Innehållsförteckning för Issue 176 från The Week Junior US

SENDING WARM WISHES The US Postal Service (USPS) has released its new “Thinking of You” stamps featuring pets, cupcakes, and other happy symbols. The designs capture “the delight of receiving a card in the mail just for you,” the USPS said. AN ARTISTIC ADDITION The butter cow sculpture is always a hit at the Illinois State Fair, but the tradition came with a new twist this year: The 800-pound work carved out of butter also depicted real-life farmer Lorilee Shultz. “It is the perfect ode to the hardworking Illinois dairy farm families,” an official said. HELPING HAWAII A limited-edition Beanie Baby was released to help people affected by wildfires in Maui, Hawaii. The bear’s name is Aloha—a Hawaiian greeting that also means warmth and affection. All profits from purchases of…

About 125 million years ago, a fight between a small mammal and a larger dinosaur was preserved in a rare fossil (impression or trace of an ancient animal or plant). Scientists believe the fossil, which was found in China, is the first known example of a mammal attacking a dinosaur. In the fossil, the two creatures are tangled together. The mammal is on top of the dinosaur, biting into its ribs and gripping its jaw. Experts previously thought mammals of the Cretaceous period (145 to 65 million years ago) were too small to prey on dinosaurs. This find suggests that mammals could have posed a threat to dinosaurs after all. The fossil was originally discovered in 2012 in China’s Liaoning Province. The area is known for having many fossils that…

Spain made history on August 20 by defeating England, 1–0, to win the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. This is the first time Spain has ever won the soccer tournament and the first time a European country has won since 2007. Spain entered the competition ranked sixth in the world, while England was ranked fourth. In the semifinals, Spain beat third-ranked Sweden, 2–1, to advance to the finals. England made their third consecutive trip to the World Cup semifinals but had never reached the championship match. They defeated host country Australia, 3–1, in the semifinals. Before the final, played at Stadium Australia, the most recent matchup between England and Spain had been in the 2022 Euro Cup quarterfinals. England won 2–1, and later won the tournament. The World Cup final…

Coach’s Name: Chas Kirsch Team: The Bulls (basketball) “Coach Chas started Healthy Buffalo, the league we play in. It helps keep kids and adults active by playing lots of different sports. He is the best basketball coach. He is always happy and positive, and our whole team loves him. When he makes us run and do squats, he does them with us so we all are working hard together. I made this up with the letters of his name: C is for cool, H is for healthy, A is for awesome, and S is for super hardworking.” Andrew, 8, New York To nominate a Coach of the Week, send your coach’s name, photo, sport, and team to hello@theweekjunior.com. Include your name, age, state, and a few reasons why your coach…

Telfair Academy This museum is filled with American and European art from the 1800s and 1900s. It opened in 1886 and is the oldest public art museum in the South. Owen-Thomas House & Slave Quarters This former home was constructed in Savannah in 1819. According to the museum, it offers visitors a glimpse of “the complicated relationships between the most and least powerful people” at the time. Jepson Center Sculptures and works by modern American artists are on display in this modern, light-filled building. The center also hosts traveling shows, like its current exhibition The Age of Armor.…

Fantastic Friends (The CW App) (CWTV.com) In this travel series, James and Oliver Phelps, who played the Weasley twins in the Harry Potter films, go on adventures in countries such as Iceland, St. Lucia, and Dubai. During each trip, they meet up with a different friend, including some Harry Potter co-stars. Mech Cadets (Netflix) Based on the Mech Cadet Yu comic books, this animated series follows Stanford Yu, a teen with dreams of piloting giant robots called Robo Mechs. He gets the chance to prove himself when he joins a group of cadets in space who use the robots to defend Earth from aliens. Farm Dreams (Nat Geo Wild) (Disney+) Indy Srinath, a farmer and forager, connects aspiring farmers with experts in this new reality series. Her goal is to…

By A.J. Sass ”This book is about a girl named Ellen who has autism. She uses lists and categories to plan her life. She and her classmates are going to Spain for Spanish class and to the city of Barcelona for two weeks. During that time, she navigates her friendship with her best friend, Laurel, and her relationships with classmates, explores her queer identity, and more. This is an amazing book by A.J. Sass!” Ani, 12, Ohio Do you have a book to recommend? Send your review to hello@theweekjunior.com.…

