovered. The building was destroyed in 1646, but its ruins have now been found by 90 archaeologists at Auckland Castle, in County Durham, ending a centuries-long mystery over its whereabouts. THE EASTERN QUOLL For the first time in more than 50 years, a rare species known as the eastern quoll has been born in the wild on mainland Australia. The marsupials (animals whose babies…

IT’S AN AMAZING WEEK FOR…

Boris Johnson quits over Brexit

Boris Johnson has left his job as the UK Foreign Secretary. He quit after Prime Minister Theresa May and her Cabinet (a group of the most senior ministers in the Government) announced its plans for Britain’s future relationship with the European Union (EU) after it leaves – a process known as Brexit. The EU is a group of 28 countries that work together. What happened? On 6 July, May and her Cabinet met at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s official country home. They discussed the Brexit plan they will present to the EU. They came up with a plan that would mean that the UK would continue to have a close relationship with the EU. On 8 July, Brexit Secretary David Davis, whose job was to discuss the plan with the…

Boris Johnson quits over Brexit

THE WEEK IN HISTORY

17 July 1917 The royal family changes its name On 17 July 1917, King George V changed the British royal family’s name to Windsor. Before then, it was a German name – Saxe-Coburg-Gotha – which came from Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, who was German. However, George V decided to changed it to an English name due to anti-German feeling during the First World War (1914–1918), when Britain was fighting against Germany. The current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is a member of the House of Windsor.…

THE WEEK IN HISTORY

Brits lose appetite for tripe

Traditional British foods including tripe (cow stomach), giblets (chicken liver, stomach, heart and neck) and eels could go extinct, according to a recent survey. Most Brits said they hadn’t and wouldn’t eat any of these once-popular options, and less than 7% of the population admitted to having eaten them recently. The YouGov survey revealed that other old-fashioned foods remain popular; corned beef, treacle and turnip are all still regularly eaten.…

Brits lose appetite for tripe

History made in Parliament

On 4 July, Penny Mordaunt became the first minister ever to use sign language in Parliament. Sign language is a way for people who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate through gestures, expressions and body language. Mordaunt used it to explain that the UK will be co-hosting its first Global Disability Summit on 24 July in London, to discuss support for disabled people living in poor countries.…

History made in Parliament

Heat reveals history’s markings

The UK has experienced the longest heatwave in five years. The hot weather started on 24 June and lasted until 9 July, which meant for 16 days in a row temperatures reached above 28° C. The highest temperature in the UK so far this year was recorded in Porthmadog in north Wales, where it reached 32.6° C. The unusually long period of sunshine has had some surprising benefits. Although many people have been enjoying barbecues and going to the beach or park, Dr Toby Driver has been flying above Wales looking for long-lost historical sites that are now visible thanks to the hot, dry weather. Driver works as an aerial investigator for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and has been mapping cropmarks. These are…

Heat reveals history’s markings

Around the world

Potsdam, Germany War bomb safely defused Around 10,000 people were moved from their homes on 3 July after an unexploded Second World War bomb was found in Potsdam, Germany. The bomb weighed 250 kilograms and was safely defused later that day. The Second World War ended in 1945, so the bomb is more than 70 years old. Unexploded bombs are still commonly found in Germany, especially during building work. Deraa, Syria Thousands flee bombing In the last two weeks, more than 270,000 Syrians have escaped bombing in southern Syria, in the Deraa province. The fighting began on 19 June when forces loyal to Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, launched an attack on towns in Deraa that are held by rebel forces (fighters who don’t want Assad in power). The civilians who…

Around the world

Are emojis spoiling the English language?

Emojis are described as the fastest-growing form of communication in the world, with almost 3,000 different icons to choose from. Some people create entire phrases, sentences and responses just by using the pictographs (simple pictures or symbols). For example, sending the clock, pig and aeroplane emojis together creates the phrase when pigs fly (meaning that something is so unlikely it will never happen). However, the results of a survey by YouTube revealed that many people believe emojis are to blame for a decline in the English language, despite the fact that three quarters of those questioned say they now depend on them to communicate with each another. Is using these tiny symbols really spoiling the English language? Yes – it’s important to use proper English Emojis might be useful to…

Are emojis spoiling the English language?

