I'm Bex and welcome to the Week Junior show.
Today I'm joined by two of the team from the Week Junior, the magazine making sense of the world for 8 to 14 year olds.
We've got writers Eve and Kay.
So lots to cover in today's episode.
We'll be talking about people around the world paying their respects to the Pope, the secret to a perfect bowling score, and some girls fighting for a change to their school uniform.
There's also going to be a big debate about whether Superman is the best superhero or we'll be hearing from a winner of this year's series of gladiators.
All right, it's pretty busy, isn't it?
Now, speaking of school uniform, I was wondering, what is the one thing that you would love to have changed about your school uniform when you were younger?
Now, my school uniform was pretty heavy.
It was a big blue blazer and a big green and black kilt.
So I think I would have just maybe had a summer version of that.
Perhaps take away the blazer, maybe give myself a lovely light jacket, or perhaps just not have a kilt, have trousers or shorts or culottes or maybe even a jumpsuit in fact you know what now I'm thinking about it dungarees dungarees for school uniforms that's what I want to wear that would be my favourite Eve how about you so I used to have a school near mine where everyone used to wear a hat and I always used to be quite jealous it was kind of like a brown hat and it just looked really cool and I was just thinking maybe not a brown hat but like a little straw hat would be quite fun I think to wear I just think it has nice vibes for a school uniform I love that it reminds me of I think it's Madeline which is yes yeah yeah yeah it reminds me of that and it just looks beautiful so yeah big fan okay how about you so when I was in year 10 we were allowed to wear our own bags to school before that we had these horrible ones with the school logo on but the rule was that they had to be black so I
I used to spend ages looking for a black bag and then just realise that all black bags are kind of horrible.
And it wasn't actually that much of a treat to be able to bring our own black bag to school.
Oh, wow.
That is quite strict, isn't it?
I do remember when I joined my secondary school.
I went halfway through year eight and they told me you have to have this exact coat.
Everybody in the school wears exactly the same blue coat.
So I bought that blue coat and it was absolutely awful.
It was very, very ugly.
And I turned up to school.
No one was wearing it.
No one had it.
Classic.
Yeah.
So, yes, maybe we should rewrite those school rules.
Now, while we're thinking about that, let's move on to the cover story this week.
Eve, it's quite a big story this week.
So can you tell me what's been going on?
Yes.
So our cover story this week is about Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 at his home in the Vatican on 21st of April.
So the pope is the leader of the Catholic Church and Pope Francis became pope in 2013.
And he was from Argentina, which made him the first pope from the Americas.
He did lots of amazing things during his time as Pope.
He was praised by lots of people for trying to create understanding and connection between people of different faiths, and he spoke up very often for poor people and refugees, who are people that are forced to flee from their home because of violence, and he also wrote a very important document on the need to protect the environment as well.
And during the last 18 months of the war in Gaza, the Pope actually used to ring the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City every night to speak with the church leaders and Palestinians staying at the church.
So he did lots of really amazing things.
And he made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, which was the day before he died.
But there are 14 billion Catholics around the world and lots of them paid their respects to Pope Francis after he died.
And his funeral will be held on the 26th of April. in St.
Peter's Square at the Vatican.
And thousands of people will go and there'll be lots of world leaders going as well.
And after that there will be a process to pick a new Pope, which usually begins 15 to 20 days after the Pope's death.
And the new Pope is chosen at a secret meeting called the Conclave.
And you can read more about this on our big news page.
Yeah, that's quite a fascinating thing to find out about.
Thank you very much, Eve.
Next up, it's time for Real or Rubbish.
This is a bit of the show where someone tells me a story.
I have to guess if it's true or false.
And this week, it is Kay, who is very, very good at this.
So I am a little bit nervous.
Go on, Kay, tell me your story.
So I don't know about you, but I find showering and bathing really boring.
And now there's a machine that washes your body for you.