What was your favorite toy as a child? Start your interview with a fun question, like what your grandparent played with as a child. Have you played with similar toys? What subject was your favorite in school? It can be interesting to find out whether you have similar academic interests. What life advice do you have? Older adults have been through lots of ups and downs during their lives. You can probably learn from their experiences. What do you think has changed most since you were a child? In many ways, the world looked and operated differently when your grandparents were your age. Ask them what has changed and whether they think the changes are an improvement or not. You might also ask them what has stayed the same.…

Word search Can you find all these words associated with farming in the grid? They are hidden horizontally, vertically, or diagonally and can be forward or backward. When you’re done, read the remaining letters to get a bonus message. ACRES CALF COOP CROPS EGGS FERTILIZER FIELD FLOCK GOAT HARVEST HAYSTACK HERD HORSE MILK THE COWS OXEN PIGPEN PITCHFORK PLANT PLOW ROOSTER SCARECROW SCYTHE SEEDS SHEEP SILO SOIL STABLE SWINE TRACTOR TROUGH OFF SIDES Make three different five-letter words by using the letters given to fill in the blanks. FILL IN THE BLANKS Fill in the blanks in each sentence with two words so the second word is the same as the first word with the first and last letters removed, like PLENTY and LENT. (NEED A HINT? Check the bottom…

In our Big News section this week, we report on the verdict in a landmark environmental lawsuit brought by 16 young people in Montana (p2). The judge, Kathy Seeley, ruled that they were correct in arguing that the state was not protecting their right to a clean and healthy environment, which is promised in its constitution, and that the Montana government must take climate change into account when it approves projects involving harmful fossil fuels. The case was the first of its kind to go to trial in the US, and the implications extend beyond our nation’s borders. Eva Lighthiser, one of the young people who brought the lawsuit, summed it up this way: “We set the precedent not only for the United States but for the world.” It’s a…

1 What is the name of the new 3D printing pen for decorating cakes? a) CakeDoodler b) ChefDoodler c) CookDoodler a □ b □ c □ 2 True or false? The population of capercaillie birds has increased for the first time in eight years. True □ False □ 3 In the book The Lost Library, Evan sees what animal protecting a library cart? a) An owl b) A cat c) A dog a □ b □ c □ 4 A group of young people won a climate lawsuit against which state? a) Michigan b) Montana c) Missouri a □ b □ c □ 5 What dance is featured in the film You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah? 6 Who scored the winning goal for Spain in the…

BACK TO SCHOOL 2023 There’s nothing like the excitement of starting a new school year, with fresh pens and notebooks, a sparkling-clean classroom, and friends you haven’t seen all summer. But a new academic year also means sitting at a desk for hours each day, taking in new information, and getting back into the swing of assignments. Some people feel the school day should be cut, giving students more free time to enjoy other activities. Others worry that shortening the school day would have a negative effect on how much students learn and create more work for teachers. What do you think? Should the school day be shorter? Yes—kids need more balance There are only so many hours in a day, and kids spend too many of them in the…

“What sound does a fox make?” Swetha, 10, Florida Alyssa Bargren Keeper II—Carnivores, Phoenix Zoo There are many fox species, but most of them make similar sounds. Foxes can bark, yelp, squeal, or even howl depending on the situation they are in. A fox can squeal or howl when it feels scared or threatened, and it can yelp and bark when it’s playing or communicating with other foxes! Do you have a question for an animal expert? Send it to hello@theweekjunior.com. Find out more about the Phoenix Zoo at phoenixzoo.org.…

Smurfs Kart is a new cartoon racing game. It was just released for the PlayStation platforms, Xbox systems, and the PC. Until now, it has only been available for the Nintendo Switch. This year is the 65th anniversary of the Smurfs. They are small, blue human-like characters created by Belgian comics artist Pierre Culliford, who was known as Peyo. Two of the main Smurfs are Papa Smurf and Smurfette, and many of the others have names based on their personalities, such as Brainy and Hefty. They have been in movies, comic books, cartoons, and other video games. In Smurfs Kart, there are 12 playable racers, including Papa, Smurfette, and Jokey, and they each drive their own unique kart. They can compete on 12 different tracks that run through settings from…

The Extraordinary Book That Invents Itself By Alison Buxton and Helen Bell, illustrated by Pintachan (Weldon Owen) Using the book’s templates, you can turn the pages into a star viewer, wind vane, glider, and other creations to help you explore. Each of the 30 projects includes a list of materials and illustrated instructions. Ages 8 and up A Girl’s Guide to the Wild By Ruby McConnell, illustrated by Teresa Grasseschi (Little Bigfoot) Packed with ideas for outdoor adventures, this book will help you enjoy nature. You’ll discover how to build a backyard weather station and a solar-powered lantern. The section on “good grub” explains how to make snacks like the ultimate trail mix. Ages 8–12 The Outdoor Scientist By Temple Grandin (Philomel Books) Written by a famous scientist, this fascinating…

