Hello and welcome to the Week Junior show.
I'm Bex and I'm joined by writers Kay and Joe from the Week Junior, the magazine making sense of the world for 8 to 14 year olds.
Now, in a week that saw Donald Trump visit Scotland and the dog surfing championship take place in Dorset, we're going to be discussing some of the other stories that inspired the Week Junior team.
And make sure you're listening closely, because at the end of the episode we'll be asking a question about what you've heard.
And if you answer correctly, you could win a prize.
So before we begin all of that, I've seen a story in the magazine this week about a trailer for Hoppers, which is a new Disney movie, where the main character turns into a robot beaver, which kind of got me thinking what animal would you be and why?
Joe, what are you going for?
I'd be a cheater for no other reason than I'd be able to run really, really fast.
I do quite a bit of running in my spare time, but more long distance stuff.
So to be able to just go from sort of nought to whatever in Seconds would be incredible.
A cheetah's a really good one, okay.
Thinking outside the box with that one.
How about you, Kay?
I'd be a dolphin because I love swimming around in the sea and I'm scared of heights, so I'd never go for a bird.
But I really like deep water, so yeah.
Okay, a dolphin, excellent.
I would be a golden retriever.
I'm pretty sure about that.
I know that my friends, whenever I call them, It's not a picture of me that comes up on their screen.
It's a picture of a golden retriever.
They've changed their backgrounds for me personally.
I think that's the vibe I give off.
So I'm pretty sure that if I was to turn into an animal, that's exactly who I'd be.
But if listeners at home want to tell us what animal they'd be, please do.
You can email hello at theweekjuniorcouk or leave a voice note at funkidslivecom.
Slash theweekjunior.
Just grab a grown up and look for that big red button, then record your voice.
And if your voice note is played next week, you could win a Week Junior roving reporter badge.
Now, last week, we asked what everyone's favourite puppet was.
We got a message here from Matilda.
Hello, my name is Matilda and I agree with Bex.
My favourite puppet is Sooty and Sweep because they are very funny and Sweep is a sausage bread.
Thank you.
Yes, Matilda, we've got a fellow Sooty and Sweep fan in the house.
Oh, my goodness.
I also, I'm not going to lie, I love a voice note that starts with, I agree with Bex.
Great.
That's exactly what I want.
We also had a message here from Caitlin.
Hi, Dewey Junior.
I'm Caitlin and my favourite puppy is a kitty cat because cats are so cute.
Meow.
Meow.
Bye.
Oh, wow.
I love the impression at the end.
That was amazing.
That's incredible.
Yeah, I didn't expect that at all.
A little meow at the end from Caitlin.
Thank you very much, Matilda and Caitlin, for sending in those messages.
And if you want to delight us as much as those guys did, send a voice note right now.
Go to funkidslive.com slash theweekjunior.
Now let's turn our attention to the latest magazine, because I want to know what's been in the headlines this week.
Joe, what do you have for me?
Well, it's our cover story, which is about England's Lionesses winning Euro 2025.
So the tournament saw the very best international teams in Europe compete for the trophy, and England battled their way through to win the final against Spain last Sunday.
Euro 2025 took place in Switzerland, and so the Lionesses became the first senior England team to win a major trophy abroad.
Now, it wasn't always easy.
They lost their first match of the tournament against France and in the knockout stages had to come from behind in every single game.
But the team showed incredible levels of grit and resilience to win the tournament for the second time in a row.
Plenty of standout performances, including from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, striker Alessia Russo and Michelle Aguiman, the teenager who was named young player of the tournament.
And on Tuesday this week there was an open top bus parade through London and a ceremony in front of Buckingham Palace with 65000 fans turning up to celebrate with them.
My friend was actually at that big parade and said the atmosphere was electric.
She said I couldn't hear anything that was happening on the big stages, but she was like just lovely to be there because it is quite a big moment right, Joe?
Yeah, it's huge.
It's massive for the country.
And, you know, like I said there, They're record breakers.
They've won the tournament back to back.
They're the first senior team to win the tournament abroad.
And yeah, just on a personal level, I really enjoyed watching them throughout the tournament.
It wasn't always easy and it wasn't always the most calming, the way they sort of went behind in every game and just about pulled it back.
But yeah, it was just it was just incredible.
It was a great, great summer of football.
Yeah, I absolutely agree with you on that one.
Thanks, Joe.
Now, Kay, what's another story you've seen in the news this week?
