Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 236 i National Geographic Kids (UK)

Hey Kids! This month we head over to the Amazon to meet four Nat Geo Explorers who tell us about the amazing animals they're protecting – turn to page 10 to begin your South American adventure! On page 20, we check out some brilliantly bizarre bird behaviour and then reveal the science behind beautiful auroras on page 40 – have YOU seen the Northern Lights in the sky?! Also this issue, we check out the strange star-nosed mole and learn about the life of John Logie Baird, inventor of the TV! Hope you enjoy the hilarious Comedy Wildlife posters and tricky puzzles, too! See you next month! Editor Tim and the Nat Geo Kids team…

Christmas Jumper Day has raised over £37m since it began in 2012. Wow! On 12 December, millions of people across the country will don their silliest sweaters to raise money for Save the Children. Fancy joining the party?! All you have to do is wear your fave festive jumper and donate £1 to the charity, which will help kids facing serious issues like war, hunger and poverty. You can take part on your own, with your whole class or even school! Don’t have a Christmas jumper? Don’t worry! You could decorate an old sweater with tinsel and baubles, grab a second-hand one from a charity shop, or swap with a friend. ● Ask an adult or teacher to sign up for Christmas Jumper Day online!…

THIS JOURNAL ENTRY BELONGS TO: João Campos-Silva, biologist 17 SEPTEMBER Juruá River (feeds into the Amazon River), Brazil Tonight was a close call. My team and I were in a boat counting black caimans. Usually we just tally them up as their eyes reflect the glow of a torch. But tonight, a strong current smashed our boat into a Log, ripping a hole in the vessel. We were sinking - fast. Caimans are the largest predators in the Amazon River, growing up to 6m long. So, yeah, I was a little freaked out about being in the water with them! But then something scarier happened: water filled my boots, pulling me to the bottom. Holding my breath, I kicked off my shoes and swam to the surface. Thankfully, everyone made…

1 What should you do if a snake is on the trail? A. Hiss at it. It’ll think you’re another snake. B. Raise your arms and scream. That’ll scare it off for sure. C. Try to jump over it. Its eyes won’t be able to see the movement. D. Slowly back away. Snakes are more afraid of humans than we are of them. 2 Which of these WON’T protect you much from mosquito bites? A. Loose-fitting clothing B. Bug spray C. A citronella candle D. A mosquito net 3 What does SPF stand for? A. Solar proof function B. Sunny protector force C. Sun protection factor D. Shine pause fast 4 How do you escape quicksand? A. Ask your friend to toss you a rope and pull you out. B. Make slow, small, back-and-forth motions with your legs until you’re…

'Extinct' bird returns! Six siheks (say “sea-hecks”) have returned to the wild on Palmyra Atoll, an island in the Pacific Ocean, after being extinct in nature for over 35 years! Also known as Guam kingfishers, the birds died out in 1988 after they were decimated by brown tree snakes, an introduced predator. But a few were rescued by conservationists, who hoped to boost their numbers and eventually release them. Thanks to this hard work, six healthy, young siheks, hand-raised in Sedgewick County Zoo, USA, were released in September and are now flying free! Experts will monitor the birds in their new home, which is a protected nature reserve, and it’s hoped the siheks will soon be able to return to their native island, Guam, too. Great! Scuba-diving lizard! Meet the…

NOV 30 St. Andrew's Day A special day for Scotland! DEC 4 International Cheetah Day Three cheers for the speedy cats! DEC 5 World Soil Day Celebrate the stuff beneath your feet! DEC 11 International Mountain Day Visit your nearest peak! DEC 21 World Basketball Day Shoot some hoops today!…

THIS JOURNAL ENTRY BELONGS TO: Fernando trujillo, marine biologist 5 MARCH Lagoon near Guaviare River (links to the Amazon River), Colombia I can't believe this happened! I was in a boat, hoping to see the Amazon river dolphins that I study. When a family of six swam closer, I dived into the water. But my lucky bandanna slipped off my head and disappeared into the murky water. I was so annoyed - it had pink river dolphins all over it, and it protected my scalp from the sun. But a few minutes later, one of the dolphins nudged me with its snout. It had my bandanna on one of its flippers! The people in this photo are dressed up as pink river dolphins for a ceremony. Local Indigenous people have many…

