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23 MAY
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Perfect for animal-loving pre-schoolers, our new

monthly magazine is crammed with cute creatures,
incredible facts and educational games!

Interactive sticker activities,

games and puzzles develop and
enhance your child’s key skills
in numeracy, literacy and more!

Learn about wildlife, science,

culture and history with
engaging, easy-to-follow text!

Packed with gorgeous

photographs, fascinating
facts and exciting stories
to read together!

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 Hello!
In this month's Nat Geo
Kids, we explore the
wonders of the world's coral
reefs. Turn to page 8 to
check out some of the
Georgia
animals that thrive in them, Take
and discover how people are looking after our fun
these precious habitats on page 26. Plus, on
page 14, National Geographic Explorer Alex
personality
Schnell tells us about her cool underwater quiz on
encounters with octopuses! page 6!
Also this issue, we travel back in time to
EF SPEC
learn about four famous rulers from Ancient
Rome – turn to page 32 to meet them!
RE

IA
CORA
Hope you enjoy all our puzzles, crafts

L
and posters, too.
See you next month!
Editor Georgia and the NGK team
8 UNDERSEA CITY!
Dive in and explore life
on a coral reef
COOL POSTERS!

14 OCTOPUS SECRETS!
Learn all about these
eight-armed wonders
Cover: Clownfish © Alamy; Turtle © Luciano Candisani / Minden Pictures. Octopus © Fernando G. Baptista and Lawson Parker; Reef © Robert Zehetmayer / Alamy;
26 HOW TO SAVE A REEF!
See how scientists are protecting
this watery world

SCAN
Roman illustration © Marek Jagucki. This page: Clownfish © Georgette Douwma / Nature Picture Library; Octopus © Fernando G. Baptista and Lawson Parker;

COOL QR CODES!
We’ve put some QR codes
Saving a reef © Alex Neufeld / Coral Restoration Foundation; Roman illustration © Marek Jagucki; All other pictures © Getty Images UK.

in this month’s mag. If you

point a smart device at
them you’ll be taken to more
awesome stuff online. Try it here! HERE
Write to NG KiDS
Email editorial@ngkids.com.au
Website natgeokids.com
Facebook facebook.com/natgeokidsausnz
32 HISTORY’S 36 FUN STUFF
@
GREATEST HITS! Five pages of puzzles, including
Rulers of the Roman Empire a mega crossword!
For competition terms and conditions visit
natgeokids.com/ts-and-cs/
In Australia: To find your nearest stockist of National
Geographic Kids magazine, please call 1300 650 666
PLUS!
or email contactus@gordongotch.com.au
For subscriptions, please email help@ngkids.com.au or 4 Cool News Inspiring stories 34 Junior Explorers’ Club
find us online at natgeokids.com/au/subscribeau/ from around the globe… Your letters, photos and artwork!
In New Zealand: To find your nearest stockist of National
Geographic Kids magazine, please call 9979 3018 6 Coral Quiz 41 Make It Create some abstract art
or email contactus@gordongotch.com.au Which coral reef system matches
For subscriptions, please email help@ngkids.com.au with a salad spinner!
or find us online at natgeokids.com/nz/subscribenz/ your personality? 42 Puzzle Answers and Jokes
Creature Media Australia Pty Limited does not endorse
any of the products in this magazine.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS is the world’s biggest-selling monthly
20 Wacky World The planet’s Oi, no cheating!
general-interest magazine for children, with a worldwide
circulation of 1.7 million in more than 20 countries.
strangest photos!
 COOL Inspiring
stories from
around the
globe…

New fluffy bug!

Meet one of the world’s most recently
discovered bugs! Named as a new species in
March 2024, the furry creature was spotted by
entomologist* James Tweed while he was camping in
Queensland. At first, he mistook it for bird poo – but
a closer look revealed it was a longhorn beetle covered
with long, shaggy, white hairs. Excited, James hurried
to CSIRO’s Australian National Insect Collection,
where the 1cm-long bug was proven to be a new
species. Hooray!
The beetle has be Discover more The next challenge is to figure out why it’s so hairy.
en
named Excastra epic animals that James’ guess? That the fluffy mohawk makes the beetle
albopilosa
are new to science look like it’s been infected by a fungus, putting off
in the next issue any hungry predators. Cool!
of NG KiDS! It’s James!
*An entomologist is a scientist who studies insects.

Gold nugget discovered! The 64.8g piece of gold is

bigger than a 20c coin!

Amateur treasure hunter Richard Brock has

discovered England’s largest gold nugget!
After turning up late to a metal detecting
event in Shropshire – and realising that his
detector wasn’t working properly – Richard, 67,
didn’t expect to uncover much. “At first I just found
a few rusty old tent pegs,” he says. “But after only
20 minutes of scanning the ground I found this
nugget buried about 15cm down in the ground!”
It’s believed the gold may have originally
come from Wales, as the farmland it was
discovered on once held a railway track A gold nugget
and a road built of Welsh stone. Richard is a naturally
is hoping the nugget will fetch thousands occurring chunk
of dollars at auction – whoa! of native gold.

OCEANS
It’s World Oceans Day on 8 June, so
Oceans
are turtley
let’s check out some splashing facts… awesome!

1covered
Roughly 70% of the
Earth’s surface is
by one huge
2 Throughout history,
people have given
specific names to the
3 Amazingly, over 80%
of the ocean has
never been studied,
body of saltwater – the bits of ocean near land explored or even seen
ocean. This is divided – resulting in over 50 by humans. More of the
into five regions: the seas! The water is planet Mars has been
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, connected by currents mapped than our ocean
Southern and Arctic which transport floor and scientists
Oceans. The largest, the nutrients and heat estimate that millions of
Sadly, over 12 million
Pacific, covers about a around the globe, keeping sea creatures may still
tonnes of plastic ends up
third of the planet! our planet healthy. be undiscovered. Wow!
in our oceans every year. But
YOU can help! Avoid single-
use plastics and make sure
4 National Geographic Kids to recycle whatever you can.
 International Day of Play!
Put 11 June in your diaries, as the United
Nations (UN) have declared it the first
official International Day of Play. Yay! Key events for
A worldwide organisation, the UN works to your diary!
protect human rights – including children’s
right to play! As well as being fun, playing
helps kids learn, grow and develop lifelong MAY
skills. Yet sadly, millions of children around
the globe have to spend their childhood
working to help their familes. Others don’t
29
have a safe place to play because of war or
natural disasters.
In declaring this awareness day, the UN
have told grown-ups all over the world that World Otter Day
Play boosts play is important and deserves to be taken
your brain! seriously. What’s your favourite way to play?! Three cheers for these
cute creatures!

Big blueberry!
Check out this record-breaking
blueberry! Picked in November JUNE
2023, the 4cm fruit has just
been recognised as the world’s heaviest World Bicycle Day 3
blueberry by Guinness World Records. Get out on a bike today!
It weighs 20.4g – about ten times more
than an average blueberry!
The huge berry is part of the new
JUNE
Eterna variety, a type of blueberry
grown by a fruit and veg producer in
New South Wales. That means it’s not
5
a one off – according to the grower’s
team, there were about 20 other berries
of a similar size around when the berry This blueberry is the
was picked. What a mouthful! size of a golf ball! World Environment Day
Can you do your bit to look
after our planet?
JUNE
CONEY ISLAND JUNE

MERMAID PARADE 22 21
The New York City neighbourhood of
Coney Island in the USA is famed for its
Blueberry © Costa Berries; Illustration © Marek Jagucki; All others © Getty Images UK.
fairground, circus sideshow and beach.
But every June, this entertaining area gets
even wackier, as thousands of free-spirited Winter Solstice
artists take to the streets in fabulous The shortest day of the year!
sea-inspired costumes and floats. Some
Beetle © James Tweed; Gold nugget © Mullock Jones / SWNS;

of the outfits are outrageous, but there’s

a family-friendly area if you’re offended
by wibbly-wobbly bits – and we’re not
talking about jellyfish!
The amazing art parade was created
in 1983 by artist and playwright Dick
Zigun, the former unofficial mayor of JUNE
Coney Island. There are trophies for the
best costumes, and it may or may not
be a coincidence that the winners each
21 Make Music Day
Join the worldwide celebration

BIZARRE
year tend to be the ones who shower
of tune making!
the judges with gifts. Cheeky!

