PM urges kids to sign up to Spelling Bee
spelling beePrime Minister Scott Morrison knows spelling isn’t always easy — just watch him try to spell hippopotamus — but it can be lots of fun, especially with competitions like the Spelling Bee
Olympics 2032: Dream is on for young and old
sportBrisbane has been named preferred candidate by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2032 Olympic Games, great news for Australian Olympians of the past, present and future
Fears for spelling in the digital age
newsMost adults think kids are getting worse at spelling thanks to text messaging and social media. How’s your spelling?
Jane’s V the sign of a little victory for science
newsThe first COVID-19 vaccination to be given in Australia was big news and though the photo opportunity didn’t quite go to plan, a V for Vaccine could be taken to mean a V for Victory after all
PM urges kids to sign up to Spelling Bee
spelling beePrime Minister Scott Morrison knows spelling isn’t always easy — just watch him try to spell hippopotamus — but it can be lots of fun, especially with competitions like the Spelling Bee
Olympics 2032: Dream is on for young and old
sportBrisbane has been named preferred candidate by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2032 Olympic Games, great news for Australian Olympians of the past, present and future
Fears for spelling in the digital age
newsMost adults think kids are getting worse at spelling thanks to text messaging and social media. How’s your spelling?
Jane’s V the sign of a little victory for science
newsThe first COVID-19 vaccination to be given in Australia was big news and though the photo opportunity didn’t quite go to plan, a V for Vaccine could be taken to mean a V for Victory after all
The 2021 Prime Minister's Spelling Bee is back. Click here for more details and to register.
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Healthy Harold has been visiting schools for 40 years and now he's here on Kids News. Check out his health and safety advice - and ask him a question.
Mount Etna’s spectacular volcanic eruption
geographyMount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, has awed even experienced volcanologists, pumping out spectacular displays of lava, ash and volcanic rocks for more than a week
Plastic Bag Store opens as plastics ban begins
environmentOn March 1, South Australia will become the first state to ban single-use plastic, less than a week after the opening of a shop in Adelaide in which everything is made out of single-use plastic
Make some noise Mars, we’re listening
spaceA microphone on NASA’s Perseverance rover has recorded for the first time the sound of another planet. It’s hoped there will be more to hear from Mars soon as the rover gets to work
Breakthrough in dating our oldest rock art
artsAustralia’s oldest painting has been identified as a kangaroo-like image created more than 17,000 years ago in the Kimberley region of WA, a big step forward in creating an accurate art timeline
Animals lend a helping hand at the zoo
animalsMelbourne Zoo’s oldest residents have shown no one’s ever too old to learn. Elephant Mek Kapah and tortoises Wilbur, Little John and Jean are all involved in their own health checks
Video games may help boys bond, study finds
technologyBoys who aren’t active are not harmed by playing video games, a new study has found. More of a concern is the time girls spend on social media sites such as Snapchat and TikTok
Kids give gender stereotypes the boot
humanitiesRespectful relationships lessons have changed the games boys and girls want to play and the jobs they want to do when they grow up
Space capsule reveals its treasures in Aussie outback
spaceAustralia is set to play a bigger part in international space missions as scientists reveal the treasures collected from a Japanese capsule that returned to Earth near Woomera
NASA rover touches down on Mars
spaceThe Perseverance rover has successfully landed on Mars in its mission to look for signs of ancient life on the red planet
Koala teeth used to create archaeology map
historyAustralian archaeologists are studying ancient koala teeth and bones to create a map that will show how people and animals moved across the continent through history
Look out for fruit fly after La Nina summer
weatherKids are banned from taking fruit to school and residents are being urged to strip their trees of fruit in two suburbs of Adelaide that are the latest locations battling fruit fly outbreaks
Big thrill when coronavirus vaccine arrived
healthHealth Minister Greg Hunt was so excited when Australia’s first vaccine delivery arrived he was doing cartwheels — at least in cartoonist Mark Knight’s imagination
Ditch digital for chalk, says learning expert
technologyPrimary school kids should ditch digital and return to using chalk and slates to help develop the brain, motor skills and the ability to construct a story, a leading education expert says
The search for Australia’s healthiest lunchbox
ask healthy haroldHealthy Harold has been looking for Australia’s healthiest lunchbox and he’s found some pretty impressive options. Check out the winning lunches
Cruising sharks photo wins best underwater award
artsA stunning image of sharks and seagulls at sunset has won the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021 award from 4500 images entered by photographers from 68 countries
How does the coronavirus vaccine work?
explainersThe first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses have arrived in Australia and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine now has approval to be used in Australia too. Kids News looks at how vaccines work
COVID maths: All the world’s virus in a drink can
mathematicsAll the COVID-19-causing virus in the world right now could easily fit inside a single soft drink can, according to a fascinating calculation by a mathematician
Calling all kids: our wildlife needs your help
environmentWildlife warrior Robert Irwin talks to Kids News about how kids can be community leaders in protecting the environment and wildlife and how every little thing we do helps
Bushfire Poetry Comp: smoky skies, burnt leaves
artsIt’s the last week to get your Kids News Bushfire Poetry Competition entry in. Looking for some inspiration? Read 12-year-old Kirra Dangerfield’s poem, “The ash black land”
Chinese and UAE spacecrafts enter Mars orbit
spaceIt’s getting busy around Mars, with two spacecraft recently entering the red planet’s orbit and another about to arrive
Book Club book of the month: The World Between Blinks
book clubAmie Kaufman and Ryan Graudin wrote their new book together from opposite sides of the world. Here’s your chance to ask them how they did it — and take a sneak peek at The World Between Blinks
A billion years on Earth in 40 seconds
geographyUniversity of Adelaide scientists have released a video that, for the first time, shows the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates over the past billion years
Welcome to the Year of the Ox
explainersMillions — perhaps billions — of people around the world are preparing for a very important annual celebration — Chinese or Lunar New Year. Here’s what you need to know to join the fun
How to be a junior wildlife photographer
animalsTeenager McKinley Moens knows a thing or two about taking great shots of wildlife in their natural habitat. Here are her tips
When a wombat on the tennis court is normal
artsIn a world turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic, we have to expect the unexpected, even when the unexpected comes in the form of Ash Barty’s wooden wombat tennis trophy
More girls to become STEM stars of the future
scienceDespite still being outnumbered by males, more girls and women are starting careers in science than ever before, now making up 42.6 per cent of the workforce in STEM areas
Big roos to help Kangaroo Island bounce back
artsA mob of roos is about to be moved off the front lawn of an Adelaide school, but it’s not because they’re eating too much grass. It’s all to help raise money for bushfire recovery
Huge discovery of tiny chameleon
animalsScientists from Madagascar and Germany say a newly discovered species of chameleon that fits on a human fingertip is a contender for the title of world’s smallest reptile
Kids set sail on adventure of a lifetime
geographyThree Australian children are ditching regular life on land to sail the Atlantic Ocean on a yacht with their parents ‘for as long as it’s fun’, which could mean two, five or even 10 years at sea
Humans have made the oceans very noisy
environmentWith rumbling ships, hammering oil drills and other big noises, humans have completely altered the underwater soundscape, in some cases deafening or disorienting whales and other animals
New ads urge teens to rethink sugary drinks
healthTeenagers and young men are the targets of new ads designed to shock them about how easy it is to be sucked into ads for sugary drinks and get hooked on drinking them
Warner girls are great all rounders
sportStar batsman David Warner’s girls love cricket — and quite a few other sports too. And their mum, Candice, wouldn’t have it any other way