WEIRD BUT TRUE! 2025 Ages 5+ £20 The all-new 2025 children's annual is loaded with jaw-dropping, eye-popping, brain-bending facts, paired with bright, bold photography! CHRISTMAS JOKE BOOK Ages 7+ £6.99 Bursting with 300 side- splittingly funny jokes, amazing festive facts and tons of colourful photos, this book is sure to raise a chuckle this Christmas! A FACT FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR Ages 7+ £12.99 Kids will be amazed and astounded with a new fact every single day - in this book you'll find a perfect mix of random trivia and 'on this day' facts, plus tons of colourful photos to entertain all year round. TRUE OR FALSE? Ages 7+ £6,99 Sort the fact from the fiction with this interactive game book, bursting with 300 true-or-false statements. Quiz family…

TOURIST TRAIL These photos show close-up and faraway views of famous landmarks in the UK and Ireland. Unscramble the letters to reveal the name of the place in each picture. Bonus: Use the yellow letters to help you answer the joke below. Answers on page 57 JOKE: What happened to the man who fainted on the London Eye?…

Answers on page 57…

1 Also called yelloweyed penguins, hoiho scramble around the eastern coastal forests of New Zealand’s South Island. Despite their noisy name (‘hoiho’ means ‘noise shouter’ in the Māori language), they’re shy birds who hide their nests out of sight. 2 As well as their loud, shrill call, these penguins can be recognised by their strong, fishy smell and yellow eyes. Swimming up to 25km from shore to forage, they mostly gobble down fi sh, molluscs and crustaceans. 3 Fewer than 3,000 hoiho remain in the wild today because they’re threatened by disease, introduced predators, disturbance and fishing. But experts are working to protect hoiho habitat and keep predators out, so it’s hoped their numbers will increase. The New Zealand Bird of the Year contest was set up to raise awareness…

THIS JOURNAL ENTRY BELONGS TO: Ruthmery pillco Huarcaya, wildlife biologist This is my dog, Ukuku, who I rescued and trained to sniff out Andean bear scat. Her name means 'Andean bear' in Quechua, the Local Indigenous language I grew up speaking. She's the best research partner ever! 15 NOVEMBER Cloud forest in the Andes Mountains, Peru Wow, what a day! My dog, Ukuku, and I had been searching for hours for any sign of an Andean bear. I examined each tree we passed for scratch marks these animals leave as messages to other bears, and I searched the moss-covered ground for paw prints. Nothing. Suddenly, Ukuku sat still - her signal that she'd picked up a scent: Andean bear poop! I rewarded her with bacon, then scooped up the scat…

THIS JOURNAL ENTRY BELONGS TO: Andressa Bárbara Scabin, biologist 1 OCTOBER Juruá River (feeds into the Amazon River), Brazil Beach guards are working so hard to keep South American river turtles safe. For the past few months, they've been marking the river turtle nests and protecting the eggs from poachers. Today, the turtles started to hatch! The beach guards took some of the hatchlings to a care centre where the young turtles will grow bigger and stronger. 16 NOVEMBER Juruá River, Brazil So. Many. Tiny. Turtles! Today, we gathered to watch a 'soltura', or a release of turtle hatchlings. Volunteers gently tipped crates full of 50,000 healthy hatchlings onto the riverbank, and the baby turtles scurried to the water. We hope our work will mean this river will have lots more…