EVENT natgeokids.com 5
 Welcome
to the 1 2
If you could time travel,
EF SPEC which historical period Which meal would you
RE would you visit? most like to tuck into?
A. Tacos
L

IA
A. Ancient Egypt
CORA

B. Ancient Greece B. Soup and a sandwich

L C. The Industrial Revolution C. Spaghetti and meatballs
D. Veggie dumplings
D. Dinosaur time!
E. The Middle Ages E. Pad Thai

Personality 6 7
People love your… Pick a planet.
A. Sense of style A. Uranus
B. Strength and B. Jupiter
wisdom C. Saturn
C. Awesome D. Mars
listening skills E. Neptune
D. Kindness
Coral reefs are some of the
E. Hilarious sense
most diverse ecosystems of humour
on our planet, providing
homes to about a quarter of all
known marine species. But these
delicate habitats – mostly found
in warm, shallow, coastal
waters – are vulnerable to
climate change and pollution.
A jump of just 1°C in water
temperature can harm
Results (If these descriptions don’t match your personality,
don’t worry. These questions are just for fun!)

corals. They can also MOSTLY A’s MOSTLY B’s

become sick if plastic
settles on a reef. That’s GREAT BARRIER REEF RED SEA CORAL REEF
The largest coral reef system on Earth, Located along the northeast coast of
why it’s so important
the Great Barrier Reef is located in the Africa, the Red Sea coral reef system
to protect the planet’s Coral Sea off Australia’s northeast has a high tolerance for rising sea
reefs – and the creatures coast. Like this reef system, you’re hard to temperatures, which might help it survive
they support. miss – mostly because of your outgoing major changes in its environment. Like
So dive into this Coral personality and individual style. You’re this reef, you know all about being tough.
Reef Special to learn all not afraid to share your opinion, and You don’t back down from a challenge
about the animals that you prefer being a leader to a follower. and are an excellent problem solver.
live there, plus get tons
of tips on how YOU can
help these ecosystems.
But first, take this fun quiz
to discover which coral reef
system matches your
personality the most…

Coral design © Beaubelle / Adobe Stock; 1 © Joelena / Getty Images; 2 © Richard Griffin / Alamy; 3 © Smerindo_schultzpax / Getty
Images; 4 © Daoqian Lin / Shutterstock; 5 © Dorottya Mathe / Shutterstock; 6 © Carlos Alvarez / Getty Images; 7 © NASA, ESA,

6
A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), M. H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley), and the OPAL Team;
National Geographic Kids
 TAJ
MAHAL

3 4 5
Which landmark do you most What’s the last thing Pick a pet.
want to see in person? you do before leaving A. Puppy
A. The Taj Mahal in India the house? B. Horse
B. The Colosseum in Italy A. Fill my water bottle C. Hamster
C. Machu Picchu in Peru B. Turn off the lights D. Any rescue
D. The Eiffel Tower in France C. Put on suntan lotion animal
E. The Tokyo Tower in Japan D. Hug my pet E. Older
E. Charge my phone cat

8 9 10
Choose a colour to Pick an emoji. Choose a mode
paint your bedroom. A. Party hat of transport for
A. Bubblegum pink B. Lightning bolt a day in the city.
B. Icy blue C. Sunglasses A. Scooter
C. Sunny D. Ladybird B. Walking
yellow E. Alien C. Taxi
D. Mossy D. Bike
green E. Bus or train
E. Charcoal

MOSTLY C’s MOSTLY D’s MOSTLY E’s

GREAT FLORIDA REEF TUBBATAHA REEF AMAZON REEF
The only coral reef system near The Tubbataha Reef in the Philippines, Located in the Atlantic Ocean off the
mainland USA, the Great Florida Reef Southeast Asia, provides homes to lots coast of French Guiana and Brazil in
sits off the southern tip of Florida. of endangered species, including green South America, the Amazon Reef is in
This natural barrier protects the state’s and hawksbill sea turtles. Providing deep, dark waters. Scientists weren’t
coastline from hurricanes. You too are safe spaces for animals is something even sure it existed until 2016 – and like
protective – of your friends and family. you also take very seriously. You have this reef, you also might seem mysterious
If they need support, you’re the first a big heart and an even bigger love for at first. But once people get to know you,
person they text or call. all things furry, scaly and feathered. they discover your fun, goofy nature.

8 © Beyla Balla / Shutterstock; 9 © Turgay Malikli / Shutterstock; 10 © ValuaVitaly / Getty Images; Great Barrier ©
D. Parer and E. Parer-Cook / Minden Pictures; Red Sea © Birgitte Wilms / Minden Pictures; Great Florida © Robert

7
Zehetmayer / Alamy; Tubbataha © imageBROKER GmbH & Co. KG / Alamy; Amazon © Greenpeace.
natgeokids.com
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 THE ANIMALS:
Hard coral
polyps
T
THE JOB: Corals might look
like plants, but
Builders they’re actually
animals – related
Each type of hard coral is made up of thousands to jellyfish and
of tiny, tentacled creatures called coral polyps. anemones!
If you zoomed in on a reef’s ‘stony’ surface, you’d
see these squishy-looking creatures wiggling away.
As well as feeding on passing plankton, they’re
‘building’ the reef they’re attached to!
Usually no bigger than a pencil tip, each polyp
in a reef-building coral colony is soft – apart from
a calcium carbonate skeleton on its underside.
As these polyps grow, divide and multiply, more
of this calcium carbonate is slowly added. And
Coral
because each polyp is connected to the next one, polyps
they create a living layer over a shared skeleton!
“These polyps are like construction workers who
build with stone,” says marine biologist Howard
Lasker. “But they’re slow builders. Some coral colonies
grow only a fraction of a centimetre in a year.”
In fact, reefs – containing thousands of coral
colonies – can take up to 10,000 years to form!
THE ANIMALS:
Like
Eventually they can extend more than 1,000km, Sea turtles
their jellyfish
continuing to grow until they’re damaged by and
events such as storms and heatwaves.
cousins, some coral dugongs
polyps have stinging
cells in their tentacles T
to help them THE JOB:
catch prey.
Gardeners
Overgrown seagrass ‘garden’? No
problem! Green sea turtles ‘prune’
the seagrass growing around a
coral reef, while dugongs ‘mow’
the tasty plant. Animals like these
A dugong are the gardeners of the reef
THE ANIMALS: system, stopping the seagrass
from smothering the reef.
Parrotfish And like all good gardeners, sea
T turtles and dugongs also spread
nourishing fertiliser (aka poop).
THE JOB: “Most coral reefs are found in clean,
Cleaners clear waters,” says marine biologist
White sand Kiho Kim, “but these waters are
Thanks to parrotfish, coral reefs never get too grubby. beaches near low in nutrients. Thanks to
That’s because these fish eat the yummy algae that coral reefs are made these gardeners’ loo breaks,
grows on a reef’s skeleton, scraping it off with their teeth of ground-up coral however, the reefs get
(and biting off pieces of old coral as they go). The fish pooped out by the nutrients they need.”
get a gritty meal, but they also help keep the reef clean. parrotfish!
Most species of coral rely on algae to make food
for them. But too much algae can smother the reef.
So like a dentist scraping harmful plaque off your Adult green
teeth, a parrotfish scrapes extra algae off the coral. sea turtles (right)
It also clears away old, weak pieces of coral to can eat up to 2kg
make room for new polyps to grow. Studies of seagrass
show that reefs with more parrotfish are usually each day!
healthier than reefs with fewer.