An Ancient Egyptian handprint was found on a clay model of a building from an Egyptian tomb.
And it was discovered by some researchers at the University of Cambridge.
And it's thought that it's been left by the maker before it had dried.
So you can just see their fingerprints in the now dried clay.
But an expert on ancient Egypt called Helen Strudwick has called it rare and exciting, and it's going to be on show at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge from the 3rd of October.
I love the idea that, no matter what era or age we're in, the inclination to put your hand in something and make a mark is always there.
Right, Kay?
It's got to be done.
It's got to be done.
You know, if you're going to be there, you might as well make sure everybody knows about it.
Um yeah, and there's a great picture of that in the magazine as well.
Now, moving on, it's time for my favourite part of the show real or rubbish.
This is the bit where I hear a story.
I have to guess if it's true or false, fact or fake news.
So, Kay, what do you have for me this week?
It's been really hot recently, and so some smart scientists have come up with a new way to cool your house down.
So instead of using fans, you can apply a thin coating of yoghurt to the outside of your windows.
What?!
!
And the experts are saying that this will help lower the temperature of your house during the day.
This is because yogurt is light in color and it reflects heat and shields the window from the sunshine.
And after doing some research and testing this out, scientists concluded that the yogurt applied to the windows could lower the indoor temperature by up to 35 degrees Celsius.
So is this story real or a dairy disaster?
OK, well, I've got lots of questions, lots of issues with this.
First of all, are we talking vanilla?
Any particular flavour?
Could I chuck some strawberry on there?
I think maybe just like a plain, as long as it's plain in colour, it might be all right.
OK, next question.
Why wouldn't you just put like white paper on there or something else that's white?
Why'd you have the yoghurt?
I don't know.
I think they've just decided to test some yoghurt.
Maybe they had lots of yoghurt lying around.
The final thing is, let's face it, yoghurt is meant to be refrigerated for a reason.
The idea of yoghurt being smeared onto a window, then the sun beating down on it.
Surely that would turn that yoghurt quite quickly into a bit of a smelly disaster.
Maybe just because it's so kind of light in colour, like it's unaffected by the heat.
I think you could use yoghurt as an alternative to after sun, maybe.
It's so cool.
It is cool.
I won't argue that.
But the idea of using yogurt on my windows.
It feels like quite an expensive way as well of cooling the house down.
Just buying pot upon pot of yogurt, getting spoons smearing on the window.
I also the idea that somebody's discovered this as well, like that's quite funny, the idea that somebody has gone now into the world and said you know what I'm going to do.
Just pop some yogurt on that window.
Either way.
I don't know what the answer is to this one.
It seems ridiculous and I don't trust a word.
You say Kay, in this section, so I'll have a little think.
And while I'm considering my yoghurt options, it's time to get back to our book of the week.
Now, this week, it's Celtic Myths by Martin McIntyre.
We've got a message here from Martin to talk more about it.
Hello.
My name is Martin McIntyre, or Marston McIndoos in Scottish Gaelic, and I am the author of Celtic Myths, a beautiful book published by Darlene Kindersley and illustrated by Katie Ponder.
And in this book there are over 20 stories drawn from the worlds and the lore of the Celtic people, principally in Scotland and Ireland and Wales, but also including Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany, which is now heart of France.
And it was an absolute thrill to be given the opportunity to put some of these stories into writing which I had told orally, just told face to face, heart to heart, over many, many years.
I really hope you all enjoy them.
And in addition to the stories, there's lots more information as well about the celtic people and the, the various um heroes and strong characters of the stories and also the worlds that they lived in.
Well, my favorite author growing up surprise surprise, enid blyton it would be a lie to say otherwise.
Um, she was the author of many, many book series.
I'm sure some of you will know The Secret Seven, The Famous Five.
My favourite series was the Adventure series, which included works like The Island of Adventure, The Castle of Adventure and The Valley of Adventure.
Thanks for listening.
Thank you very much to Martin and Enid Blyton.
That's a classic choice.
Now, if you'd like a chance to win a copy of Celtic Myths, stay with us until the end of the show, and you can find out how by entering our prize draw.
Now, we've just been joined by this week's guest editor, Laura.
Laura edits lots of pages, including the animals and environment pages.
Laura, hello.
What do you have for us this week?
Hello.
Back again, two weeks in a row.
I feel very privileged.
I've got a great story, though.
And the reason it's so good is because it's actually something that readers can get involved in.