It was dreamed up in 1970 by a team of engineers in Japan who worked on a model called the Ultrasonic Bath.
Now using AI artificial intelligence.
A machine called the Future Human Washing Machine has been unveiled at the Osaka Expo in Japan.
First it checks your skin and then it picks the correct temperature and it blasts your skin with hot water and bubbles and leaves you really squeaky clean after 15 minutes.
So do you think this story's true, or can you detect a lie bubbling beneath the surface?
Haven't you just described a shower?
Like, it basically blasts you with water.
Is that what it is?
It looks like a bath, like it's horizontal.
So you go and you lie down?
You sort of sit up.
Okay, and it blasts you with... It doesn't, like, fill up like a bath would.
It blasts you with water and bubbles.
Yeah, depending on what your skin's like, it picks the correct sort of pressure and bubbles and temperature.
Is there an option for different smells?
If you want to smell like lavender or orange, can you change the vibes?
I don't know about that, but maybe you could just add some bubble baths.
It's true.
Is this needed?
Is it not partially invented with just the shower and the bath?
Because, you know, I can turn on my shower.
I had a shower this morning, not bragging, just saying.
And it happened.
I pressed it on.
The water came out and I used some soap.
Is that not exactly the same?
No, because, you know, you always have to pick the temperature.
Is it too hot?
Is it too cold?
I don't know about this.
I just feel...
It's one of those things where I'm like, what's the point?
But so often, when you tell me these stories, the answer is there is no point.
But we have done it anyway.
I will consider that story.
And while I do think about it, it's time for our book of the week, which is The Last House in the Row, by Leslie Parr.
Now it's about Hayley, whose cat keeps disappearing into the garden of Lillian, the strange old lady who lives across the street.
Lillian gives Hayley the creeps, but when the two get a chance to properly meet, a surprising friendship blossoms.
It's a really gentle story about the importance of friendship, community and kindness.
And we've got a message here from the author.
Hello, listeners of the Week Junior Show.
My name is Leslie Parr, author of The Last House in the Row, which has been selected as Book of the Week in the current issue of the magazine.
And I'm here to answer a very important question.
What was my favourite thing to read when I was growing up?
It was the Beano. because it was my absolute favourite of all books, comics and magazines.
The Beano.
Yes, I love The Beano.
I was a big old fan of, well, all of them really.
Dennis the Menace, Minnie the Minx, Ivy the Terrible, Billy Whiz.
So, yes, a very, very big fan of Leslie's Choice.
Now next up.
Of course, we love hearing from authors, but we also love hearing from our lovely listeners as well, and our readers.
So we've got a few messages this week.
Eve, what caught your eye?
So we had a message from 10-year-old Lucia who said I have two 15-year-old cats called Tim and Daisy.
They still behave like they're kittens.
Tim is very lazy and Daisy is crazy.
I love how that rhymes.
And Lucia has sent a picture of Tim having a yawn.
And I love it.
I think it's such a cute photo.
It's quite a close-up picture, isn't it?
I'm surprised that Tim let her take that picture so close.
I know, and he's got big teeth as well.
Big old teeth.
A great little pet portrait.
Kay, do you have any good pictures of your pets?
Yes, I have my little dog here, Harry, who's no longer alive, but he was our pet for 14 years.
And my friend drew me this cute drawing for my 21st birthday.
It looks amazing.
Now, Kay is showing the picture to us on the screen here.
Is it charcoal?
Is it pencil?
And what kind of dog are you looking at?
I think it's Pencil.
He was a Yorkshire Terrier.
I thought as much.
Very small.
And I used to even put him on my desk sometimes.
Like a little naughty dog.
Oh, I love that.
Oh, what a great picture to have as well.
We do love pictures of pets here at the Weed Junior.
Thank you.
That was a beaut.
Now, Kay, what else have you seen this week in the inbox?
Oh, so nine-year-old Ahana said, I am an avid reader of the Week Junior.