What you need to know

● Earlier this year, YouTube revealed the results of a UK study about the English language. The majority of adults who took part – 94% – say there has been a decline in the English language. Over a third believe that emojis are to blame. ● More than half of those questioned also said they lack confidence in their spelling and grammar. ● Emojis evolved from emoticons (punctuation marks used to make facial expressions) and were created by Shigetaka Kurita in 1999. ● The Oxford Dictionaries 2015 Word of the Year was the face with tears of joy emoji.…

What do you think?

Now that you’ve read a bit more about it, tell us what you think by voting in our poll at theweekjunior.co.uk/polls . Vote YES if you think emojis are spoiling the English language, or NO if you don’t. We’ll publish the results next week. The aim of the Big debate page is to present two sides of an issue fairly and objectively, in order to stimulate discussion and allow our readers to make up their minds. The views on the page do not reflect those of The Week Junior, and the page is not funded by third parties. The page is created in association with the English-Speaking Union, an educational charity helping young people discover their voice and realise their full potential. For more information, please see…

What do you think?

From Watford to the World Cup

No matter what happens at the World Cup final in Moscow, Russia, on 15 July, there will be at least one English person playing a key role in the match. Emma Saunders has been chosen as the official matchday announcer. She will read the players’ names out to the stadium before the game kicks off, as well as updating fans on substitutions and other in-game announcements. Saunders usually works as the matchday announcer for Premier League team Watford. She is the only female announcer in the English top division. “This really is a dream come true,” Saunders said. “It’s incredible. I could not be more proud and thrilled.” As well as working as a sports journalist for the BBC, Saunders has already been a matchday announcer at several World Cup…

From Watford to the World Cup

Artist wows a president

Kareem Waris Olamilekan, an 11-year-old artist from Nigeria, produces drawings in a style known as hyperrealism – hand-drawn works of art that go beyond the quality and detail of a photograph. He told the BBC he is inspired by an award-winning Nigerian artist called Arinze Stanley Egbengwu, who draws in the same style. Olamilekan began drawing at school at the age of six. The boy’s skills recently caught the eye of France’s president, Emmanuel Macron. The French leader was visiting the Nigerian city of Lagos on 3 July, and Olamilekan was able to complete a portrait of Macron in just two hours. Macron brought Olamilekan on stage at an event and later tweeted that he was, “very touched”.…

Artist wows a president

Schoolgirl beats mountain challenge

A ten-year-old girl has become one of the youngest people ever to climb 15 Welsh mountains in less than a day. Along with her dad, Lola House managed to conquer the Welsh 3000s Challenge in less than 22 hours, despite torrential rain and lightning storms. She even camped at the peak of Snowdon, the tallest mountain in Wales. House took more than 104,000 steps during the trek and raised more than £1,500 for the Forest Holme Hospice in Poole in Dorset, which looked after her grandparents last year. She now hopes to take on the Three Peaks Challenge, which means climbing the highest mountains in England, Wales and Scotland in less than 24 hours.…

Schoolgirl beats mountain challenge

Can scientists save a species?

When the world’s last male northern white rhino, 45-year-old Sudan, died earlier this year, people feared that the species was lost forever. Scientists now say they have made a scientific breakthrough and the northern white rhino may have a future after all. In 1960, there were more than 2,000 northern white rhinos across Africa. However, decades of warfare, habitat loss and poaching (when wild animals are illegally hunted and killed) have devastated the population, leaving just three individuals at the start of this year. When the only male northern white rhino died in March, leaving just two living females on Earth, the species was thought to be effectively extinct. However, on 4 July there was some good news. A team from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in…

Can scientists save a species?

PLACE OF THE WEEK

Found just outside Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales, Dinefwr is home to a national nature reserve, an ancient castle, a deer park and a historic house. Dinefwr Castle has stood on a hilltop above the Tywi Valley for hundreds of years. Dinefwr supports a huge range of species and habitats, from dense woodlands to wet meadows. Some of the country’s most secretive animals live there too, including otters, polecats, deer, badgers and eagles. Find out more at nationaltrust.org.uk/dinefwr…