If someone calls you a ‘bird brain’, take it as a compliment! Birds have evolved astonishing strategies over millions of years that have helped them become one of the most successful and diverse animal groups on Earth, containing over 11,000 species. Check out some of the weird ways these incredible animals mate, feed and survive… MEGA MEMORIES European jays can remember up to 3,500 places where they’ve hidden acorns for winter. They also know how to keep certain foods fresh. When storing or ‘caching’ worms to eat later, they paralyse them with a beak squeeze. Then the jays return to eat them before they die and rot. Ew! Amazingly, birds are living dinosaurs! They first evolved around 150 million years ago from two-legged, meat-eating dinos called theropods. Then, when an asteroid…

These quirky creatures live in wet soil near marshes, swamps and bogs in North America. EYE DON'T NEED 'EM These moles only have small, weak eyes. That’s because they live mostly underground in near-total darkness, so don’t use their peepers much. The star-nosed mole has the best sense of touch of any mammal! EXTREMELY NOSY The star-nosed mole’s nostrils are surrounded by a star of 22 fleshy tentacles. These extra ‘fingers’ are used to sense prey such as worms in the dirt. DIG IT Shovel-shaped front limbs and claws help these moles tunnel through dirt and paddle in water. Handy! BUBBLE BLOWER With twice the lung capacity of other moles, star-noses are strong swimmers! To hunt small fi sh and worms underwater, they blow bubbles out of their nostrils, which…

Answers on page 57 ● BAUBLE ● CANDY CANE ● CAROL SINGING ● CHRISTMAS CARDS ● CHRISTMAS LIST ● DONKEY ● ELVES ● FIREPLACE ● GINGERBREAD ● GLOVES ● GROTTO ● HOLIDAY ● HOLLY ● ICE SKATING ● IVY ● MINCE PIES ● MISTLETOE ● PANTO ● PARTY ● REINDEER ● RIBBON ● ROBIN ● RUDOLPH ● SANTA ● SCARF ● SLEEPOVER ● SLEIGH ● SNOW ● SPROUTS ● STOCKING ● TINSEL ● TREE ● WINTER WALKS ● WOOLLY HAT ● WRAPPING PAPER ● WREATH…

AURORA ART Create a stunning Northern Lights scene! What you'll need ● Thick white paper (watercolour paper if possible) ● Sponge ● Paints and paint brushes ● Pencil ● Black paper or card ● Scissors ● Glue Start here! 1 First, wet your paper with a sponge. This will help the colours spread and bleed across the paper. 2 Looking at the photos below and on page 40 for inspiration, apply paint to the wet paper to create a swirling sky lit up with the Northern Lights. 3 Try swiping some of the wet paint away with a dry sponge to create streaks of light. When you’re happy with the effect, leave it to dry. 4 Using a piece of black paper the same width as your painting, draw the…

CROSSWORD (page 47) FESTIVE WORDSEARCH (page 48) ROBIN is hidden twice. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE (page 49) BRAIN BOOSTERS! (page 50-51) PENGUIN SEARCH PENGUIN is in the grid SIX times. WHICH WEATHER? TORNADO. NUMBER SEARCH PLANET MIX-UP B and E are the missing jigsaw pieces. HIDDEN CREATURES 1-JAGUAR; 2-SLOTH; 3-TOUCAN; 4-CAPYBARA; 5-ORANGUTAN; 6-OCELOT; 7-OKAPI; 8-LEMUR. PICTURE CLUES PHARAOH. CODED MESSAGE A BLACK HOLE IS CREATED WHEN BIG STARS EXPLODE. SUPER SUMS A-104; B-16; C-23; D-32; E-95; F-64; G-56; H-18. FLOWER FINDER! 8 and 11 appear once. WHAT IN THE WORLD (page 53) TOP ROW: STONEHENGE; BUCKINGHAM PALACE; EDINBURGH CASTLE. MIDDLE ROW: TOWER BRIDGE; GIANT’S CAUSEWAY; CLIFFS OF MOHER. BOTTOM ROW: CONWY CASTLE; ANGEL OF THE NORTH; BEN NEVIS. BONUS: HE SLOWLY CAME AROUND! ANIMAL FUN HOUSE (page 54) 1-POISON-DART FROG; 2-SIFAKA;…