The Kids' Chronicle - the newspaper for young curious minds (Volume 1 Issue 2)

Yes it’s a doll and yes it can teach you how to program.

No, I am not kidding.

Mattel, the company that sells Barbie dolls has launched

these new line of dolls.

They can teach coding to girls as young as seven.

The Robotics Engineer Barbie offers six coding lessons.

She can teach you how to build robots, how to make them move, dance and even jump.

Now that's what I call a smart doll!

Good news for all you Harry Potter fans. Lego has launched 5 Harry Potter box sets for you.

The sets will have hogwarts express, platform no 9-3/4, the great hall, the scary whomping willow, quidditch match set and even the scary spider Aragog.

All the box sets will have your favourite wizard and a few of his friends also.

Which one are you planning to get? I am so looking forward to getting the great hall set.

Did you ever want your own personal mini crane? Like a real crane?

I always wanted something cool like this.

So we got this Smartivity Hydraulic Crane box last week.

I made it with my mom last Saturday and it has become

my favourite toy, err I mean my favourite machine now.

I am now using it to shift my toys from one corner of the table to another :)

The box comes with an instructions book and all the parts that are needed.

So just set it up on a weekend (with your mom or dad) and learn how a hydraulic crane really works.

Finally grown-ups realize that it is important for children to be happy.

Government schools in Delhi and Gurugram recently

launched the happiness curriculum for students between nursery to class eight.

They want the children to be happy and stress-free.

So every week now the schools will have a happiness period.

The teachers will talk and listen to the children and do fun activities like telling stories and yoga.

They will also meditate as it brings peace.

Do you think your school should also do something similar?

A lot of schools in India are growing vegetables in the

campus with the help of students and teachers.

Actually 100 schools in Chennai will soon have their own kitchen garden very soon to grow their own vegetables.

The students and the teachers will have to pitch in together. Isn’t that exciting news? 

I think I would first grow some tomatoes. Maybe my mom can let me grow some in a pot here at home only.

What about you? What would you grow first?

Monsoon has arrived at your doorstep so get ready to

splash in trendy raincoats and colourful umbrellas.

Raincoat is a must but do remember to wear rubber

shoes.

These shoes will keep your feet dry and also save you from slipping.

Take a break from jeans and trousers.

It is quite humid so dress up in loose cotton t-shirts and

shorts or tunics.

Also don’t wear too many layers in the rainy season as it’s bound to get wet.

Do carry extra set of clothes so that you can change if you get wet.

Did you see Incredibles 2? I saw it too.

It was a good movie, right?

My favorite part was when Jack Jack meets Edna Mode!

This month you have three supercool animated choices.

This should be the cutest movie this month as it's about dogs.

The film is set in a futuristic Japan.

It is about a group of dogs who have been sent away to

live on an island made of trash. Isn't that so sad?

But the dogs help a young boy search for his lost dog on the island.

They also manage to bring back peace to their society.

Though I wish I was allowed to watch it with my four-legged best friend.

I am sure you know about the epic battle between Ram and Ravana.

But did you know that there was another battle?

It was between Hanuman and Ravana, when Ravana had kidnapped Ram and Lakshman.

I don't remember this story so I will go for this movie for sure.

Try to watch the movie with your grandparents.

I am sure they would love this toon movie as it is about their favourite hero - Hanuman!

I am so excited the little superhero is back.

This is the second Ant-man movie but this time he is not alone.

His dear friend the Wasp is there to help him save the world.

I am not a bug fan oops I mean I am not a big fan of bugs but when i see them doing such heroic work, i sure feel a little love for the little creatures.

Here's the big surprise - The movie has two endings! Do watch both the endings, specially if you are an Avenger fan :)

So are you planning to go for one of these movies?

Ask your mom or dad to send us your movie review and we would love to include it in the newspaper next issue. 

Good news for all you eco warriors!

McDonald's, the world's largest fast food chain has decided to go green.

No, not the colour green! Is that really what you thought?

When things, companies and people go green, they move away from activities that harm the environment.

They change to practices that are environment-friendly.

So McDonald's has decided to use paper straws instead of plastic straws in some of the countries it operates in.

That's a big way of going green.

I hope you know that plastic straws are really bad for the environment.

They don't break down so they cannot be recycled.

They hurt marine life and add in a big way to all the plastic pollution on our planet.

So next time you go for burger and shake, be ready for paper straws.

Or maybe not use straws at all and drink like adults. Try that for once? Or carry your personal sipper.

Saudi Arabia has finally started giving out driving license to women after so many years.