PLACE OF THE WEEK

Scientists go seal spotting

The first ever study of the number of seal pups in the Thames Estuary took place earlier this month. The Thames Estuary (where the River Thames meets the North Sea) was believed to be so heavily polluted that is was declared “biologically dead” 60 years ago. Now it is filled with life; the number of grey and harbour seals reached a total population of 3,500 last year. This year’s study, led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), was carried out between 1–4 July. It focused on the number of seal pups living in colonies along the coasts of Essex and Kent, in a bid to find out how important the area is as a seal breeding ground. “Knowing how many there are is a really good indicator of the…

Scientists go seal spotting

Good week / Bad week

Animals in India On 4 July, a court in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand decided that all animals should be given the same rights as humans. The court ruled that the entire animal kingdom would have the same protection as people do and set guidelines to prevent animal cruelty. Saddleworth Moor birds A huge fire on Saddleworth Moor is feared to have affected nesting birds in the area. It is the middle of the breeding season for species such as red grouse and curlews, which may have been sitting on their eggs or have young chicks that were unable to escape the blaze.…

Good week / Bad week

Animal of the week

Narwhal Scientists have discovered that narwhals are at risk from new shipping routes through the Arctic. A team found that shipping traffic on the Arctic’s Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage affected the narwhals’ ability to communicate, hunt and navigate their environment. ● LIFESPAN IN THE WILD: Up to 50 years. ● HABITAT: Found in the waters around the Arctic and North Atlantic Ocean. ● DIET: Fish, prawn and squid gathered during dives that can last up to 20 minutes. ● FUN FACT: Nicknamed the unicorns of the sea, the male narwhal is famous for its tusk, which can grow between 1.5 and 2.7 metres long. HORN OR TOOTH? It may look like a horn but the narwhal’s spiral ivory tusk is in fact an overgrown tooth, which pokes…

Animal of the week

How did the mountain chicken frog get its name?

Francesca Servini ZSL London Zoo keeper The mountain chicken frog was given its name by Caribbean islanders, who compared its taste to chicken. It’s one of the largest frogs in the world and has been brought to the brink of extinction because of hunting, along with habitat loss, the introduction of other predators to their island home, and a fungal disease that the ZSL team hopes to help beat. Do you love animals? ZSL London Zoo’s Junior Zoo Academy is a great way to learn about creatures from all over the world. Find out more at zsl.org/experiences…

How did the mountain chicken frog get its name?

From prisoner to president

“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Part of a speech Nelson Mandela delivered in 1964 at the Palace of Justice, Pretoria, when he was on trial for his political activities. He was facing the death penalty if found guilty. Nelson Mandela, a former president of South Africa, was one of the most important people of the 20th century. He is an inspirational figure for millions of people – not only in South Africa, but around the world. Mandela believed in democracy, equality and freedom. He…

From prisoner to president

A new way to detect quakes

Two teams of scientists have tested a revolutionary way of detecting earthquakes, using the same cables that provide high-speed internet. Usually earthquakes are detected using seismometers. These are special sensors that measure the movement of the ground. More than 70% of Earth is covered in water, so a lot of earthquakes happen under the ocean. However, creating a network of seismometers on the seabed would be extremely expensive – the cost could be more than £500 million. A team led by Giuseppe Marra of the National Physical Laboratory in the UK, and another team led by Dr Philippe Jousset from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, decided to try something new, using fibre-optic cables. These are the cables that provide high-speed broadband and they are buried underground or lie…

A new way to detect quakes

How do earthquakes happen?

The ground might feel pretty firm under your feet, but it’s actually far from stable. The surface of our planet is constantly on the move – rising, sinking and being stretched or squashed. Pressure builds up in the crust – the solid layer we stand on. The Earth’s crust is broken into huge sections, known as tectonic plates. Rocks at the edges of the tectonic plates push and rub against each other. When that pressure is released suddenly, the rocks break or slip. The energy ripples through the ground, making the surface buckle and shake. The greater the energy released, the more powerful the earthquake.…

How do earthquakes happen?