This Easter weekend, I made Easter fairy cupcakes at home following the Week Junior recipe.
And she sent us a picture of her on her dining room table with three really nice looking fairy cupcakes with those eggs on them, the little chocolate eggs.
Yeah, they're generous portions of chocolate on top and mini eggs as well, which I'm very, very excited about.
So I might have to make some of those myself.
I do have some mini eggs left over just about.
Brilliant stuff.
We've also got a joke here from Juliet.
What did the photographer say to the waitress?
What?
Cheese, please.
It's a classic joke.
We love to see it.
Eve, did that get a good reaction in the office?
Yeah, you know, I love a food-themed joke.
I think a couple of weeks ago, didn't we have one about mushrooms?
And now we've got a cheese-themed joke.
We love the food-themed jokes, think just jokes in general, big big fan.
Uh juliet, thank you for that.
Thank you for sending us your favorite joke.
And if you've got a favorite joke you want to send us, or a voice note about something that we've been talking about.
All you've got to do is record a voice note at funkidslivecom.
Slash the week junior.
Just look for that big red button, grab a grown-up and record your voice.
Or, of course, you could email us.
Email hello at theweekjuniorcouk and let us know what you've been up to.
So let's dive back into this week's issue of the magazine eve.
What's been your favorite story this week?
Well, I'm kind of cheating this week because I've actually picked two favourite stories.
But my first is from our entertainment page, which includes a story about the two incredible winners of this year's Gladiators, Amanda Waugh and Joe Fishburne.
And we've actually got a very exciting message from one of the winners.
Hi, everyone.
It's Amanda Waugh here, one of the winners of this year's Gladiators.
I grew up watching Gladiators as a child and always dreamed of having a go on events like Atlas Fairs, Duel.
And of course, that famous eliminator.
So getting to swing through the paper and lift the trophy after winning the final was an absolute dream come true.
My advice to all of you any Wheat Junior readers or listeners that if you want to go on gladiators when you grow up, is to be really active.
Get involved in any kind of sport or fitness that you enjoy and believe in your own abilities to be a champion.
Let's talk about breakfast.
What do I eat for breakfast?
So every single day, I make sure that I have some scrambled eggs for lots of protein and my healthy fats, a big slice of seeded toast with butter which is going to give me some energy, and some Greek yogurt and fresh berries for what I'm going to call my breakfast pudding.
Have a great day.
My goodness, that is quite a breakfast, isn't it?
I do quite enjoy the idea of having scrambled egg and yogurt and berries and toast.
Do you reckon she could invite us around for breakfast?
Yeah, I would love that.
I love the idea of a breakfast pudding as well.
I think that's really fun.
And I have scrambled eggs quite often for breakfast.
So I like the idea that I have the same breakfast as someone who won gladiators.
You're always a champion in my eyes, Eve.
Now, what is your other story choice?
So my other story choice is from our science and tech page.
And it's about a team of scientists from the UK and the US who have found the perfect conditions to score a strike in bowling, which I'm hoping I can maybe implement next time I go bowling.
So they basically made a computer model to calculate the best way to bowl.
And they created it.
So usually a standard bowling lane has 39 narrow wooden boards and features 10 pins that need knocking down.
So they created the computer model around that.
And they found out that the perfect throw starts with launching the ball from specifically, the 28th board, the left of the lane.
So you'd have to count along, get to number 29 and then the ball shouldn't be going completely straight down the lane, but instead very slightly to the right.
So it needs to have, you know, a little bit of a curve to it and also, when it's released, it needs to be spinning at a very specific needs to be spinning at 416 turns per minute.
And under these conditions, the scientists say the ball would curve and hit the pins to score the perfect strike, which i think sounds Really really cool, but also really hard.
Not sure if in real life I would actually be able to do that.
Do you think you could do that, Bex?
Oh, absolutely not.
I'm terrible at bowling.
I need all the help I can get.