Main image © Alex Mustard / NPL / Minden Pictures; Coral reef inset © Mark Conlin / Alamy; Polyps inset © Adobe Stock;
Parrotfish © Linda Pitkin / NPL / Minden Pictures; Sea turtle © Luciano Candisani / Minden Pictures; Dugong © Getty Images UK;
Fringing reef © Stocktrek Images, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo; Barrier reef © Juergen Freund / Alamy; Atoll © Nature Picture Library / Alamy.
 SPLASHY
Caribbean reef
sharks swim
through a reef

SHAPES
near Cuba

Check out the three main types

of coral reefs found throughout
Earth’s oceans…

Lagoon

Komodo National Park, Indonesia

FRINGING REEF
The most common type of coral reef,
fringing reefs usually grow directly
from the shore of an island or
THE ANIMALS: continent. A shallow pool of water
called a lagoon often forms between
Reef sharks the beach and the fringing reef.
T
THE JOB:
Police officers
A hungry reef shark casts a dark
shadow above a coral ‘city’, making
reef residents scramble for shelter.
But this patrolling predator is a
vital part of life on the reef. Sharks
Sharks keep things under control.
For instance, if reef sharks didn’t Great Barrier Reef, Australia
have been on
eat large fish like grouper, all
BARRIER REEF
Earth longer
than trees. those predators might gobble
too many smaller creatures like
parrotfish. And with those gone, Barrier reefs are also found close to the
algae, which parrotfish eat, could coast, but they grow parallel to the
take over the reef – leading to land, with a deeper lagoon separating
the death of some corals. them from shore. These reefs get their
Without reef sharks to scare name because they act as a barrier
them away sometimes, sea turtles between the coast and the open ocean.
and dugongs might completely
stuff themselves with seagrass.
That could destroy much of the
weedy habitat, which young fish
hide in as they learn to survive.
“Every ecosystem needs a
balance of predators and prey
to make sure there are enough
resources for everyone,” Kiho
says. “Reef sharks help create
that balance.”
Ari Atoll, Maldives

ATOLL
Atolls are reefs in the open ocean with
a lagoon in the middle. They form after
fringing reefs grow around volcanic
islands that eventually sink into the
ocean. Whoa!

natgeokids.com 11

C ITY L IF
MOR E
Dive into the waters of Komodo
National Park in Indonesia,
Southeast Asia, to see other coral
reef critters working together…
12 National Geographic Kids
2
1 HUNGRY
SUN CORAL
E ...
Most coral species rely
on algae living inside
their tissues to help
them make food. 2 FEASTING FISH
For fish like these anthias,
But these pretty sun
corals get all the coral reefs provide shelter from
nutrients they need by
catching zooplankton
predators, a safe place for their
young, and a buffet of food. The
(teeny-tiny animals)
with their tentacles.
seaweed these fish eat would
otherwise smother the coral.
Photo © Martin Strmiska / Alamy. Thanks to National Geographic Explorer Agustin Capriati.
 Coral reefs are
nicknamed
3 ‘rainforests
of the sea’!

3 CORAL EATERS
Many reef creatures – like 4 FEATHERY
sunburst butterflyfish,
sea stars, sea urchins
and crustaceans –
feast on coral polyps.
Called corallivores, some
of these predators might
help coral reefs by
pooping out healthy
coral bacteria over
new areas.
FRIENDS
Feather stars look
like plants, but these
animals can crawl, roll and
even swim to a new location.
Long, sticky arms – up to 150
of them – trap zooplankton
floating in the water. Then
the feather stars’ faeces feed
shrimp, crabs and sea snails.
5 6
5 ROCK STAR
Sea stars like this peppermint
sea star feed on small animals
and sponges, as well as tiny
pieces of fish scales, poop
and dead stuff that falls to
the bottom of the reef.
STAY SPONGY
Many sponge species
like these encrusting
sponges feed by sucking
in water, then filtering out
tiny pieces of plants and
animals to eat. They also
absorb elements like
carbon and phosphorus
from the water. Then the
sponges expel it out,
creating nutrient-filled
food for sea snails and fish.

natgeokids.com 13

OCTOPUS ON CAMERA
“Octopuses would usually rather escape danger than face it.
But one little creature showed me that’s not always true.
“I was with a film crew watching coconut octopuses in the
Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. One of these tennis-ball-sized
creatures was about 30cm away from us, and we were trying
not to scare it off. But the looks on the crew’s faces told me
that something surprising had happened behind me.
TOILET
PALE OCTOPUS
PALE
OCTOPUS
16 National Geographic Kids
The coconut
octopus checks out
the crew’s camera
“I turned around and saw another coconut octopus charging
towards our camera! It jumped on the equipment and
crawled all over the lens.
“I’d never seen an octopus be so bold, especially such a tiny
little thing. But it calmed down after examining our equipment.
I think it just needed a minute to realise our unfamiliar gadgets
weren’t a threat, and then it swam away!”
FLUSHED AWAY
“One night, I was diving off a pier into Port Phillip
Bay, on the southeastern coast of Australia,
hoping to see an octopus hunting.
“Unfortunately, it’s a spot where people dump
rubbish, and while I was diving I saw a toilet on
the seafloor. As I stared at it, a spotted arm
snaked its way out of the toilet’s back pipe –
apparently, a pale octopus had been living
inside the loo!
“Octopuses can twist and squeeze their
boneless bodies through holes the size of
a 10c coin. But I’d never seen an octopus
in a place like that before!
“Another time at Port Phillip Bay, I saw five
different species all hanging out together –
a blue-ringed octopus, a sand octopus, a
southern keeled octopus, a pale octopus
and a Maori octopus.
“These species are all different sizes, and
bigger octopuses usually eat smaller ones,
so it was unusual to see them all together under
the pier. They weren’t socialising like animals
such as chimpanzees would, but they were
at least tolerating each other.”
 AWESOME
OCTOPUS
FACTS
Around 300 species
of octopuses swim in
Earth’s oceans. Let’s meet Greater blue-ringed octopus Coconut octopus
14 of them… Steer clear of this cephalopod – its venom For protection, this crafty octopus

Oceanwide / Minden Pictures; © Scotland: The Big Picture / NPL / Minden Pictures; © David Hall / NPL / Minden Pictures; © Bioluminescent and Dumbo © David Shale / NPL / Minden Pictures; © Chris Newbert / Minden Pictures; © Fred Bavendam /
could kill 26 adult humans in a few minutes! hides in coconut shells!

Octopus on camera © Adam Geiger, Sealight Pictures; Octopus in toilet © Sam Glenn-Smith; Pale octopus © Blue Planet Archive / John C. Lewis. Grid, left to right, top to bottom: © Alex Mustard / Nature Picture Library / Alamy; © Gary Bell /

Minden Pictures; © David Fleetham / Nature Picture Library; © Alex Mustard / NPL / Minden Pictures; © Shane Gross / NPL / Minden Pictures; © Norbert Wu / Minden Pictures; © Franco Banfi / NPL / Minden Pictures; © NOAA.
Curled octopus Poison ocellate octopus Bioluminescent octopus
This cephalopod’s arm tips are Two blue eye-like rings help This creature’s organs can be seen
usually curled when it’s resting. to scare off predators! through its translucent skin.

Dumbo octopus Wunderpus octopus Giant Pacific octopus

Named after the big-eared Disney elephant, Just like people’s fingerprints, the spots Weighing up to 270kg and measuring more than
the dumbo lives 4,000m below the surface! on each wunderpus’ head are unique. 4m long, this is the world’s biggest octopus species.

Day octopus Mimic octopus Common octopus

This cephalopod is most active in early A master of disguise, this octopus’ arms can The common octopus can look like
morning and late afternoon – hence its name! mimic the shape of venomous sea snakes. a moving rock to fool predators.

North Pacific bigeye octopus Atlantic white-spotted octopus Ghost octopus

Giant peepers help the bigeye spot Also called a grass octopus, Scientists think the ghost octopus’ paleness
its dinner in deep, dark waters. this creature hides in seagrass. might be caused by a lack of colour in its food.

natgeokids.com 17
 THE
INCREDIBLE

OCTOPUS
INK
When threatened,
octopuses eject ink
that can mess with
a predator’s sight,
Pull on your snorkelling gear taste and smell.
and dive in for a closer look at an This distraction
allows the octopus
octopus’ remarkable body! to escape.
SKIN
Octopus
skin is covered with
MUSCLES
Octopuses don’t
40% 90% chromatophores –
groups of special cells filled
have bones but with different colours. These
are 90% muscle. cells can stretch out and turn
Humans are only the creature’s skin the same
about 40% colour as its surroundings,
muscle. making the octopus
almost invisible.