I don't know why they thought till now that women can't drive. All the women I know in India know how to drive. It's not a big deal.

But this was not an easy win for the women in Saudi Arabia.

Some women who asked for it earlier are still in prison.

They were jailed because they wanted to drive.

Now driving schools in Saudi Arabia are getting so crowded with women of all ages wanting to learn how to drive!

Some of the bold ladies in the country want to get other laws also changed for women.

They want women to have the freedom to choose what to wear.

They also want girls to start competing in sports.

Let’s wish them all the best and hope that they bring about more positive change.

Monsoon has arrived in India in full force.

But I live in Delhi and it is still quite hot here.

So should we try making some chilled out watermelon popsicles?

Just get a watermelon.

Remove all the seeds from it.

Add some honey and some lemon juice to it.

Now just mix it all together as much as you can.

Pour into the Popsicle moulds and freeze for 4 hours.

Your tasty watermelon popsicles are ready to be licked!

You can make it on your own but your mom can also help you if you tell her these are really healthy.

Did you ever wake up in the night due to a screech?

That’s not a ghost. That’s also not the monster under your bed silly.

Actually there are no ghosts or monsters as such. These are just things we imagine or read about. You know that… right?

That screeching sound was made by the friendly neighbourhood Barn Owl.

How do you recognize them? Well they have a white heart-shaped face. 
Also, they never hoot. They simply screech.

They are called Barn Owls because they like to make their nests in barns or closed houses.

Barn Owls are probably the prettiest owls you can find in India. 
My favourite though is Snowy Owl. 
Remember Hedwig, Harry Potter's owl? 

Now this is one Snowy Owl i will like to meet one day! 

Did you know there are more than 200 kinds of owls in this world?   
Owls are found on all continents except Antarctica.

They can live in deserts, grasslands, forests, fields and also cities so they are pretty easy to spot. 

I hope you owls are nocturnal. This means that they sleep in the day time but stay awake all night. They have very good night vision which also helps them look for food at night. 

So why are they important?

They control pests, rodents and are very important in the food chain.

If you want to read more about owls, click for Uncle Nishand’s story here - https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1991328717558133&id=13531544647

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I have got some awesome out-of-the-world news for you.

For the first time ever, Indian Space scientists have

discovered a new planet!

The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad has discovered the new exoplanet.

The distant planet is 600 light years away. It is six times

bigger than Earth and it revolves around a Sun-like star.

With this discovery India has joined a small group of

countries who have discovered planets around stars.

The Scientists are calling the planet EPIC.

Exoplanet – You know that all the 8 planets in our solar

system orbit around the Sun, right? An exoplanet is a planet that’s not in our solar system. An exoplanet orbits around some other star in a different solar system.

Light years away – Things in space are really far away. Big numbers are involved. So we try to make these numbers small through a unique system. We measure them in light years. One light years equals to 6 trillion miles. Like the Sun is 93 million miles away. The nearest star is about 24 trillion miles away. That’s a BIG number right? So to make these numbers smaller we use light years. So now the nearest star is just 4 light years away. And the sun? That’s just 499 light seconds from Earth. Now don’t you feel like a grown-up? I certainly do.

I hope you know that this year’s theme for the World

Environment Day was “Beat Plastic Pollution”.

Well, India announced that single-use plastics would be

banned in all states by 2022.

India has also pledged to make 100 national monuments litter-free.

Now that’s a big promise. But just think, if all the plastic

waste is gone, then the roads would be so clean.

I hope you know how bad plastic waste is.

We consume so many products that are packed in plastic but do you know plastic waste can never be absorbed back by the environment. It also harms animals and marine life in a big way, who eat it, thinking it's food. 

How can we help in this effort?

Maybe we can start carrying cloth or jute bags when we go out shopping.

Maybe we can carry our water bottles so that we don’t

buy plastic bottles every time we go out.

If you have ideas about how to reduce plastic waste in India, ask a grown-up to  make a video of you explaining it.

We will make sure to tell the whole country about it next

issue :)

FIFA stands for Federation Internationale de Football Association.

FIFA ensures that football is played as per the same rules throughout the world.

FIFA World Cup is held every four years.

The host country is Russia this year.

Did you know this is the biggest sports tournament with 32 countries participating this year?

I am bit sad about the way the previous winning teams from Germany, Argentina, Brazil and Spain lost.

Hope you are not going to miss the final match to be held on 15 July.

Who is your favourite player?

Are you into tennis? The game is pretty simple. Hit a tennis ball over the net with your racquet and inside the colored lines. If your opponent fails to return the ball back over the net to you, you win the point. You can play with two people (one-on-one) or with four (two-on-two). Try it next time you go to the club with your parents.