Baby planet seen for the first time

Astronomers led by a team at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have captured an image of a newborn planet for the first time. Named PDS 70b, the baby planet orbits a dwarf star around 370 light years away from Earth. A dwarf star is a star that is smaller and dimmer than other stars. The surface of PDS 70b is thought to be a scorching 1,000º C, and astronomers estimate that it is between five and six million years old. Although that may not sound young, this planet is a baby. By comparison, Earth is a fully fledged adult at almost 4.6 billion years old. Most scientists agree that planets are made from clouds of dust and gas left over when a star is born. Astronomer Miriam Keppler says…

Baby planet seen for the first time

Ancient children had flexible feet

Around 3.3 million years ago, ancient ancestors of ours, known as Australopithecus afarensis, lived in Africa. They had ape-like features and walked on two legs. New research suggests that their children may also have been able to hang from trees. Jeremy DeSilva and a team at Dartmouth College in the US, came to this conclusion when studying the skeleton of an Australopithecus afarensis child. They found the child’s foot was more flexible than the foot of an adult of the same species. “They don’t have the grasping ability of chimpanzees,” said DeSilva. “But it appears to us, based on the anatomy of the foot, that they’ve got more grasping ability than a modern human.” The skeleton was discovered in 2000 in Ethiopia. It belonged to a young girl, whom scientists…

Ancient children had flexible feet

Segway electric skates

Do you like the idea of rollerblading without the effort? You’re in luck – a company called Segway has created some electric skates. The Segway Drift W1 are motorised wheeled platforms for your feet. To move forwards, backwards or side to side, users must balance on the e-skates. When the user tilts their feet forwards, the skates will move forwards; when they tilt their feet backwards, they’ll move backwards. The skates use a combination of sensors and a control system to work out which way a user is tilting. It may sound a little dangerous but the new e-skates have been given American and European certifications for product safety.…

Segway electric skates

What... is the point of the pancreas?

Your pancreas is as long as a small ruler (15 centimetres) and shaped a bit like a tadpole. In humans it lies just behind the stomach. The purpose of this organ is two-fold. Firstly, it’s one of the places where your body releases hormones (special chemical messengers in the body) into the blood. The hormones it releases includes those that help to control the amount of sugar in your blood, ensuring your blood doesn’t have too much or too little. Secondly, it helps to digest our food. It does this by releasing chemicals called enzymes into the small intestine. These enzymes (called pancreatic juices) help to break down our food so it can be absorbed into the blood and sent to where it’s needed. Email questions to hello@theweekjunior.co.ukwith the words…

What... is the point of the pancreas?

Photos of the week

Centenary scene Pilots celebrated the RAF’s 100th birthday with a stunning air display over London. Light fantastic Visitors watch an art installation by Ryoji Ikeda in Sydney, Australia. Heating up A man in a pool of chillies during a chilli-eating competition in China. Good spot A rare baby Visayan spotted deer at Edinburgh Zoo. Food with a view Diners at a banquet 2,000 metres above sea level in China. Tutu football A ballerina in Moscow watches Russia play Croatia in the World Cup. Over the rainbow A giant Pride flag at a parade in Trafalgar Square, London.…

Photos of the week

Rowing to glory

Henley Royal Regatta is one of the most famous rowing competitions in the world. Beginning on 4 July and lasting for five days, 565 crews from Great Britain and countries such as Australia, China, France, Germany, New Zealand and the US competed in more than 200 races. Athletes ranged from teenage school children to experienced Olympic gold-medal winners. Henley Royal Regatta is held on the River Thames in the town of Henley in Oxfordshire. It began in 1839 and has been staged every year, except during the First and Second World Wars. Boats have one, two, four or eight rowers. They compete on a straight river section that’s 2,112 metres long, and thousands of spectators watch the action along the riverbank. An Australian team called the National Training Centre won…

Rowing to glory

THE WEEK’S WINNERS...

Harry Maguire The Leicester City defender scored his first ever goal for England in the 2-0 World Cup quarter-final win over Sweden. Freya Anderson The 17-year-old British swimmer won three gold medals at the junior European Championships in Finland. The team won 13 medals and finished third. Fernando Gaviria The Colombian cyclist won the opening stage of the Tour de France cycle race and wore the yellow jersey for the first time. Sebastian Vettel The Ferrari F1 driver won the British Grand Prix. Britain’s Lewis Hamilton fought back from last place to finish second. Vettel now leads the championship.…

THE WEEK’S WINNERS...