An octopus uses its birdlike BEAK

to open clams and other shelled
prey. It can also inject venom.
Yikes! The beak pops out from
the centre of its lips (on the
octopus’ underside).

ARMS
An octopus sends
messages from its brain
to other parts of the
body through cells called
neurons. Most of these
neurons are in an octopus’ A few
arms. Each of its eight species of
arms can taste, feel octopuses can
and move on detach an arm to
its own. distract predators.
(Don’t worry – it
grows back!)
4 metres long

2.5 cm long

The biggest octopus is The smallest is the

SIZE the giant Pacific octopus. (ADULT star-sucker pygmy SUCKERS
HUMAN) octopus. These help
About 300 known
species of octopuses the octopus pick
live in oceans all over up prey and cling
the world. Some are to surfaces. Some
ginormous, and others octopuses have
are teeny-tiny. about 2,000
suckers!
(ACTUAL SIZE)

18 National Geographic Kids

Graphic by Fernando G. Baptista and Lawson Parker; With thanks to Janet Voight, Field Museum
of Natural History. The Walt Disney Company Is Majority Owner Of National Geographic Partners.
 HEAD
Octopuses can see MANTLE
in all directions as This balloon-
they have an eye on shaped bit looks like
each side of their head. part of the head, but
Inside the head is a it actually contains the
centralised brain that digestive tract and
Central
tells ‘mini-brains’ in internal organs like
heart
each arm how the kidneys.
to move. HEARTS
An octopus
Stomach has three of them!
Two lateral hearts pump
blood to an octopus’ gills,
where the blood gets
oxygen. A third central
heart pumps that
Kidney oxygen-rich blood
Digestive to the rest of
gland the body.

Ink Lateral SIPHON

sac hearts Ink and poop
come out through
Gills the siphon. This
Brain body part can also
create a jet stream of
water to propel the
octopus through
the ocean.

MOVEMENT
Octopuses prefer
walking on the
seafloor instead
of swimming. Some
have even been
seen walking on
two arms!

SECRETS OF THE OCTOPUS IS ON DISNEY+ NOW.

natgeokids.com 19
WACKY
WORLD! The planet’s
strangest
pictures…

Climate car Fluff y friends

Check out the huge ‘hailstones’ that have hammered this car
in Milan, Italy! It’s actually a sculpture by eco-campaigners
highlighting the extreme weather that’s being caused by climate
change. The region was hit by huge, freak hailstones in July
last year – thankfully NOT as big as these pretend ones. Phew!
These incredible creatures are all made out of wool! Japanese
artist Terumi Ohta uses a technique called needle-felting to
create the realistic animals, repeatedly poking the wool with
sharp needles until the fibres lock together. She then uses
clay for the nose, paws and claws, and glass for the eyes. Wow!

Funny

Building blocks © Cover Images UK; All others © Getty Images UK.
Fluffy friends © Takehiro Kawamura; Funny faces © Lee Wagstaff;
faces
Artist Lee Wagstaff paints geometric
patterns on canvas using oil paint.
But if you squint your eyes or take a
few steps backwards, faces appear!
After first planning the portraits
on a computer, Lee, from Berlin in
Germany, spends about four weeks
painting each 60cm x 80cm optical
illusion. Our minds
are blown!

READY,
TEDDY,
LIFT-OFF!
This balloon was one of
hundreds that took part in
last month’s Balloons Over
Waikato Hot Air Balloon
Festival in Hamilton,
New Zealand.
Bear-illiant!
BUILDING
BLOCKS
Check out this bizarre tower
block in Tirana, Albania!
MINI MOAI
Called the Hora Vertikale,
the residential building is Recognise these painted
people in Rho, Italy? Called
made up of 13 seven-storey
cubes. Looks like a Moai, they’re based on the famous
stone sculptures found on Rapa Nui
fun place to live!
(Easter Island) in the Pacific Ocean.
SEAHORSE
PYGMY
© Getty Images UK.
 DUGONG

© Getty Images UK.

 8- LL
PU
PA OU
G T
E
bored a g a in w it h
Never be v ities !
me ac ti
these aweso
O Stretch your brain
O Draw a menagerie
O Decode hieroglyphs
O Learn dance moves
 STRETCH YOUR BRAIN Answers
on back
3 page

BIRD’S EYE VIEW

What does each of these pictures
show? They’re all seen from above.

4
SAY WHAT YOU READ
Read out the names of the animals on the left, then
try to do the same with the ones on the right...

lion cro giraffe zebra

c o d il e meerkat hi p po

It’s harder,
isn’t it?
zebra hippo crocodile
rhino

el el gi
meerkat eph nt rhino eph nt raff
a a e li o n

2 Boredom Busters!
 CONUNDRU
M

TURN AROUND
These lines are in the shape
of a donkey. Can you think Wha
t can
how to make it face the your you h
left h o
other way by moving just and b ld in
in yo ut no
one of the lines? ur rig t
ht?

READ THIS..e.sehT
era sdrow
rorrim ni nettirw
Once you know the answer, you could ra nailatI .gnitirw
rotnevni dna tsit
make the above shape using straws, ad odranoeL
etorw netfo icniV t
pens or pencils, and challenge on tub — yaw sih
.yhw swonk eno i t I
others to turn it around, too. sae hcum s
uoy fi daer ot rei
eht ta kool
.rorrim a ni sdrow

AFTER SHOT

PH I NX
OF THES Ancient
LES in x . A c c o rding to o can’t
I’m a sph s, I eat anyone re to try
wh
DD ie
RI Greek
olve
s
m
t o
y
r
r id
yo a
dles. Do ones?
ese
u d
s r th
to answe

1
What has two heads, four eyes,
six legs and a trunk?

What do you think

2
What begins with an ‘e’ and
happened just before ends with an ‘e’, but only has
this scene? one letter in it?

3
What two things can you
never have for breakfast?

Boredom Busters! 3
 DRAW A MENAGERIE
Follow the steps to draw a collection, or menagerie, of different wild animals.
You could colour them in with pens or crayons if you like.

MEER
K AT 2 3
Add a

s ...
long

rm
body... a
o
tw

Draw a hexagon like this.

two ears...

4 5
two eye patches...

6
Next, add
eyes, a
nose and
a mouth.

two front
Last of
A group of paws...
a tail... all, draw
meerkats is
squiggles
called a mob.
and two for fur.
legs...
back paws.

. ..
ZE B R
k

1
ec

Draw a long
A
an

rectangle...
2 a head...
two
ears...
two

3 4
... eyes...
e

a nose...
an
am

four legs...
5 lots of
stripes...
and
nostrils,
too.

a tail...

4 Boredom Busters!
 CHAMELEON KOALA

1 1 2
Draw a
square...

Draw a a body...
head...

2 a tail...
a se
micircle
for an arm...
a ‘U to
ma ’ shape y...
ke the bod

four
little legs...
3 4
two ears and two
lines for a muzzle...

an oval-shaped

3
blob for a
nose...
n eye...
ue, a triang
les o
g n a curved
on the
bo leg...
at

dy
...

and 5 two eyes and

a mouth...

6
four feet.

a fro
nt
pa

and
w..

TIGER squiggles
.

for fur.
a back
paw...
Draw a head... a
two e rs...

1 2
al The patterns
on every tiger’s
on
g tail...

a body... forehead make this

Chinese symbol, or
character, called wang.
It means ‘king’.
a face...

3 4 whiskers...

and stripes.
two front
legs...