Last time we talked about the 2018 French Open.

Wasn't Simona Halep wonderful?

Let's talk about Wimbledon now. Oh I hope you know the tournament’s actual name is ‘The Championships, Wimbledon 2018. This is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. I also hope you know that Wimbledon is a place in London.

For the first time since 2011, Rafael Nadal has entered the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

However, I am more excited about Serena Williams reaching the quarterfinal round of the tournament. 

Why? Because most people thought that now that she is a mother, she won’t be playing so well.

So who are you cheering for this time?

One of the most important workers at Wimbledon is Rufus the Harris Hawk. 
Yes a Hawk. 
Often pigeons fly towards the net during the tournament. That's when Rufus gets to work. 
He has been scaring birds from Wimbledon for the last 15 years. 

Meet Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.

Now people all over the world know this 12 year old boy from Chennai because he has become the world’s second youngest Chess Grandmaster.

He says his family did not want him to watch too much TV so he started playing chess.

Just imagine that! One little boy switched off the TV one day and started played chess.

He became so good at it that he made a world record.

Now the entire world knows him. Don't you want to be popular?

I do. I think I need a chess teacher now. What about you?

Here is a fun and easy way to stay fit and healthy.

Bhujangasana or the Cobra pose is a good exercise for the back and tummy.

You can try out this move anytime anywhere.

It also opens the lungs and improves digestion.

It reduces stress and also firms up the shoulders.

Step 1 – Lie on your tummy, place palms flat next to your

shoulders and spread your legs a few inches apart.

Step 2 - Inhale as you gently press your hands and lift your

head and chest off the floor. Hiss if you really want to feel like

a cobra :)

Step 3 – Look towards the sky. Hold the pose for up to 30

seconds.

Step 4 - Exhale as you slowly lower your chest and forehead

to the mat. Turn your head to the right, resting your left ear

on the mat. Relax your arms alongside your body.

Step 5 – Repeat atleast 5 times.

Now that you have practiced this move, challenge your

parents to a round of 20. I am sure you will win!

Yes that’s right. I said that. Hug a tree. People in New Delhi are hugging trees to save them.

It’s called the chipko movement.

How is it saving trees? Well, close to 16,500 trees were going to be felled in New Delhi to build more houses. But then a lot of green rights activists saved the trees by embracing them, hugging them and even climbing on them. They are worried about the birds and animals who live on these trees and call them home. They are also worried about the quality of air in Delhi, especially for children.

So you need to go hug a tree now to let it know it’s loved. Or better still, adopt a tree and take care of it. In case you want to make friends with monkeys, adopt a fruit tree.

Why are trees important?

Trees provide shelter and food for birds, monkeys, squirrels and snakes.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide and harmful gases from the air and release oxygen.

I hope you know that oxygen is a very important gas for us.

We need it to stay alive. In a single day one large tree can supply oxygen for four people.

Chipko movement - Almost 50 years back, one man in an Indian village led people to save forests from destruction.

The name of the movement comes from the word ‘embrace’ as the villagers hugged the trees, and prevented their felling.

This brave man’s name was Sunderlal Bahuguna.

Ask your grandparent about him. Maybe they will tell you his story.

Do you gossip? I love gossiping a little everyday. 

Do you know anyone else who loves to talk a lot about other people? 

People in a little village called Baddbaddpur love to gossip so much.

Most times they get a little too creative as each person wants his story to be better and bigger.

One day they just went too far with poor Mr Pandurang.

Read the book to find out exactly what happened with him and what was the big rumour.

Anushka Ravishankar is one of my favourite children’s

authors. Who is your favourite Indian writer?

The drawing by Kanyika Kini are so pretty. I tried to make one just like hers and it came out so well.

These are short animal stories from ancient India.

Each story has a moral that will make you understand how to be a better person.

Everyone in your family must have heard them.

Now  you can read them too.

The books are so colourful and the writers have changed the stories a little bit to make them interesting.

Maybe you can convince your grandma or  grandpa to read them to you? Trust me they will enjoy it also.

So you can get one of these books to try it - the musical donkey, the talkative tortoise, four friends, the lion and the fox, the rabbit in the moon, the snake and the frogs. 

This is not a story book.

It is more like a book of answers.

I love this book because it has answers to so many of my questions like what are the bees looking for all the time and why do the stars twinkle?

If you also have questions like these then you must get this book.

Do mail us on kidschronicleonline@gmail.com in case you are interested in getting the printed copies of the newspaper delivered at your home every month.