So it's about a new campaign and it's called Go Wild for Hedgehogs.
And it's been launched this summer by Hedgehog Street, which is an organisation that's kind of made up of two different charities.
So it's the People's Trust for Endangered Species and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
And they've got together to ask people around the UK to create this wild patch in their garden.
So the idea is that it would provide kind of food and nesting materials and a kind of place to sort of generally hide and snuffle around in for hedgehogs, and basically it's really easy to do.
Um, all you need to do is you need to pick a small area in your garden, if you, if you have one, and basically just leave it undisturbed.
So they want people to take a photo of a before photo of their wild patch and send it to them, and then it can be basically just kind of left alone and then over the next year hedgehog street will share lots of tips you to to make your wild patch better.
And then they want people to take another photo.
Share a photo of their wild patch next year to see how it's changed.
And of course, if any hedgehogs are using it.
But basically, hedgehog numbers in the countryside have fallen between 30 and 75 since the year 2000.
But in towns and cities, they're starting to recover.
So basically, this campaign is just making use of these kind of urban spaces to And yeah, just trying to boost hedgehog populations even further within cities and towns.
So you're saying to me doing absolutely nothing is the key?
Nothing at all to this land?
I know.
It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?
I was actually talking to my mum about this last weekend because she's despairing over this part of her garden where there's a, there's a tree that's died and I was saying mum, just rewild it, just let it go.
But she finds that really hard because she's a very she's a very good gardener.
But yeah, basically you can just leave it.
That is the idea, although they do suggest that you could plant wildflower seeds so you do that kind of in the autumn time and then hopefully they pop up, like the next spring, summer.
So that is one thing that you can do, but other than that, you leave it.
So, no mowing, no pulling up weeds, that's exactly what you want.
You want it to kind of overgrow and yeah, look lovely hopefully.
I love this idea of doing absolutely nothing and also helping the environment.
That's the perfect Venn diagram.
Brilliant stuff.
And we'll be able to look out for some hedgehogs.
Thank you very much, Laura.
No worries.
Now it's time for this week's big debate.
And the question is, should child-free places be banned?
Kay and Joe are going to go head-to-head on this one.
But before we hear from them, here's what you need to know.
Earlier this year, a group of politicians in France said holiday spots like hotels, campsites and restaurants that don't allow children should be banned.
They want to pass a law against only letting adults into public places.
A growing number of hotels in France don't let children stay and there's plenty in the UK too.
The hotels say this is so that grown up guests can have a more peaceful and relaxing break.
One French politician warned this is part of a growing no-kids trend and if the ban becomes law, France will be one of the first countries to make child-free places illegal.
So this is Joe and Kay going head-to-head.
Each of them have 60 seconds to make their case, and then I'll make up my mind on who I agree with more.
First up, we've got Joe telling us his point of view.
So Joe, I'm going to get the timer up.
Whenever you're ready, take it away.
Banning children from spaces where adults are allowed to go isn't fair.
Every adult was a child once, and i don't suppose any of us would have liked it if we'd been made to feel like noisy, unwelcome nuisances as kids.
And look, if somewhere is a public place, then everyone should be let in.
It just seems completely unfair to set an age limit.
Children surely have as much right to access public spaces and facilities as adults do, and it's tough on parents too if the number of places they're allowed to visit is limited.
Finding places to go with kids isn't always easier, and these kinds of rules make it even trickier.
And finally, kids need to learn to behave or how to behave around adults in public places.
And it's naturally more difficult to learn something if you're not allowed to practice.
Children bring a different kind of energy, and lots of adults enjoy seeing kids laughing and having fun rather than viewing them as a nuisance.
Oh, a lovely, well-rounded and under-timed debate.
Thank you very much, Jo.
But now it's time for Kay to tell us her point of view.
So Kay, whenever you're ready, go for it.
So some people just need a bit of peace and quiet.
Why not have child-free places?
Children and young people have their own play parks and paddling pools.
So it's only fair that adults who are over 16 can enjoy these child-free places if they want to.
And labelling a place as child-free just makes the vibe really clear to everyone.
And it gives people options to either go to them or go somewhere else.
And anyone with a younger sibling or a younger cousin or who's had younger siblings and cousins in the past, knows that they can be really noisy and a little bit annoying sometimes.
So why wouldn't you want to just not put yourself in that situation?
Excellent.
All right.
Well, I'm interested in this one because to me the funny thing is, I imagine, all of the places that are going to be adults only, the kids probably don't want to go anyway, because they're probably quite boring and a bit dull.