Boredom Busters! 5
 DECODE HIEROGLYhPierH S
anc ent Egy
i ogl ph . as y s
The ptians wr
ote in symbols known
u t fo r thousands of years nobo w h at t h ey meant – until French
B dy knew
in d Jean-François lliant discovery...
m a ste rm Champollion made a bri
In 1822, Champollion was 32 years old. He could speak Champollion began studying an ancient Egyptian
1 many languages, but one was still out of his reach... 2 stone known as the Rosetta Stone. It was
inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs...

ur ...another
Hello (Syriac) Bonjoch) type of Egyptian
(Engl (Fren
ish) writing called
Demotic...

ek)
nt Gre ...and
(Hebrew) (Ancie
Ancient
Greek.
Salve
(Latin)

(Aramaic)
But h
do you ow
w
‘Hello’ rite
hierogly in
) phs?
(Arabic

Can you help

Champollion decipher
each hieroglyph below?
Champollion identified
4 matching hieroglyphs in the
Answers on back page.

cartouches and discovered the

sounds that they stood for. PTOLMYS*

CLEOPADRA*

*This is how the names are pronounced.

Today, they’re usually spelled:
Ptolemy and Cleopatra.
 Champollion read the name of an Egyptian king called Ptolemy in the
Egyptian kings’ names
3 Ancient Greek. He guessed that the hieroglyphs contained the same
message, so he looked for the symbols that might stand for ‘Ptolemy’...
were usually written
in oval frames called
cartouches, so I think this
could be Ptolemy’s name.

He compared it with another cartouche that was thought

to contain the name of an Egyptian queen, Cleopatra.

Champollion studied other royal names and decoded every

5 hieroglyph. Here are the hieroglyphs that make similar
sounds to the letters in the alphabet that we use.

or
A B C C D E F G H UNTRANSLATABLE?
Some ancient languages are
or or still a mystery...

I J K K L M M N O
BYBLIC
(found in Lebanon)

Q R S T U V W
P

HATTIC
Aha!
(from Turkey)
X Y Z

NOW . . . in IBERIC
me
ourown na ouche (from Spain and Portugal)
Write y d draw a cart
n
lyphs a it.
hierog around
shape

Boredom Busters! 7
 DANCE MOVE IDEAS
REMEMBER A ROUTINE
Make up a dance sequence in a group, then see
who can bust the most moves in the right order.
Disco Fever

Point at your
1 hip, and then up
in the air.
The first person
makes up a You could raise your
dance move. arms and move
them in a circle.

Jazz Twist

Touch your
elbow and twirl
your other hand.
2
The next person
copies the first dance
move and adds a
What about
new one. Under the Sea
adding a
jump?
Pinch your
nose and wave
your fingers down
across your face.

Funky Chicken

83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT, UK. www.usborne.com. © 2016 Usborne Publishing Limited.
3

Reproduced from the Never Get Bored Book by permission of Usborne Publishing,
Everyone takes turns Flap your
performing the dance arms up and
moves and adding down.
another each time.

Maybe clap your Mashed Potato

You’re OUT if you forget a
hands and lift
dance move in the sequence.
your leg.
The last person still dancing Bang your fists
wins the game. together twice,
then swap hands
and repeat.

STRETCH YOUR BRAIN

ANSWERS

BIRD’S EYE VIEW: 1 – Someone frying an egg; CONUNDRUM: Your right hand. DECODE HIEROGLYPHS
2 – Two people with umbrellas and puddles; AFTER SHOT: A snowman melted away.
3 – Someone playing golf; 4 – A pirate on an island. RIDDLES OF THE SPHINX: 1 – Someone =P =L =O =A
TURN AROUND: Move the line, shown in red, in the direction riding an elephant; 2 – An envelope;
of the arrow, then rotate the page anticlockwise! 3 – Lunch and dinner.
© Getty Images UK.
BLENNY
SPOTJAW
 © Getty Images UK.

LONGHORN
COWFiSH
 A DV E RT I S E M E N T

GIANTS Software GmbH.

of Nintendo.
ndo Switch is a trademark
registered trademark of
respective owners. Ninte
logos are trademarks or
logos are property of their
All rights reserved. All other H. Farming Simulator, GIANTS Software and its
IN
STORES

names, trademarks and

NOW!

Gmb
© 2024 GIANTS Software
Calling all future farmers! Get ready to grow and
harvest healthy crops and care for adorable animals in
Farming Simulator Kids, out now on Nintendo Switch.™
In Farming Simulator Kids, players can explore the exciting world
of farming and nature. With cute graphics and easy gameplay,
you’ll get to grow crops, care for farm animals like cows and FARMING MIX-UP
Can you unscramble these
Answers
on page
chickens, and operate big tractors and other cool machines. 42
farming words to answer the
But that’s not all! There are tons of activities to enjoy too, from
questions below?
gardening to sandwich-making. Plus, visit farmers markets, trade
items at a swap shop and meet loads of charming characters.
So grab your gumboots, pull on your overalls and get
1 What is the name of a place where
you can sell and buy fresh produce? {MARTKE
ready for a farm-tastic adventure! 2 Hauling, ploughing and towing
are carried out by which farm vehicle? { TRCAROT
3
What type of cow do
we get milk from? YRIAD {
WIN! FOUR
FARMING SIMULATOR KIDS
readers* will plough away with
a copy of Farming Simulator Kids for the
Nintendo Switch! Answer the question below
for your chance to harvest this big prize…
Includes… Q Roughly how many farms are there
O Loveable animals to in Australia?
SCAN
befriend and care for a) 86 b) 860 c) 86,000
O Character creator with
colourful clothes to wear Scan this QR code or enter at
O Healthy crops to plant natgeokids.com by 18 June 2024
HERE
and harvest * Competition only open to readers in Australia, sorry!

O Cool vehicles and tools Available from all good gaming retailers.
by John Deere Check out farming-simulator.com/kids
O Lots of locations to explore, for more info!
from barns to markets!
O A 12-page colouring book
A diver cleans
algae off coral
growing in a
nursery near
Key Largo,
Florida, USA

RA L REE F
CO R ESC U E
How eco-heroes Around the world, coral reefs are in
danger – pollution, warmer waters
“Coral reefs could be the first ecosystem we
lose – but that also means it could be the first
are working to due to climate change, and other
threats can cause coral to die. Sadly, an
one we save,” says marine biologist Steve
Simpson, who’s looking on the bright side. “If
protect Earth’s international report found that up to 90% we can save coral reefs, we can save anything!”
of coral reefs are at risk. But the good news is Check out a few ways conservationists are
precious coral! that many people are working to save them. protecting these important habitats…

The Walt Disney Company is majority owner of National Geographic Partners. Underwater Nurseries (both) ©

26 National Geographic Kids

Alex Neufeld / Coral Restoration Foundation; Seaweed Smackdown © NOAA / National Centers for Coastal Ocean
Science; Super Coral © Alex Mustard / NPL / Minden Pictures.
 The Super Sucker
removes seaweed in
Kāne’ohe Bay, Hawaii

Underwater
Nurseries
Some coral polyps – the
animals that create coral
reefs – are harmed by
heatwaves and pollution,
and others die after they’re
knocked off a reef by strong
storms or boat strikes.
But conservationists have
come up with a cool way to
rebuild struggling reefs.
First, scientists from
organisations like the Coral
Restoration Foundation (left
and below) cut slivers of coral
from a healthy reef or rescue
bits of coral that have been
knocked off. These polyps are
then taken to a nursery, which
could be in tanks on land or
Seaweed Smackdown
shallow, protected areas Pollution and warming ocean temperatures can make
underwater. seaweed grow faster – and that’s not good. Too much
These coral chunks are seaweed prevents baby coral from attaching to the reef. It
hung on metal ‘trees’, which can also block sunlight from reaching adult coral, causing
expose them to clean water it to starve. But check out how conservationists are beating
and tasty zooplankton back the pesky seaweed!
floating by. Scuba-diving
T

In Hawaii – a chain of 137 islands in the Pacific Ocean –

researchers monitor the scientists have used an underwater vacuum called
polyps’ health and stop the Super Sucker (see pic) to slurp up blobs of seaweed.
seaweed or sponges from
smothering them.
T

Over in the Bahamas – an island country in the

Then, after about a year, the Caribbean – researchers are enlisting animal allies.
scientists attach the healthy They’re reintroducing native species such as
coral fragments to damaged long-spined sea urchins to graze on excess
reefs and, as the polyps grow, seaweed, like little lawnmowers!
they form a permanent,
natural bond to the reef.
T

National Geographic Explorer Hillary Smith is studying

This transplanted, nursery- a low-tech solution in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef –
grown coral can bring plucking seaweed by hand. “It pops easily off the reef,”
new life to a struggling she says. “The fish can feel it, and they come out to eat the
habitat. Brilliant! critters that were living at the base of the seaweed.”

