Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3 i Australian Geographic Explorers

So great to have you along on our third issue! Hope you are loving Explorers. This time around we have Robert Irwin as our cover star and feature interview. Robert is such a nice guy, and we learnt some surprising facts about this down-to-earth animal lover too! Inside we speak to master bushman Bob Cooper, the marine rescue stars of Melbourne Zoo and Tim Faulkner tells us what we can do to stop more animals going extinct. You’ll also learn about zero waste, unravel the mystery of meteors and find out how planes evolved. Our MEGA wall poster this issue is of frogs, but you could choose to put the wombat and blue-tongue lizard posters up instead. We love hearing from you, so please feel free to email any time.…

Bullying is never okay. It’s important to remember that bullying is a behaviour, and there is always something you can do. We spoke to Amanda, a Kids Helpline counsellor, to bring you some expert advice on what to do if you or someone you care about is being bullied. What should you do if you’re being bullied? 1 Stay calm. Try not to get angry or upset, as this can sometimes be what the person bullying you wants to happen. 2 Get away from them if you can, for example, walk away. 3 You might respond by saying something like: “Okay, I’m going to go now,” or: “Wow, that was a clever insult.” 4 Don’t tell them how you feel – this may make bullying worse. 5 Tell adults you…

Colour me in Sudoku time Can you discover the pattern so each critter only appears once on each line, vertically and horizonally? Word play The names of 12 creepycrawlies are hidden in this Word Search. Can you find them all? True story 1 Bugs have been around for about 350 million years – humans have only been here for about 130,000! 2 Bees can fly more than 50 kilometres in one day looking for food. 3 Ants can carry up to 50 times their own weight. 4 Dung beetles were imported to Australia to help with our cow poop problem. 5 There is only one native insect in Antarctica, the belgica Antarctica, a tiny flightless midge. Answers Sudoku time (from top): Dragonfly, Bee, Spider, Ant. Word play: Ant, Bee, Beetle,…

Aussie STEM Stars: Georgia Ward-Fear by Claire Saxby, Wild Dingo Press. A wonderful series exploring the lives of our top scientists and inventors, from their school days to their vital contributions today. Reptile biologist Georgia fell in love with snakes and spiders as a kid exploring the bush. This charts her passion for animals, career indecision, and the curiosity that led to her PhD and pioneering work saving goannas from cane toads. An inspiring and fun read. The Emu Who Ran Through the Sky by Helen Milroy, Magabala.com. Tales from the Bush Mob is a gorgeous series about Aussie animals who overcome differences by working together to solve problems. In this book, a young Emu wants to win a race, but he’s too slow and clumsy. Can he do it?…

Every year the International Fund for Animal Welfare runs a youth art contest which is open to young artists from around the world. This year there were more than 600 entrants from over 50 countries. The theme for the contest was Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet. The entries were diverse, depicting everything from lush forests to our most vulnerable wildlife. The field was narrowed down to 13 artists from 11 countries by a judging panel made up of IFAW, CITES and UNDP representatives, as well as Aussie Tiarn Garland (2020 winner), Zimbabwe's Minister of Arts Kirsty Coventry, cartoonist Jim Toomey, and founder of Our Daily Planet Monica Medina. Winner 2021 Ka Yi Siu from Hong Kong, China, was selected as the winner for her piece Balance Between Urban…

Tonight, if you are patient and the sky is dark enough, you might spot a shooting star. In fact anywhere on earth, any night, you may see between two and seven meteors an hour. You’ll have to watch closely though, as they’ll most likely flash over you in just under a second. Over the course of our history, meteors have been worshipped, collected, used in jewellery, turned into pots and even compasses – it was the first magnetic metal man discovered. In fact, before the Iron Age began in 500 BCE, when humans learned how to heat ore at high enough temperatures to extract a metal, most of the iron used in weapons came from space. Originally humans thought meteorites were just special earth rocks, but in 1794 German physicist…

Great savings and a gift when you subscribe! If you are a nature lover and obsessed by rescued bats, protected platypuses, meteor showers and survival stories, our mag is perfect for you! Explorers is made for 8-12-year-old kids who want to be inspired and learn. And every issue comes with a HUGE pull-out poster too! CHOOSE YOUR OFFER OFFER WITH THE BOOK $49.00 for 6 issues (1 year) via annual automatic renewal (credit card or direct debit). SAVE $2 – 4% discount every 6 issues. OFFER WITHOUT THE BOOK $39.00 for 6 issues (1 year). SAVE $12 – 23% discount. Also available via annual automatic renewal. Mythical Monsters We’ve collected the stories of some of the biggest, baddest and oddest monsters in the world. Have you ever met a yeti,…