Why would you want to go there?
But that's not the point, is it?
The idea of being banned from somewhere does kind of make you want to go to somewhere more.
So it's a really tough one this week.
And I'm really interested in our listeners' and readers' opinions, because that's who this would affect.
So if you've got a big, big thought about this, we want to know.
Go to theweekjunior.co.uk slash polls and you could vote online.
You can also email your thoughts to us at hello at theweekjunior.co.uk or send us a voice note.
Go to funkidslive.com slash theweekjunior, then scroll down till you see that big red button.
All you've got to do is grab a grown-up and record your voice.
Now, last week's big debate was about whether it's okay to reserve a spot by the pool.
So let's find out what our Week Junior listeners and readers voted.
Last week, we asked you if it's okay to reserve a spot by the pool.
And this was a really close one, with just over half of you 51 deciding that it's not fair to save yourself a place.
Now, I've got to say, that is one of the closest, I think, that we've had for a long, long time.
We've got a voice note here sent in from Ria all about this.
I think people shouldn't reserve swimming spots as if they've taken and the people who have taken them have gone.
The people who really need them haven't got any spots and they can't relax or go to sleep.
Something similar has happened to some other people recently.
I was there watching and witnessing.
After my swimming class, we were all going for our shower.
This person reserved a spot the last spot and the child after her swimming lesson really needed that swimming shower as they were late for their next activity.
The person who reserved Well Ria has given us some live action on the ground eyewitness reporting there.
So thank you so much to Ria for telling us all about that.
It's nice when people have a side in the argument and a reason for it as well, like actual real life testimony.
So Ria, thank you so much for sending in that voice note.
We love it.
And if you do want to send in a voice note as well, all you've got to do is head to funkidslivecom.
Slash theweekjunior.
And another person sent us a message saying if you have a big family, you don't want to be dotted around the beach.
You want to sit together.
Unless there's someone in your family you really don't like, in which case, if they've got like smelly feet or something, you'll be like yeah, you go across there, I'll stay here.
But yes, very good point there.
Thank you to everybody who got in touch.
Really divisive one, 51%.
That is, like I said, very, very close indeed.
Now we've heard the Week Junior readers' opinions on the big debate and it's time for editorial assistant Elena to share some of the messages she's received from readers this week.
Hi, Bex.
Hi, everyone.
Well, Elliot and Harry messaged us to tell us about an amazing initiative they've come up with.
They said, we wanted to sell our excess rhubarb for 50p for a pair of sticks.
We've told customers that we are raising money for books and ice cream.
In between customers, we are reading books and the week junior.
Honestly, what a nice way to start the summer holidays.
They sent us a picture of their stall and let me tell you the size of those rhubarb stalks.
There are some like normal size stalks in like a little box that they have.
And then two of them are at least a meter long.
I don't think I've seen rhubarbs that size ever.
I'm astounded.
What do you think about this, Kay?
Yeah, I've never seen rhubarb like that either.
I used to sometimes go into my next door neighbour's garden and pick the rhubarb.
I was allowed to do it.
So, yeah.
I'm lucky you.
I'd love to have a stable rhubarb supply.
I love rhubarb so much.
I also love this message from Molly, who sent us a picture of her collection of pin badges.
And she said, I've been a subscriber to you for quite a few years.
And in those years, I have been collecting pin badges.
My collection is now over 200.
And I would really really like a roving reporter badge to add to the collection, because I love the week junior.
My dog also says congratulations on issue 500.
I have been reading since the early 200s.
Wow, Molly, this is amazing.
She also sent us a picture of her dog and those are always welcome here at the Wig Junior.
We'll definitely send you that roving reporter badge.
But in the meantime, I'd like to ask Joe, which of Molly's spin badges is your favourite?
Mine is probably the rainbow badge because I feel like it stands out for how colourful it is.
But Joe, what do you think?
There's a lot on there, isn't there?
But I think...
I think I picked the Canada badge for no other reason than I have some distant relatives in Canada and I saw them a couple of weeks ago when they were in London.
So a shout out to them and a shout out to Canada.
Well, that is nice.
Also seen a few Belgian ones, which is very cool.
Thank you so much, Elliot, Harry and Molly.
We love hearing what everyone is up to.
And if, like Molly, you would like a Rover Reporter badge, please send us a voice note.
If it's playing the podcast, we will quickly send one your way.
