Perfect for nature-loving 7-12 year olds, each issue of Nat Geo Kids is carefully curated to ignite curiosity and spark conversations about science and nature, empowering children to love and care for our beautiful planet.
Hello! In this month's Nat Geo Kids, we explore the wonders of the world's coral reefs. Turn to page 12 to check out some of the animals that thrive in them, and discover how people are looking after these precious habitats on page 32. Plus, on page 18, National Geographic Explorer Alex Schnell tells us about her cool underwater encounters with octopuses! Also this issue, we travel back in time to learn about four famous rulers from Ancient Rome – turn to page 36 to meet them! Hope you enjoy all our puzzles, crafts and posters, too. See you next month! Editor Tim and the Nat Geo Kids team…
Discover more epic animals that are new to science in the next issue of NG KiDS! New fluffy bug! Meet one of the world’s most recently discovered bugs! Named as a new species in March 2024, the furry creature was spotted by entomologist* James Tweed while he was camping in Queensland, Australia. At first, he mistook it for bird poo – but a closer look revealed it was a longhorn beetle covered with long, shaggy, white hairs. Excited, James hurried to CSIRO’s Australian National Insect Collection, where the 1cm-long bug was proven to be a new species. Hooray! The next challenge is to figure out why it’s so hairy. James’ guess? That the fluffy mohawk makes the beetle look like it’s been infected by a fungus, putting o? any hungry…
1 Roughly 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by one huge body of saltwater – the ocean. This is divided into five regions: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic Oceans. The largest, the Pacific, covers about a third of the planet! 2 Throughout history, people have given specific names to the bits of ocean near land – resulting in over 50 seas! The water is connected by currents which transport nutrients and heat around the globe, keeping our planet healthy. 3 Amazingly, over 80% of the ocean has never been studied, explored or even seen by humans. More of the planet Mars has been mapped than our ocean floor and scientists estimate that millions of sea creatures may still be undiscovered. Wow! Sadly, over 12 million tonnes of…
What do you do when your undies get too small or tatty to wear? Throw them in the bin or recycle them? Well, have you ever considered burying them?! This might seem silly, but it’s actually part of a cool science experiment by the Country Trust charity… Healthy soil contains millions of microscopic creatures that help plants grow. But not all soils contain these thriving ecosystems, and it’s hard to tell how healthy soil is by looking at it. That’s where your pants come in! With a grown-up’s permission, bury a pair of old 100% cotton underwear in garden soil. Wait two months, then dig them back up and take a look. The healthier your soil, the more the underwear will have fallen apart – broken down by all those…
Climate car Check out the huge ‘hailstones’ that have hammered this car in Milan, Italy! It’s actually a sculpture by eco-campaigners highlighting the extreme weather that’s being caused by climate change. The region was hit by huge, freak hailstones in July last year – thankfully NOT as big as these pretend ones. Phew! Fluffy friends These incredible creatures are all made out of wool! Japanese artist Terumi Ohta uses a technique called needle-felting to create the realistic animals, repeatedly poking the wool with sharp needles until the fibres lock together. She then uses clay for the nose, paws and claws, and glass for the eyes. Wow! Funny faces Artist Lee Wagstaff paints geometric patterns on canvas using oil paint. But if you squint your eyes or take a few steps…
Barnacle ball! This volleyball was discovered on a beach near Weymouth, Dorset, its underside covered in a colony of pelagic goose barnacles! The small crustaceans spend their lives attached to the bottoms of boats, driftwood or rubbish floating about in the sea – like this lost volleyball! It's thought it floated to the UK all the way from the Gulf of Mexico in North America, ending up in British waters following a storm in the Atlantic Ocean. "I do wonder about the journey this ball's been on," says photographer Ryan Stalker, who put it back into the sea to take the pic. "From initially being lost, then spending time in tropical waters where the barnacles are native, to perhaps years in the open ocean before arriving in Dorset." Ryan's amazing…