With its duck-like beak, beaver-like tail, shy nature and egg laying, the platypus is one of Australia’s most amazing creatures – but it’s in serious trouble. Research by UNSW found over 22% of their natural habitat has been destroyed. It’s so bad that the researchers, with WWF-Australia, the ACF and Humane Society International, nominated the platypus to be listed as a threatened species. We spoke to Dr Kita Ashman, Threatened Species and Climate Adaptation Ecologist at WWF-Australia (and isn’t that one of the best job titles of all time!). 1 How did you get involved with platypuses? I grew up in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges, where many of the rivers are home to platypus, and became involved with their conservation in my role at WWF-Australia. They’ll disappear from our rivers if…

Why didn’t the koala get the job? He was over-koala-fied. What do you call a bunny with lice? Bugs Bunny. Why do French people eat snails? They don’t like fast food! blunt Why is a bad joke like a blunt pencil? Because it has no point. Why did the Sahara become an archaeologist? Because its career was in ruins. What did the astronaut say when he crashed into the moon? I Apollo-gise! Why didn't the skeleton cross the road? He didn’t have any guts. What did the science book say to the maths book? Wow, you’ve got a lot of problems. What kind of key opens up a banana? A monkey of course. Why is it so windy in the stadium? Because of all those fans!…

Slater, 7, loves surfing and skateboarding. His favourite thing about Australia is the beaches, especially the creatures he can find in the rock pools! Meanwhile in space… The NASA rover Perseverance, which was launched on July 30, 2020, landed safely on Mars on February 18, 2021. One of its main jobs is to search for signs of life. Awesome! Reader pop-ups Gwenna, 7, likes dogs, riding her bike, soccer, swimming and editing photos. Her favourite thing about Australia is that there aren’t many big buildings, and there are lots of trees and plants. Jacob, 8, loves chocolate Tim Tams, jokes, dancing, swimming, basketball and soccer. His favourite Aussie animal is a platypus because it has cool abilities. Our hero Aussie Nicole Rycroft wants to stop 800-year-old trees being cut down…

Just think – 536 years ago Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci was sketching planes, gliders and helicopters from his imagination, and today we’re flying into space! Throughout history, flying has held a special place in our hearts, and inspired scientists, inventors and engineers to giddy heights. First were kites that harnessed the wind, and hot air balloons that carried us into the sky. In the 1850s, airships (steerable balloons) took flight, then gliders, where brave souls launched themselves off hills. But it was Orville and Wilbur Wright who changed everything. They believed it was possible to create a machine that could not only fly, but also be controlled. Charlie Taylor, their mechanic, developed an engine for the Wright brothers that was light enough to get up into the air and…

Hello and Welcome by Gregg Dreise, Penguin Random House Australia. This bright, colourful book is a wonderful celebration of Australia’s Indigenous heritage, with gorgeous illustrations by the author. It features some words from the Gamilaraay language of the Kamilaroi people, giving a gentle introduction to the culture of some of our First Nations people, and is wonderfully warm and welcoming. Author Q+A Gregg Dreise is a Kamilaroi author, artist, songwriter and teacher from south-western Queensland. His books include Silly Birds and My Culture and Me, which celebrates Australia’s Indigenous heritage. What inspired your new book? Hello and Welcome is based on old words and old traditions. It’s a song and a custom that helps people realise Aboriginal Australia is not made up of Tribes, nor Mobs, but Countries, which always welcomed…

Port Moresby is just under seven hours by plane from Sydney, and seven-and-a-half hours from Melbourne. All about Peter Favourite food: Chicken. Hobby: I enjoy cutting grass and playing with my friends. Pet: I don’t have a pet, but I love birds. Siblings: I have four sisters and four brothers. What is your favourite subject at school? Maths. What do you want to be when you grow up? Lawyer. Who is your hero? My dad. Favourite place: My favourite town is my dad’s village. I love visiting it because it is beautiful, quiet, has lots of rivers where I can swim, and a lot of food to enjoy. Favourite music: I love listening to gospel music and sometimes reggae. Favourite sport: Soccer. Favourite athlete: Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho, and I love my…