Bye, everyone.
It's over to you, Bex.
Thank you very much.
I can't stop looking at those badges.
Right, it's time to turn our attention back to the magazine this week and to the team's favourite stories.
Joe, who's been your Hero of the Week in the magazine?
My Hero of the Week is actually another English star who is celebrating sporting success worldwide.
On the same day, the Lionesses won the Euro 2025 final.
It's golfer Lottie Wode who won the Women's Scottish Open in Ayrshire.
This was the 21-year-old's first professional tournament as a golfer.
So massive congratulations to her.
That is really good.
I always want to take up golf.
I've never tried it in my life, but I feel like it would be something I enjoy.
So maybe I'll try and ask Lottie for some tips.
Kay, what's been your favourite fact that you've learned this week?
It's that a unicorn is Scotland's national animal and I found this out when I was reading and writing about Finney, who's been unveiled as the Commonwealth Games 2026 official mascot, and she is a unicorn and she's got a traffic cone for a horn and because apparently in Glasgow there's this really famous statue of the Duke of Wellington I think it is and sometimes people put a traffic cone on top of his head.
Yeah, it's a very famous statue.
If you're up in Glasgow, you will definitely know the one that Kay is talking about.
I've got to say a story this week that made me smile.
I quite enjoyed seeing on the Around the World pages was in Indonesia.
There is a National Children's Day, which I love the idea of.
Apparently, it reminds citizens how important children are to the future.
And apparently around...
84 million children live in Indonesia and this is a way of celebrating them.
I just thought it was a really, really nice thing to do.
So lots of stories to go and check out there in the brand new magazine.
Now it's time for the moment of truth.
Kay, we need to talk about the real rubbish.
Can you please remind me what the story was, please?
So this is the story that some smart scientists have been experimenting with yogurt and applying it to windows outside homes, on the glass, and seeing if it can cool down the inside of people's homes.
I cannot figure out if this is a story that's so ridiculous that it's real.
Or if I say it's real, you'll all laugh at me for saying I can't believe you've believed such a ridiculous story.
So I genuinely don't know about this one.
Like I said, my main problem is why would you do this in the first place, unless somebody accidentally spilt some yoghurt on a window and they were like actually it feels good and cool inside now.
And also, I'll be honest, I'd be tempted just to lick it off the window because I quite like yoghurt, but then that would be weird.
So I saw Joe's face as I said that.
He was not impressed.
So I am going to say it has to be rubbish.
I'm going to say the story this week is rubbish.
It's going to have to be.
So let's do a drum roll.
No, it's real.
But it's just a scientific experiment.
Dr Ben Roberts and his team from Loughborough University discovered say, the yogurt does smell while it's drying, but then it's fine.
But they say this is an experiment for research purposes and do not try this at home, please.
Can you imagine going home and just putting yogurt on your windows?
Everybody would, let's say, have a few questions.
Let's put it out there.
So thank you very much, Kaye.
I will not be putting my delicious yogurt on my windows just yet.
Finally, it's time for Listen Up.
This is the bit of the show that gives you a chance to win a copy of our book of the week.
This week, it's Celtic Myths by Martin McIntyre.
All you've got to do is answer a question about something that's been said in this episode.
So you've definitely heard the answer.
If you think you know it, grab a grown up and head to theweekjuniorcouk slash.
Listen up to fill in our online entry form and enter the prize draw before the closing date of the 7th of August at noon.
The Week Junior team will randomly select a winner from all of the entries with the correct answer.
And if you're under 16, you must have a parent or guardian's permission to enter, and terms and conditions apply.
Find out more at theweekjunior.co.uk slash terms.
So are you ready?
Listen up.
Which country did Euro 2025 take place in?
If you know the answer to the question, go to theweekjuniorcouk slash.
Listen up to enter our giveaway.
Brilliant.
Thank you very much, Joe.
And that brings us to the end of this week's show.
Thank you, of course, to Joe, Kay, Laura and Elena.
Next week, we'll be back to discuss more of the fascinating stories that are happening in the world.
Don't forget to send in your voice notes for a chance to have your voice on the podcast and win a roving reporter badge.
And of course, you can rate, review and subscribe or follow us wherever it is you get your podcasts.
And if you like The Week Junior show, you'll love The Week Junior magazine.
Head to theweekjunior.co.uk to find out more.
Bye or three issues of The Week Junior Science and Nature for £5 by heading to theweekjuniorcouk forward slash podcast offer.