5 books about swimming

Splash by Charli Howard (Nosy Crow) Molly dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer – but she lives in the shadow of her friend Chloe. When Molly has the chance to compete in a competition, she must choose between fitting in and following her dreams. Exploring friendship, bullying, body image and the challenge of daring to be different, this is an inspiring read. The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas by David Almond. Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (Walker Books) In this zany story, Stanley Potts is a perfectly ordinary boy until he gets a job working on the hook-a-duck stall at the fair. Events soon lead him to the “piscatorial genius” Pancho Pirelli – famed as the man who swims with piranhas. Will Stanley be brave enough to follow his destiny, and…

5 books about swimming

BOOK OF THE WEEK The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle (Bloomsbury Children’s) It is hard to believe in magic until it grips you by the shoulders and shakes you awake. Fionn isn’t keen on leaving his Dublin home to spend summer on the tiny island of Arranmore with his grandfather, but once he and his sister set foot on the island, extraordinary and magical things begin to happen. Fionn learns that once in a generation, Arranmore chooses a new Storm Keeper – someone who must be the island’s champion, keeping its magic safe from enemies. This spellbinding tale is inspired by a real island on the north-west coast of Ireland, as well as stories from author Catherine Doyle’s family history. It’s an unforgettable adventure. READERS RECOMMEND Name: @glitterunicorn9 The…

Catherine Doyle

When did you start writing stories? I remember writing a very elaborate poem about nature when I was about six years old. It really was just a lengthy description of what the tree in my back garden looked like, but it had four verses and I remember being incredibly proud of that. By about 12 or 13, I would write stories during English class and then read them to my friends at lunchtime. What are you afraid of? I am not proud of how many times I have shrieked at a spider, or how many rooms I’ve run from, flailing my arms. I am also very slightly afraid of butterflies but I don’t lead with this one for obvious reasons. What would be your first rule, if you were in…

Catherine Doyle

The wait is over...

After a 14-year break, the Incredibles return in a brand new film. Incredibles 2 shows mother Helen Parr – also known as Elastigirl – taking over the superhero reins, while her husband Bob Parr – also known as Mr Incredible – stays at home to look after the children. While Elastigirl tries to bring superheroes back to the city of Metroville, Mr Incredible has to help their son Dash with his homework, contend with daughter Violet growing up and try to control baby Jack-Jack’s new superpowers. The family aren’t the only superheroes in the film. There’s Voyd, who can fire teleportation portals from her hands; Screech, who looks like a half-human, half-owl mash-up; and Reflux, who can burp lava. The film’s writer and director Brad Bird took inspiration from his…

The wait is over...

Three classic Pixar villains

Sid He is the terrifying next-door neighbour in Pixar’s first film Toy Story. Sid likes pulling toys apart and blowing them up. However, after the toys turn on him, he vows never to hurt them again. Bruce Bruce is a great white shark in Finding Nemo, who tries to snack on Nemo’s father Marlin and forgetful fish Dory. Despite this, Bruce wants to stop eating other fish. “Fish are friends, not food,” is his motto. Charles Muntz In the film Up, Muntz was a famous adventurer and explorer whom Carl and Ellie admired as children. Many years later, Carl discovers him at Paradise Falls. However, Muntz has become evil and plans to capture Kevin, a four-metre-tall tropical bird.…

Three classic Pixar villains

Arts and entertainment

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS The hero behind Spider-Man The comic-book artist Steve Ditko has died at the age of 90. Ditko was born in 1927 and joined the US army after leaving school, which is where he got his first job in the comic-book world, creating comic strips for an armed-services newspaper. In the 1960s, Ditko, alongside Stan Lee (a famous writer-illustrator who worked at Marvel Comics), co-created Spider-Man. It was Ditko who came up with the character’s appearance, including the web-shooters on his wrists, and invented Spider-Man’s background story.TV presenter and comic-book fan Jonathan Ross once described Ditko as “the single greatest comic-book artist and creator who ever lived”.…

Arts and entertainment

Escape To Victory (1981) DVD, iTunes, Prime Video This action-packed film mixes a war time plot with one of the best games of football ever seen on a cinema screen. Now, nearly 40 years on, Escape to Victory has become something of a favourite. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Brazilian football legend Pelé and a bunch of footballers who played for Ipswich Town in the early 1980s. The plot centres on a German team playing football against Allied prisoners (prisoners from nations that were also fighting Germany and Japan) in the Second World War. But can those prisoners use the game to escape? It’s fun finding out... HARD GAME Michael Caine may have won awards for his acting but his footballing co-stars joked that he couldn’t play the game…

