Table of contents for Issue 358 - June 2025 in MiniMag

In this issue, we're flying high with the latest "How to Train Your Dragon" movie! But dragons aren't the only powerful creatures in this edition - you are too! Why? Because YOU have the power to protect the planet. We're taking a deep dive into plastic pollution on World Environment Day, and World Ocean Day to discover how our everyday actions can make a big difference. You'll find out how deserts are spreading, what that means for animals and people, and how we can fight it with smart science and soil-saving solutions. And that’s not all! We zoom over to Easter Island to explore the mysterious Moai statues - giant stone heads with giant secrets to tell. Plus, Gami returns to show you how maths helps farmers and scientists check the health…

Here are a few simple ways you can help save the environment and make the world a better place for all of us. Protect the environment and keep our planet healthy for future generations! Nature coming back to life Sometimes, humans can help the environment in surprising ways. For example, in the 1990s, scientists planted millions of trees in China’s "Green Wall" project to stop desertification and protect the land from dust storms. Today, that area has been transformed, with green forests thriving where deserts once were. Another incredible example is the recovery of the ozone layer! In the 1980s, scientists discovered that chemicals in aerosols and coolants were damaging the ozone layer, which protects us from harmful sun rays. Thanks to global efforts to ban these harmful chemicals, the…

Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as it’s known to the people who live there, belongs to Chile but is over 3 500 km from the South American coast! It’s one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. Between about 1400 and 1650 CE, the Rapa Nui people carved nearly 1 000 Moai statues from volcanic rock found in a quarry on the island. Giants from the Earth The Moai statues are massive! Most are about 4 metres tall, but the tallest ever found is nearly 10 metres high and weighs as much as 75 tonnes - that’s heavier than 10 elephants! The heads are so large they make up almost half of the statue’s full body, which is often buried beneath the ground. Why were they built? No one…

You might have heard that plants and animals are the living parts of the environment and that air, water and soil are the non-living parts. This is not the whole story. Healthy soil is full of life! In fact, there are more micro-organisms in a teaspoon of healthy soil than people on earth. Healthy soil is home to microbes, algae, slugs, mites, earthworms, plant roots, insects and moles to name a few. The most important creatures in soil are the decomposers, also called detritivores. Decomposers break down plant and animal material into smaller and simpler parts. By doing this, they add organic material and nutrients into the soil that plants need to grow well. Ground cover: A sun hat and shield for the soil Plants like grass and creepers help…

Vikings lived in longhouses - wooden buildings with thatched or turf roofs where entire families (and sometimes animals!) lived together. These homes were warm and cosy, with a fire in the centre for cooking and heat. Viking people were skilled at making what they needed: they spun wool, forged iron tools, carved wood and sewed their own clothes. Most Vikings were farmers, and they grew barley, oats and vegetables, and kept animals like cows, sheep and goats. Life was hard in the cold north, but Vikings were tough and knew how to survive! Great warriors of the sea Vikings were fierce warriors, known for their battle cries, axes and round shields. They wore helmets - but probably not with horns, despite what cartoons show! Viking warriors formed something called a…

What is plastic pollution? Plastic pollution happens when plastic waste ends up in places it shouldn't - like rivers, beaches, forests and even inside animals! Since plastic doesn't rot or break down quickly, it sticks around for hundreds of years. That’s bad news for wildlife and for us. Here’s what plastic can do: • Harm animals that swallow or get trapped in it. • Break into tiny pieces called microplastics, which end up in food and water. • Release harmful chemicals into the soil and oceans. Who’s affected? • Sea animals like turtles, dolphins and fish often mistake plastic for food. • Birds pick up plastic to feed their chicks - but it fills their tummies with junk. • Humans are affected too! Microplastics have even been found in our…

The Palace of Versailles began as a simple hunting lodge – but everything changed when King Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, turned it into a symbol of power and beauty in the 1600s. He believed the sun was the centre of the universe, and that’s how he saw himself too! So he built a palace that dazzled everyone who visited, with shiny mirrors, gold decorations and enormous halls. Magical gardens and fountains The gardens of Versailles are just as grand as the palace itself. With over 50 fountains, secret paths, trimmed hedges and colourful flowers, it’s like a living maze! These innovative fountains were powered using clever water systems designed hundreds of years ago. A museum of history Today, Versailles is not just a palace – it’s a…

Water: the precious resource Freshwater is invaluable. Of all the water on Earth, only 2.5 per cent is freshwater and of this, only less than one per cent is usable by ecosystems and humans. Increasing water scarcity (when more water is needed than is available) and drought, in part as a result of climate change, will have negative impacts on food security, energy availability, political stability and peace. Over the next ten years, one of the top five risks humanity faces is that our water supply will decrease even more, which is why we need to act now to prevent this. Where is the water used? Freshwater is renewable, but depends on the healthy functioning of ecosystems. About 70% of the freshwater available in the world is in the soil…

Some English words come from ancient Greek or Latin, others from French, and even some from faraway places like India or Persia! Get ready to discover the incredible journeys that words have taken to become part of your everyday language. Travelling Crossword Sanskrit is an ancient Indo-European language of India. CLUES ACROSS: 1. From the Persian words pa (leg) and jama (garment). 2. From Hindi jangal, meaning "uncultivated land". 4. From Latin Vulcanus, the Roman god of fire. 5. From Sanskrit avatara, meaning "descent", used for divine beings. 6. A mix of Chinese tai fung and Greek typhon, meaning "great wind" or storm. 8. From the Greek scholē, originally meaning "leisure" or "free time". 10. From the Spanish word guitarra, which came from the ancient Greek kithara. 15. From the…

DIG INTO THE DIRT! Ready to get your hands dirty solving muddy mysteries with maths? Did you know that healthy soil is alive and filled with tiny creatures, nutrients and moisture? But sometimes soil gets tired, dry or polluted – and that’s when we need maths to help! Farmers, scientists and environmentalists use all kinds of clever calculations to measure soil health, decide what crops to grow, and figure out how to fix damaged dirt. Let’s dig deep and find out how numbers make our planet greener – starting from the ground up! Can you help the hungry earthworm find his way to the juicy apple cores? Turn to page 33 for all the solutions! Start counting … Soil is a mix of ingredients – measured with ratios Healthy soil…