If I could have the bumpers up and that little metal thing that you put in the middle that just rolls it down for you, I would use it.
So I don't think I'll be getting those top bowling scores anytime soon, but I'll give it a go.
29, 29 in and just hope for the best, slightly to the right.
Do you reckon you could do that, Eve?
Do you reckon you could win bowling if you use that?
I could give it a go.
You know I scored a few accidental strikes in my time, but I went bowling with Kay sometime last year and I seem to remember I wasn't particularly good.
So, yeah, maybe.
But maybe I could improve.
I went bowling with my family once and I was awful.
I said to them in advance, look, I'm going to be really bad at this, but I'm so happy to be here.
It's going to be awful.
And they, I think were really worried about me because I was so bad.
They were like, are you okay?
Is everything all right?
And I was like, I just, I am bad at bowling.
I told you, I wasn't lying about it.
Anyway, Kay, what has been your pick of the week?
My favourite story is about two students from Inneskillen in Northern Ireland.
They're called Astrid Knox and Ria Donnell and they set up a petition, which is a document that people sign to show their support.
And they've been asking people to sign it to get more girls wearing trousers at school, because some schools ban trousers for girls as part of their uniform, and Astrid and Ria want schools to rethink their dress codes, and Ria told the Belfast Telegraph you can learn the same in trousers as skirts.
I just want to do cartwheels at break time.
I love.
What a great reason to want trousers.
I just want to do cartwheels.
That's all I want.
And yeah correct, you can learn in the same way, I suppose.
Excellent stuff.
Time for this week's big debate.
We are talking about superheroes.
Here's what you've got to know.
The first superhero ever invented was the Phantom, who appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1936.
He had no actual superpowers, but he fought crime.
Two years later, in 1938, Superman was introduced to the world.
He was the first superhero with superpowers to be in a comic book.
Superman comes from an alien planet called Krypton and is known as the Man of Steel because of his strength.
According to a 2024 survey of 2000 adults in the UK, Superman is the most popular superhero, with Batman and Spider-Man coming second and third.
So the question of this week's big debate is, is Superman the best superhero?
So here's how it works.
Each person has just 60 seconds to make their case.
First up, we've got Eve, who is very pro Superman.
So Eve, I'm going to get my little stopwatch up here now.
Whenever you're ready, take it away.
OK, so Superman is just such a cool hero.
He has loads and loads of different powers.
He's really strong.
He's really fast.
He can heal really quickly.
He's also got X-ray vision, which means he can see through things and he can shoot laser beams out of his eyes and he can fly.
I mean, he's just got it all.
He's got, you know, when people ask if you could have any superpower, what would it be?
He has basically everything.
So he's just amazing.
Also, even though he was created so long ago, 87 years ago, he's still really popular.
You know there have been loads of other comic book heroes made over the years that have kind of not really gained the same fame that he has.
He's a household name that everyone knows, even if they're not really into comic books.
And also he's practically invincible, which means he's too powerful to defeat.
It's only kryptonite, which is a substance from the planet Krypton where he's from. but weakens him.
But everything else, he just kind of brushes off, no worries.
So he's just kind of this really super invincible, really cool, really powerful, iconic hero.
Oh my goodness, lovely stuff.
Like bang on the minute and just a great point there.
He is indeed a household name.
I enjoyed when you said that.
But you know what?
Kay might disagree.
Kay might have better superheroes, bigger superheroes to tell me that.
So Kay, whenever you're ready, go for it.
So I think that Superman is just too perfect.
How can he have all of those superpowers?
It's not believable.
And then to disguise himself, all he does is sticks a pair of glasses on.
I think there's loads more great superheroes like Spider-Man.
And there's been so many films about Spider-Man recently.
So I think, yeah, you know, there's others.
And there's also lots... of more diverse superheroes that people should focus on instead.
I think that Superman is old news.
We'll tell the Daily Planet.
We'll let them know he's old news.