This week’s new apps

Two Words with Susie Dent Android / iOS (Free) Besides appearing on the TV show Countdown with her word skills, Susie Dent is The Week Junior’s resident wordsmith, responsible for writing Word of the Week on our Home news page. When it comes to vocabulary, she knows her stuff. Now there’s a mobile game where Dent will train your word-mastering skills. Two Words is a two-player game that you can play against friends, other humans or the game’s own Two Words robots – including a virtual Susie. You start with seven random letters and have to make words to score points, similar to Scrabble, but each time a player takes a turn, their last word is taken away, so only your word and your opponent’s word are on screen at…

This week’s new apps

GAME OF THE WEEK

Lego Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles PS4 / Xbox One / Switch / PC From Star Wars to Marvel superheroes, Lego games are rarely a letdown. The latest example is based on a pair of animated films: The Incredibles and current cinema release, Incredibles 2. You get to play as the various members of the superpowered Parr family – also known as Elastigirl, Mr Incredible, Violet and Dash. Your job will be to rid their city of crime, working your way from district to district, and defeating some familiar supervillains along the way. It’s a mixture of battling and puzzle-solving, as well as smashing the scenery to bits and picking up the pieces, like past Lego games.…

GAME OF THE WEEK

All across the country, people are going bee-crazy. These stripy insects are cherished because they help pollinate our plants. They help spread the pollen needed for fruit and vegetable plants to grow. This means that they’re not just good for making honey, they’re also behind much of the food we eat. However, bees are now dying off at an alarming rate because of pests, pesticides (chemicals used to kill pests) and the destruction of their natural habitats. That’s why schools across the country are doing their bit to make sure bees don’t go extinct, for example, by planting wildflower meadows in their school grounds. Meanwhile, many people are taking up beekeeping – owning and breeding bees in hives for their honey. If you’d like to try your hand at keeping…

“I LOVE USING THE REMOTE TECHNOLOGY”

Stan, 12, is an avid beekeeper who keeps his own bees. He says, “I love using the remote technology for checking the temperature and sounds inside the hive in my garden. We get honey from the honeybees, but bumblebees are my favourite.” Together with his mum, Stan runs a “pollination club” at Ovingham Middle School, so his friends can learn about bees and plant wildflower meadows. In 2016, the club won a Bees’ Needs Champions Award.…

“I LOVE USING THE REMOTE TECHNOLOGY”

HOW, WHAT, WHERE?

How do I get started? Find your local beekeeping association at tinyurl.com/TWJ-bbka. They can give advice, and may offer memberships, beekeeping experiences or courses. What equipment do I need? The basic equipment is a hive, protective clothing (a bee suit with veil and gloves) and hive-related tools. Ask your local beekeeping association if there are bees and equipment for sale nearby. What events can I join? How about joining the Great British Bee Count? Go to friendsoftheearth. uk/bee-count. There are also fairs, bee breakfasts, festivals and bee quizzes going on this summer. To find an event near you, visit tinyurl.com/TWJ-beecount…

HOW, WHAT, WHERE?

Build bottle skittles What you need ● Paintbrush ● Acrylic paint ● Six clean plastic bottles with lids (all the same size) ● Rice ● Tennis ball Instructions Apply a base coat of paint to each bottle and then leave them to dry. You may need to give them a few coats to get a solid colour. Once you are happy with your base colour, you can decorate your bottles. Painting stripes makes them look like to bowling pins, but you can paint any pattern you like. When the bottles are completely dry, pour three tablespoons of uncooked rice into the bottom of each one and screw the lid on. Line them up at the end of your garden or living room, grab a tennis ball and get bowling. How…

Editor’s note

The incredible rescue of 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in Thailand has gripped everyone in The Week Junior’s office. When we met on Monday morning to decide which news stories to include in this week’s issue, there was no doubt that it would be at the top of the list. What we couldn’t be certain of at that time was whether it would be a complete success, so it was a huge relief on Tuesday afternoon to hear that all of them had made it out. Within minutes of the news of their rescue, people all over the world began congratulating the rescue team, whose heroic actions brought them to safety. Those who risked their own lives to search for and…

CHARITY OF THE WEEK

SpecialEffect SpecialEffect aims to help young people with disabilities that prevent them from being able to play video games. Being able to play games has been proved to have an extremely positive effect on people’s confidence and rehabilitation. The charity creates and supplies custom controllers for people with all kinds of disabilities, as well as offering advice and support to family members. To find out more about the charity’s activities, go to specialeffect.org.uk…