Super Coral
Coral reefs in the northern Red Sea between Africa and Asia
are unusual – they can survive heatwaves that would harm
coral in other parts of the world. Why? One Nat Geo Explorer
thinks he knows the answer.
Marine biologist Eslam Osman has discovered that many
coral reefs here have a species of algae in their tissue that can
withstand these higher temperatures. Eslam hopes his work will
inspire governments and environmental groups to protect
this coral so that the hardy coral polyps might someday
repopulate reefs around the world.

A worker attaches nursery-grown

coral to a reef in the Florida Keys Gordon Reef in the Red Sea natgeokids.com 27
 A researcher plays healthy
reef sounds through a speaker
on the Great Barrier Reef

Sound Saver
Healthy reefs are noisy places!
Fish grunt and whoop, and
thousands of snapping shrimp
create and pop bubbles with
their claws, creating a sound
like frying bacon. Weird!
But when a reef becomes so
damaged that those animals
leave, the whole ecosystem is
in trouble. Excess algae doesn’t
get eaten and nutrient-giving
poop vanishes. “A coral reef
without fish is a reef living on
borrowed time,” says marine
biologist Steve Simpson.
So, among the other efforts
to save vulnerable reefs, Steve
plays sounds of healthy reefs
through underwater speakers
to attract young fish back to
the damaged habitat. He found
that six weeks of broadcasting
healthy reef sounds doubled
the amount of fish in the area.
Sounds good to us!

THE BIG BLEACH

A major threat to coral reefs is known as bleaching. Here’s how it works:

Thriving coral Under stress Bleaching Recovery… … or Death

Most coral But when the … And because If the water But if the
species survive by ocean water gets algae is what gives temperature warming is
partnering with too warm, the the see-through decreases in too intense
tiny algae called algae produce polyps their enough time, or lasts too
zooxanthellae too much oxygen, colour, when they algae can return long, the
(say “ZOH-eh-zan- which can hurt leave, the colour to live inside the coral will
THEH-lee”). The the coral. So the disappears, too. polyps and make starve and
algae get a safe coral kicks out This process is food for them. eventually die.
home inside the the algae… called bleaching Over time, the
coral’s tissue. In because the dead coral is
return, algae make coral appears covered by
food for the coral to turn white, other types
by converting like it’s been of algae.
sunlight into bleached.
sugar that the
coral can use for
energy. (When
two species
partner up like
this, it’s called
symbiosis.)
 HOW TO HELP
Seven ways to protect this splashy ecosystem…

1
Touching a reef 2
can damage it,
so avoid contact Use suncream
with coral while that’s labelled
snorkelling. ‘reef safe’ – this
means it doesn’t
contain chemicals
that can harm 3
coral reefs.
Sharks help keep
coral reefs healthy – they eat
4 prey that might damage the habitat
if too many are around (see page 15).

Sound Saver © Harry Harding; The Big Bleach: Fernando G. Baptista, Eve Conant, NGM staff; Lawson Parker. Sources: Kate Green and Kate Quigley,
But, sadly, many sharks are killed

Dreamstime; 2 © Ipeggas / Getty Images; 3 © Brian Skerry / Minden Pictures; 4 © Iliuta Goean / Shutterstock; 6 © Yasser Chalid / Getty Images.
Australian Institute of Marine Science; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Noaa Coral Reef Watch. 1 © Rafael Ben Ari /
Make sure for their liver, which contains an
your aquarium fish oil called squalene used in some
were bred in captivity, beauty products. So avoid lotions,
not taken from suncreams and make-up that
wild places like have squalene (sometimes
coral reefs. spelled ‘squalane’) on their
5 ingredients list.

6
Become an eco-hero Never buy
and get tips to fight souvenirs or
climate change at jewellery
natgeokids.com/au/ made
SaveTheEarth from coral.

7
Pick up rubbish
at the beach. Plastic
can suffocate coral.
(One report found
plastic debris on 92%
of the reefs studied.)

natgeokids.com 29
 A DV E RT I S E M E N T

A toad-ally
awesome
new series!

Jump into a top-secret world where frogs don’t

just eat flies, they eat danger. This is FROG SQUAD!
In Dessert Disaster, the first book in this hilarious new series,
Frog Squad comes to the rescue of a huge ship in distress
that’s full of ice cream! Will the brave rescue frogs be fast
enough to stop Professor Cain and The Organisation
of Amphibious Devious Scoundrels (TOADS) from
controlling the global supply of ice cream?

MEET FROG SQUAD!

Each member of the Frog Squad
has a special skill that helps
them save the day…
QUITO
GONZALEZ
ROLE: Intelligence
SPECIES: Ecuadorean
glass frog
Quito is a master
of disguise with
the ability to turn
translucent! This
see-through skill
comes in handy when
evading the evil TOADS.
TONY ROWLEY
ROLE: Squad leader
SPECIES: Green tree frog DR. JILLY GILLEY
A former Navy frog diver, ROLE: Marine biologist
SPECIES: Corroboree frog
Tony is always cool under
Don’t mess with
pressure and underwater
– even though he was Dr. Jilly – not only
is she super-smart,
born a tree dweller.
she also has a black
belt in kung fu. Gulp!

Written by
Kate and Jol Temple
with hilarious illustrations
by Shiloh Gordon, the
team behind the smash-
hit series The Underdogs.
NELSON HEWITT
ROLE: Pilot
SPECIES: Black rain frog
A helifrogter pilot and repair
frog with detachable legs,
Nelson drives the squad’s
various rescue craft like a pro!
 Frog Squad
is a book told in
FROG FACTS!
Jump in and discover what makes the real
the style of a reality
TV show airing on
the fictional Frogflix
species behind Frog Squad so special… channel. Expect silly ad
breaks, funny dialogue First
‘to camera’ and so book out
ECUADOREAN GLASS FROG much more. It’s April
2024!
ribbet-ing!
These awesome
amphibians from South
America have transparent
bellies through which you can
see their beating heart and
other internal organs. Weird!
FROG FINDER!
Uh-oh! Eight species of frogs have gone missing
Males guard the in this grid. Can you spot them?
females’ eggs, laid
on leaves over streams,
protecting them from G W W R G R R D G L T Z
predators until they hatch. O Y X B A O Z O K R H Y
O G N Q M I R H W C D J
GREEN TREE FROG S S L Y C F N F P I G W
Found in Australia
and the Americas,
E A R A T A G F L W M S
green tree frogs are F L D S S F O B R L M D
excellent climbers. They use
their sticky toe pads to grip
R S O H F S R O N O U F
onto branches and leaves. O H I O Y P F K R R G B
During mating season, G S H B O K D R D O D P
they make a loud
honking noise which is T R E E F R O G O J T P
repeated up to 75 times G O R F S S O M R G J M
per minute!
K W Z A T Z W W U M Q R
Black rain frog © Tony Rebelo; All other pictures © Getty Images UK.

CORROBOREE FROG Q BULL FROG Q MOSS FROG

The striking stripes
on these famous
Q GHOST FROG Q RAIN FROG
Australian amphibians Q GLASS FROG Q TREE FROG
warn predators that Answers
Q GOOSE FROG Q WOOD FROG on page
they’re poisonous. Yikes!
42
Corroboree frogs
are nocturnal,
hopping around and
hunting for insects FROG SQUAD:
WIN! DESSERT
at night.