Trombonist Hillary Simms is having an unforgettable year. In July, she became the first woman to join the world-famous American Brass Quintet. And this fall she will begin working as the first female trombonist faculty member at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City. Simms, age 28, grew up in Newfoundland, Canada. One of her best memories from childhood is of being on a family road trip to Florida at age 8 and listening to an album by legendary singer Frank Sinatra on repeat. Four years later, she started playing the trombone. “I knew then that I wanted to be a musician,” she told The Week Junior. At McGill University in Montreal, Canada, Simms studied music performance. After graduating, she earned a master’s degree in the same subject at…

By the time most of the world discovered the kipunji monkey, it was already critically endangered. The rare primate lives in Tanzania and is not closely related to any other known monkeys. Thanks to smart conservation efforts, their population is increasing. Kipunji monkeys live in groups of 15 to 30 and spend most of their time in trees, eating fruits and other food from the wooded slopes of Tanzania’s Southern Highlands. Local hunters knew about the monkeys, but international researchers first identified the species in the early 2000s. A 2007 population survey found 1,117 of the animals alive. Conservationists from organizations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) stepped in to try to save the species. One method of protecting kipunji monkeys was to reduce conflict between the monkeys and…

Golden paintbrush Thanks to restoration efforts, this flower was removed from the endangered species list. The flower, which looks like a paintbrush coated in yellow paint, blooms in the summer and is native to the Pacific Northwest in North America. Pilot whales More than 50 pilot whales died after being stranded on an island in Scotland. These whales travel in groups and can survive on land for up to six hours, but experts believe they washed ashore at night when nobody was nearby to help.…

August 28 marks the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The gathering was one of the most significant events in the American civil rights movement. Why did the march take place? In the 1950s and 1960s, a movement began to spread. People were outraged that Black Americans were not treated equally to white Americans. For example, many states had laws that forced Black people to attend different schools and use separate bathrooms, some state governments prevented Black citizens from voting in elections, and businesses often refused to hire Black workers. A. Philip Randolph, founder of the first major Black labor union, had an idea. Randolph was organizing a march for jobs, and civil rights leader Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his Southern Christian…

A new study by scientists at the University of Arizona has found that creative people are less likely to be bored when alone with their own thoughts. The research explored how people’s minds work during unstructured time and how creative minds work when there are no distractions. The study had two parts. First, the team asked 81 participants to sit alone for 10 minutes in a room without access to devices or the internet. Each participant was instructed to say out loud whatever came to mind. This group was also asked to take a test that determined whether they were creative thinkers. The second part of the study asked 2,612 adults to answer questions in an app about their level of boredom during the Covid-19 pandemic. They were also asked…

2023 IPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY AWAR DS WINNERS…

On August 19, the track and field World Athletic Championships began in Budapest, Hungary. Outside of the Olympics, it is considered the most important track competition in the world. Medals will be awarded in 49 events, and a team trophy will be presented to the country that scores the most points throughout the competition. One of the most exciting events is the 100-meter race, which determines the fastest runners in the world. The winner of the men’s competition was Noah Lyles of the US. Sha’Carri Richardson, also of the US, was the fastest woman. Coming into the men’s race, the favorite to win was British runner Zharnel Hughes. In an extremely close contest, Lyles was able to narrowly separate himself from the rest of the top finishers. He crossed the…

A new museum in Savannah, Georgia, is dedicated to helping kids learn about art. The Telfair Children’s Art Museum (CAM) is the only children’s art museum in the Southern US regions known as the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire. CAM is located at the Jepson Center, which is part of the Telfair Museums group (see box below). The new art museum replaced the ArtZeum, another destination for kids. “We felt that it was time to update the space and incorporate a lot of modern technology and interactive and immersive experiences,” Benjamin Simons, the executive director and chief executive officer of Telfair Museums, told The Week Junior. One exhibit in the two-level CAM space is about impressionism (a style of painting that depicts an artist’s own view of a scene). In the…