You know what he does, to be fair to him, he covers himself well with those glasses.
You couldn't tell it was him if he didn't wear them.
Interesting points of view there.
I reckon our listeners and readers will have lots to say about this, because there are so many superheroes out there.
Personally, I'm a Spider-Man gal.
But we want to know your opinions on this.
So go to theweekjunior.co.uk slash polls to vote and tell us your thoughts.
You can also comment your opinion wherever it is.
You're listening to the podcast or record a voice note by hitting the red button at funkidslivecom.
Slash theweekjunior.
Now, in last week's Big Debate, Kay and Vanessa discussed whether classic hot cross buns are the best.
Kay, what were the results?
57% said the traditional style of hot cross buns was the best.
That is higher than I thought, I'm not going to lie.
Eve, any messages to back this up?
Yeah, we had a few comments, so...
One person said traditional buns are best because if we removed raisins for chocolate it wouldn't be healthy, because chocolate isn't healthy.
Although I would prefer personally a chocolate hot cross bun.
Someone else said, though, not everyone likes raisins and sultanas.
I agree with that.
I just think they should have a cross on them, because otherwise they're not hot cross buns, which is a good point.
Yeah, they'd just be buns, I suppose.
Just hot ones.
Yeah, yeah.
Good point.
So if you've got an opinion about this, we want to know.
Like I said earlier, go to theweekjunior.co.uk slash polls to vote.
Or, of course, leave us a voice note.
Go to funkidslive.com slash theweekjunior.
Now, before we go, it's time to reveal the truth behind this week's real rubbish story.
Kay, can you remind me what it is, please?
So this is the story that some inventors in Japan told have finally made a machine that washes people's bodies for them um, and it does this by spraying them with water that's specifically picked for their skin and it washes you in 15 minutes.
15 minutes, i was gonna say it's quite a long time.
Then i thought is that just me exposing?
Maybe i, maybe i don't spend long enough in the shower, i don't know, i'm not sure whether that is too long.
Let's okay let's, Let's ride through that.
Let's just pass through that comment because I don't quite know.
When you said wash yourself as well, in my head at first I think I thought of like an inspector gadget type thing with hands coming out everywhere.
And that was creepy to me.
Yeah, I was imagining that.
Yeah.
But this is basically just blasts of water, right?
Yeah.
Bubbles and water.
I think it sounds really nice.
I'd get one.
Oh, I don't know.
I want some choice.
And the idea of somebody picking... what you're being washed in.
And not even somebody, AI.
Of all the things to give AI, I don't want the responsibility of showering me as well.
There's something quite weird about it, but also something quite believable about it.
I'm struggling.
It's because I can imagine people doing this, but also why?
I'm going to say the story this week is real, but I will never, ever, ever use it if it is.
That's what I'm going to say.
Should we do a drum roll?
Drum roll.
Yeah, you're right.
It is real.
I'm kind of sad that it's real because, oh no, who's going to use that?
Wow.
Kay will be.
Kay wants to use it.
Kay's all over it.
And apparently its creators say it cleanses both the body and the mind.
Oh, that sounds nice.
I bet it's quite relaxing, actually.
You don't really have to think.
You can just kind of get in it and it'll...
It'll clean you.
Yeah.
Yeah, I don't know how I feel about that, but you know I was going to say somebody out there will use it.
It's Kay.
Kay will use it, so that's fine.
No more putting cold water than hot water into our baths.
Kay, this machine will do it all for you.
That is it for this week's episode of the Week Junior Show.
Thank you, of course, to the Week Junior team, Kay and Eve.
Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe, or follow us wherever it is you get your podcasts and tune in for more stories, debates and chats in next week's episode.
See you then.
Bye.
Thanks for listening to this podcast, which is made by the same people that make The Week Junior magazine.
You can get six free issues of The Week Junior or three issues of The Week Junior Science and Nature for £5 by heading to theweekjuniorcouk forward slash podcast offer.