CHARITY OF THE WEEK

Winning the When I Grow Up competition

“I entered a competition in The Week Junior and I was one of the winners. I got some books, tickets for KidZania and a day with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) because I want to be a lifeguard when I grow up. When I arrived, I met Sailor the dog, who is always at the lifeboat station, Kim, a full-time, fully trained lifeguard and Jacqui the operational manager at Portsmouth lifeboat station. We watched the lifeboats being launched for their training. I need to be able to swim 25 metres underwater and swim another 25 metres head-up front crawl, all in 50 seconds. When I am 16, I can start training. ” What’s going on at your school? Have you taken part in a sporting event, put on a…

Winning the When I Grow Up competition

Hedgehog Street

Do you enjoy gardening? What about helping hedgehogs? In the last 10 years, Britain has lost a third of its hedgehog population due to intensive farming, the disappearance of their habitats and roads cutting off access to habitats. Hedgehog Street is a campaign that encourages the public to let their gardens grow in order to improve these spiky animals’ chance of survival. Don’t worry if you don’t have a garden of your own; there are other ways to help. Head to tinyurl.com/hedgehogstreet and start making a difference, one garden at a time.…

Hedgehog Street

“I read my copy of The Week Junior on a digger in our garden yesterday, after I came home from school on the first day the builders arrived to build our extension.” Toby, Year 5 “I am a great Harry Potter fan and I love drawing, so I had to try the step-by-step acromantula sketch this week!” Gabriella, Year 5 “I recycled my old copies of The Week Junior as decoupage to decorate a new ladder on my bunk bed.” Angus, Year 4…

Teacher OF THE WEEK

Teacher’s name: Miss Harrison School: St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Withnell, Lancashire Miss Harrison is an inspirational teacher who always has an infectious smile and heaps of enthusiasm, no matter what subject we are doing. She makes maths fun and is so good at maths, she even trains other teachers how to teach maths! Thanks, Miss, for all your help! Josh, Year 4 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…

Teacher OF THE WEEK

Follow The Week Junior on Popjam@TheWeekJunior. You can download the free Popjam app from the App Store or Google Play. We asked you about the plastic-bag ban in four out of the six Australian states, and you said... “That’s good! All countries should do it!” @PhoenixRL “If we don’t do anything about it, global warming will keep increasing” @ThaliaAnabeth “Yayy! Go Australia!” @Jody_21 Last week’s poll asked, “Should mobile phones be banned in schools?” “At my school you have to turn your phone off until the end of school!” @supercatten “They should only be allowed on breaks” @Amber_ArtyAwesome “Yes, it distracts people” @Jcool100 Tell us what you think of this week’s issue. We’ll give you a shout-out if your post is printed here. The Week Junior is delivered in a…

That’s unbelievable!

A cereal artist Artist Anne Griffiths isn’t like any artist you have seen before. She doesn’t paint pictures and she doesn’t create sculptures. What she does is look through packets of cornflakes to select the most unusual-looking flakes, and then places them in individual cases. Her rather crunchy 84-specimen project is currently on display at the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition in London. Real OR Rubbish? Poo rains down in Canada Susan Allan, who lives in the Canadian city of Kelowna, was driving with her son when something brown and stinky fell from the sky. It splattered the car and fell through the sunroof. They had been hit by a poo shower – and they aren’t the only ones. More than a dozen incidents of poo falling from the sky have…

That’s unbelievable!

How much of this week’s news can you remember?

1When was the last time England reached a World Cup semi-final? a) 1990 b) 1994 b) 1998 2Penny Mordaunt was the first person to use what in Parliament? 3True or false? Travis Pastrana jumped his car over 16 buses in Las Vegas, in the US. 4Which emoji was the Oxford Dictionaries 2015 Word of the Year? a) Smiling face with heart eyes b) Face with tears of joy c) Face with rolling eyes 5How many mountains did Lola House climb in less than a day? 6What was the name of the world’s last male northern white rhino? a) Sudan b) Steve c) Sam 7True or false? Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. 8What are scientists using fibre-optic cables to detect? 9True or false? A Visayan Spotted is…

How much of this week’s news can you remember?

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