Tom & Jerry: The Movie PG (Max, Prime Video, or rent on demand) “Jerry, a pesky mouse, has just moved to New York City and finds a home in an air vent of the Royal Gate Hotel. Tom, an outcast street musician cat, wants to stay there too. A girl named Kayla gets a job at the hotel and hires Tom to get rid of Jerry. After the cat and mouse cause chaos, Kayla’s co-worker, Terence, ends up losing his job. As revenge, he plots with Tom and Jerry to ruin a wedding Kayla is overseeing. When they wreck everything, Kayla loses her job and the marriage is called off. Tom, Jerry, and Kayla then try to find a way to save it. The movie is full of jokes and humor.”…

BOOK OF THE WEEK The Lost Library By Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass (Feiwel and Friends) On his way to school, Evan notices a library cart guarded by a fluffy orange cat. The cart is a Little Free Library, which means anyone can take a book, leave a book, or both. The fifth grader removes two books—one is about mice, and the other focuses on how to write a mystery novel. Later at home, Evan looks more closely at the books and realizes there’s a real-life mystery to solve. It turns out that the books once belonged to the town’s library, which burned down in 1999 and was never rebuilt. How did these old books end up in a library cart in the middle of town? Evan becomes even more…

Since 1979, Grandparents’ Day has been observed in the US on the first Sunday after Labor Day. This year it’s being celebrated on September 10. Here are some simple and fun ways to show your grandparents how much you appreciate them. Surprise them Even though Grandparents’ Day has been marked for more than 40 years, many families don’t know about it. (In one survey, about 66% of grandparents said they have never celebrated Grandparents’ Day.) If you haven’t observed the occasion before, surprise your grandparents this year. This could be as simple as sending a card or making them a special treat. Spend time together Many grandparents say they wish they had more individual time with their grandchildren. So one of the best things you can do for Grandparents’ Day…

Grandparents’ Day is coming up on September 10, 2023. This is a day when people of different generations, like grandparents and their grandchildren, are encouraged to connect. We invite you to use this form to write down your thoughts about one or more of your grandparents—or any special older people in your life. You can also share this form with them. They may enjoy knowing what you have to say! We would also love to read what you write and see your artwork. To share your thoughts and drawing with us, ask an adult to email your form to hello@theweekjunior.com. Extra forms can be found at theweekjunior.com/activities.…

Twins event is double the fun More than 2,000 pairs of siblings recently gathered in Twinsburg, Ohio, to celebrate all things twindom. It was the 48th annual Twins Days Festival, which is the world’s largest gathering of twins. For this year’s pirate theme—“Shiver me TWINbers”—attendees dressed in their seafaring finest. The festival featured a 5K walk, contests for the most and least alike twins, a “Double Take” parade, and a gigantic group photo. One twin who has been attending for 36 years said, “It’s like a big family reunion.” This summer, s’more the merrier In honor of National S’mores Day, hundreds of fans of the classic marshmallow, chocolate, and graham cracker treats broke out their skewers. At an event in Texas, dubbed “S’moresapalooza,” a Guinness World Records official and 500…

Alina, who is 11 years old and in fifth grade, told us that her school is special because it has a big pool and she has gotten to swim in it. She thinks her school stands out because of its great teachers and nice people. She also made a drawing about going on a field trip. To tell us what’s great about your school, go to kids. theweekjunior.com/activities to print out a form. Fill it out, then have an adult email it to us at hello@theweekjunior.com. We’ll feature some of the submissions on this page in future issues of The Week Junior. IT’S YOUR TURN Email your news, views, and photos to hello@theweekjunior.com. We want to hear from you! To have your letters, photos, nominations, recommendations, or ideas considered for…

“I have completed one year of reading The Week Junior, and I thought I should send a thankyou photo.” Joshua, 9, California “Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland is a great series. Each book highlights a different dragon that goes through trials to fulfill the prophecy!” Hannah, 10, Georgia “My family and I just came back from our trip to Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and the Netherlands. The Week Junior traveled with me!” Ilan, 11, Massachusetts…

Teacher’s Name: Ms. Megan School: Montessori Mount Pleasant “Ms. Megan was my kindergarten teacher. She is the best teacher ever! She is the most caring, helpful, and awesome teacher in existence. She listens to and cares about everyone and teaches things in a way that makes everything so fun. Even though she’s not my teacher anymore, I still think she’s the best teacher I’ve ever had!” Eloise, 10, South Carolina Nominate your teacher for Teacher of the Week! Send your reason for the nomination, a photo of your teacher, and your school’s name and address to hello@theweekjunior.com.…