BLACK RAIN FROG DISASTER

Nicknamed ‘grumpy THREE readers* will win a copy
avocados’ because of the book. For your chance to
of their miserable-looking win, just answer this question…
faces and bumpy skin, Q What type of
black rain frogs absorb animals are frogs? SCAN
moisture through their a) Reptiles b) Mammals
skin so they rarely need c) Amphibians
to drink!
If threatened, these Scan this QR code or enter at
South African natgeokids.com by 18 June 2024 HERE
frogs puff themselves
* Competition only open to readers in Australia, sorry!
up to look bigger and
more intimidating.
 ROMAN RULERS
By waging constant war on its neighbours, Rome Europe – including Britain! – and imposed the same
grew from being a small Italian city to a mighty laws, gods, currency and language on millions of
empire. It conquered large parts of North Africa and people. Let's meet some of its most powerful rulers…

3 Hadrian (AD 76–AD 138)

Known for: Turning his back on war and
conquest, instead building walls in an
attempt to make the empire stronger.

Hadrian ruled the Roman Empire at the height of

its power. Previous emperors had concentrated on
expanding the empire, but Hadrian thought that was too
risky. Instead he focused on securing its borders. He spent
much of his reign touring every corner of the empire,
ordering the building of forts, roads and defences.
On a visit to Britain, he called for the construction of an
I reckon this enormous wall across the country to keep the barbarians*
wall will last a out. Some of Hadrian's Wall is still standing today between
Carlisle and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Although Hadrian
long time! didn't spend much time in Rome, he left his mark there,
too. He built the Pantheon, a round temple with a domed
roof which is still in use today, and the enormous Temple
of Venus and Roma – then Rome's largest temple ever.
He was a romantic, too. After Hadrian's boyfriend
Antinous drowned in the River Nile, Hadrian had
him declared a god and statues were erected so
people could worship him. He even named a city
in Egypt after him – Antinopolis.

* 'Barbarian' was the Romans' dismissive term for any foreigner speaking
a language they didn't understand (sounding like "bar-bar-bar")!

4
Constantine the Great
(AD 272–AD 337)
Known for: Becoming the first Christian My name
emperor of Rome, and moving the Roman
capital to Constantinople. will be
remembered
By the late AD 200s, the Roman Empire was suffering
barbarian attacks, civil wars and disease. The empire
forever, Mum!
had split into four parts, and in AD 306 a tough soldier
called Constantine became ruler of one of them.
For nearly 20 years, Constantine fought to reunite
the empire. Before one of his victories, legend says
a fiery cross appeared in the sky, and he took it as a
sign that he should become a Christian. (His religious
mother Helena, who later became a saint, may also
have helped persuade him!) Previous emperors such
as Nero had persecuted Christians, but Constantine's
conversion made Christianity the official religion
of the Roman Empire.
Constantine also moved the Roman capital from
Rome to a city called Byzantium, which he renamed
after himself – Constantinople. Following his death
the empire split in two. The western half, which
included Rome, was conquered by barbarians.
But the eastern half, ruled from Constantinople,
lasted for another 1,000 years.

natgeokids.com 33
JUNIOR
EXPLORERS’
RECYCLED INSTRUMENTS
Hi Nat Geo Kids, Elsie and Élina enjoy
Me and my little making some noise!
sister Élina, 6, made
instruments out of
recycled bottles.
Here’s how to do it!
1. Get an empty soft
drink bottle
2. Fill it up with water
(warm or cold)
3. Blow over the top
4. Empty some water
out after to make a
different noise

It was so much fun. The bottles that we used were IT’S

recyclable so we could put them in the recycling bin
afterwards. We hope that others can do the same, too.
Elsie, 10
O Great idea, girls. We’re looking forward to the album!
RUPERT!
Name: Rupert

COOLEST LOO EVER?!

Breed: German shorthaired pointer
Age: 2
Likes: All foods, hugs, chasing pheasants
Dislikes: Loud noises, paws being cleaned
Owners: Emma, 8, and Toby, 10

Hi NG KiDS!
Here’s my picture of the
great grey owl that was
featured in issue 104.
What I love about owls is
that they can turn to look
right behind them, and
they’re silent when they fly!
Reuben, 9
O Brilliant drawing, Reuben!

Loo with
a view! Hi Nat Geo Kids!
I thought the
leopard rescue
Hi National Geographic Kids! story from issue
We have been decorating our toilet 107 was really
with the NGK posters! Unfortunately cool so I made a
we are moving house and we now need drawing of it and
to get rid of the posters from the wall. searched up facts!
Charlie, 10, and Nicholas, 9 Rebekah, 8
O We loo-ve this! Hopefully the dunnies O Lovely stuff,
in your new home will be just as wild. Rebekah!

34 National Geographic Kids

We want to hear from you! Send in your artwork, All readers on the page this month
jokes, craft pics and pet photos, and tell us about will scoop Inside the World’s
your wildlife sightings, hobbies, interests and Wonders from Lonely Planet Kids.
opinions. A selection of our faves will be printed Take a peek inside some of the
on this page! Email us at editorial@ngkids.com.au greatest buildings on Earth!

WILDLIFE WATCH
Hi Nat Geo Kids,
I wanted to share a picture of some colourful beetles
I spotted on a gardenia bush on my evening walk.
Amrita, 7
O Wow! These pretty creatures are cotton harlequin
bugs, which are only found in eastern
Australia. Great spot, Amrita!

Clara with the

mystery blobs!

Jewel bugs on a bush!

R NER
POETRY CO
Hi NG KiDS,
There is nothing like receiving your
latest mag after a long day! That
is why I wrote this poem to thank
you for your amazing commitment
to making sure that I always get
my magazine in my postbox!
Hello! Luka,11
After seeing the zoomed-in seagrass photo in issue 108 O What a lovely message, Luka
I was inspired to go and look for strange things at the – it made our month! Thanks so
beach near our home in Broome, WA. I found these! We much from the whole NGK team.
don’t know if they are some sort of egg sac.
Clara, 7
O What a cool find, Clara! We checked with our pals at the National Geographi
Australian Museum and their Head of Marine Invertebrates c
Every day, withou
says they’re a type of sea squirt. t fail
I go to faithfully ch
eck the mail
Many pleasures la
y inside
But only one I truly
Hi NGK, seek to find
Then I shout: “Hip,
I drew the mountain National Geograph hip, hooray, my
lion from issue 106. ic has come today!
And then inside I go ”
Madison, 10 , to read through m
O What a wonderful little treasure trove y
drawing, Madison! Anything you can
find inside its page
from treasure map s,
s to weather gaug
The latest bling, fa es
cts, pictures, anythin
So this is why I wr g!
ote this poem
To say thank you
to the ed
both new and old itors
For all the hours yo
u faithfully slave aw
So I can find this m ay
agazine in my mai
l today.

natgeokids.com 35
 A

STUFF
GAMES,
LAUGHS,
AND LOTS
TO DO!

FIND THE HIDDEN

ANIMALS
Animals often blend in with their environment to help them hide.
Find each animal listed below in the pictures, then write the letter
of the correct photo next to each animal’s name. ANSWERS ON PAGE 42
E
1. Tree frog _______ 5. Cicada (an insect) _______
2. Ghost crab _______ 6. Eurasian bittern (a bird) ______
3. Great potoo (a bird) _______ 7. Sidewinding adder ______
4. Octopus _______

36 National Geographic Kids

A © Solvin Zankl / NPL / Minden Pictures; B © SeaTops / Alamy; C © Bernard Castelein / NPL / Minden Pictures; D © Alex Hyde / NPL /
Minden Pictures; E © Piper Mackay / NPL / Minden Pictures; F © Jakub Dvořák / Alamy; G © Andrew Parkinson / FLPA / Minden Pictures.
B C

F G

natgeokids.com 37
  
  
 
  
  


 
 

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 MEGA
CROSSWORD
Across 1 2 3 4 5 6

1 Precious metal (4) 7 8

3 Mum or dad (6)
9 Eight-armed sea 9 10 11 12

creature (7) 13 14
11 A duck’s beak. Also a
request for payment (4) 15 16 17 18 19
12 Noise that a dog makes (4) 20
13 Person who treats sick
animals (3)
18 Pick up or raise (4) 21 22
20 Thick, creamy dressing
made from egg yolks 23 24
and oil (10)
21 Place you sit in that takes 25 26 27

passport pictures (5, 5) 28 29 30

23 Opposite of give (7)
24 Mammal mums feed 31 32

their young this liquid (4) 33 34 35

25 Contented cat noise (4)
28 Device that helps you 36

breathe underwater (7) 37 38 39

32 Use this to remove
creases from clothes (4)
33 World’s largest coral 40 41 42 43 44
reef system (5, 7, 4)
37 Use oars to push through 45

water (3)
46
38 Immature form of some
animals before they change 47
into adults, e.g. a maggot (5)
41 Cut or trim paper with 48 49 50

these (8) 51 52 53 54
44 Fish often eaten with chips (3)
45 Poke fun at someone (5) 55 56 57 58 59

46 Flowers on a tree (7) 60

47 Shellfish that sounds like
a human bodypart! (6) 61 62

50 Study of the stars and

planets (9)
52 European country that’s
home to the Colosseum (5)
55 Word used to describe
a child who has been
over-indulged (6)
58 World’s largest
rainforest (6)
60 Sweet snacks often dunked
in tea (8)
61 Female sheep (3)
62 Plant seeds in this (4)
TOP TIP!
If you get stuck
on one of the
clues, move on to
some others. You
can go back to it
when you’ve got
extra letters!
Down
1 Wear these to keep your
hands warm (6)
2 Instruction written on
some doors (4)
3 Small, smooth stones (7)
4 Slippery snake-like fish (3)
5 Dry yourself with this (5)
6 Switch lights ___ when
leaving a room (3)
7 Wipe your feet on this (7)
8 A slow run (3)
10 Name for a suspense-filled
and gripping type of film (8)
14 Clean your gnashers with
this (10)
15 Leave these in mud
or sand as you walk (10)
16 The ___. Final page
of a story (3)
17 Not asleep (5)
19 An elephant has one of 43 Wash your hair with this (7)
these (5) 44 Place to watch films on a
22 Make a sound louder (7) big screen (6)
26 Wear these to protect your
48 Type of food eaten in
eyes in bright weather (10) 52 Across (5)
27 Crush or squeeze (6) 49 A tulip grows from this (4)
29 Joint connecting your 51 Fairy ____. Magical story (4)
upper and lower leg (4)
53 Throw (4)
30 Understanding of a
subject (9) 54 Shout loudly (4)
31 Place these over your ears 56 A bit of advice, a place to
take rubbish, or money for
to listen to music (10)
34 Instructions to follow at waiting staff (3)
school (5) 57 King ___ . Nickname of
35 Flowing body of water (5) Egyptian Pharaoh
36 Brag about something (5) who ruled from
39 Used to measure weight (6) the age of nine (3)
59 Zero, especially
40 Fictional boy who climbed
a beanstalk (4) in football (3)
Answers
42 ‘Funny’ sea creature that on page
lives in anemones (9)
42

40 National Geographic Kids

 Put the lid on firmly and
4 spin! Then lift the lid to
reveal your spin art. You
3 Squirt some blobs of paint
onto the card circle.
might want to spin for longer if
the paint hasn’t spread out much.

Go on,
give it a
whirl!

TOP TIP t with

Experimen ur
eren t co lo
diff ns,
combinatio d
s an
spin speed s
quantitie Add more layers and colours
of paint! 5 to your picture by repeating
steps 3 and 4.

natgeokids.com 41
 FUN STUFF
ANSWERS HOME SWEET HOME TRUE OR FALSE?!
FARMING MIX-UP (page 25) 1-LOBSTER; 2-SEA TURTLE; 3-CLAM; 1-TRUE; 2-FALSE, there are more than 800;
1-MARKET; 2-TRACTOR; 3-DAIRY.
4-SEAHORSE; 5-SEA STAR. 3-FALSE; 4-TRUE; 5-TRUE; 6-FALSE, the first coral
FROG FINDER! (page 30–31) REEF SCENE reefs formed 240 million years ago; 7-FALSE, it’s
the largest reef system on Earth; 8-TRUE.
G W W R G R R D G L T Z D C A E B PICTURE CLUES
O Y X B A O Z O K R H Y
RAINBOW.
O G N Q M I R H W C D J CORAL SEARCH
S S L Y C F N F P I G W 1 and 11 appear once. 11
E A R A T A G F L W M S 1
F L D S S F O B R L M D MEGA CROSSWORD (page 40)
R S O H F S R O N O U F 1
G O L D
7 8
2
P
3
P A R
4
E N
5
T
6
O
L D J U E E O F
O H I O Y P F K R R G B 1 2 3 4 5 O
9
O C T O P U S
10
T
11
B I L L
12
W O O F
13 14

G S H B O K D R D O D P V E T O G
15
H
16
H B
17 18
E
19
WHICH WORDS? E O R F E R L A L I F T
T R E E F R O G O J T P 1-FEET, 2-AFTER, 4-BERET, 6-AGREE, 7-FIRE and
S O M
20
M A Y O N N A I S E W R
T A O D L S A U
G O R F S S O M R G J M 9-TREE can be made.
21
P H O T O B O O T H L K
22
A N
23 24
B P R E C E I V E M I L K
K W Z A T Z W W U M Q R DIVE IN! 25
P U R R
26
S R
27
S R P
28 29 30
U U I Q S N O R K E L K

FIND THE HIDDEN ANIMALS H

S N
33
G R
31
H
E A
N
T B
U
A R
34
R I E
35
R R
N
E E
32

F
I R O N
O
(page 36–37) 36
B L A S R U I E Y W

1-D; 2-C; 3-E; 4-B; 5-F; 6-G; 7-A.

37 38 39
R O W A D E L A R V A S L
A S P E E C E

BRAIN TRAINING (page 38–39)

40 41 42 43 44
S J S H S C I S S O R S A C O D
45
T E A S E O L H L I G
46

SPELLING SPLASH! C S N B L O S S O M A
47
E N E
K E W M U S S E L
Panels 4 and 5 contain the letters to spell 48
P
49
B
50
A S T R O N O M Y P M
51 52 53 54

'TUBBATAHA REEF'. 55
A U
56 57
F
58
T O
59
I T A L Y
S P O I L T T I A M A Z O N O E
CORAL CONUNDRUM T
60
B I S C U I T S
61
L I
62
S L
A P T H E W E L S O I L
CORALS HAVE GROWTH RINGS, JUST LIKE TREES.

THE LAST LAUGH

CORAL REEF CHORTLES
Q. Where in the ocean do Q. What do you call an octopus Q.What do sea creatures
most arguments happen? that plays in a band? sing at Xmas?
A. On quarrel reefs! A. A rocktopus! A. Christmas corals!

Q. What did the coral say to

Q. What do fish hang Q. What did the sea star
the annoying seaweed?
on their doors? take to work?
A. “With fronds like these,
A. Coral wreaths! A. A breefcase!
who needs anemones?”

Q. What do you call a Q. What do you call a Q. What has eight arms
fish wearing a suit? fish with no eyes? and tells the time?
A. Sofishticated! A. Fsh! A. A clocktopus!

Q. How do lazy fish Q. What did the shark say Q. How would you describe a
get around? when it ate a clownfish? shark's sense of humour?
A. They ride on an octobus! A. "This tastes funny!" A. Sharkastic!

42 National Geographic Kids

Art Editor Ed White * On sale date is later in New Zealand.
Editor Georgia Harrison
Digital Editor / Senior Science Writer Annabel Lever
Senior Designer Claire Brisley
Promotions & Partnerships Director Tracey Steel
Thanks to Emily Meredith, William Petty, Oliver Selby,
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Editorial enquiries editorial@ngkids.com.au
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