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Written By You

The Adventures of Cha-Cha the Dragon – Part 1

A chapter story by Iona…

Once upon a time, in ancient China, there lived a wise and mighty dragon. His name was Cha-Cha. He being a magical dragon, he had many enemies. Among these were an ancient race, whom battles with Cha-Cha had all but killed off.

Only one remained. He was the great ”Earth Traveller” or E.T. for short. E.T. could take many forms, including a long pink one that he had to fill in for the birth of his 100th son.Other than these he could take the forms of fearsome animals, such as a tiger, a snake or a badger.

Travel

Carnivals Around the World

You might have heard of the carnival in Rio, but did you know that there are carnivals around the world – from Germany to Greece, USA to Italy?

Millie Slavidou explains where Carnival comes from on her blog

Long before the advent of Christianity, people held celebrations at this time of year. In Germany, they once looked forward to sending Hel, the goddess of the underworld, back down to her abode so they could herald the coming of the spring. In Greece, it was a time to worship the god Dionysus. With the arrival of Christianity, the celebrations continued, but changed in nature, gradually becoming more and more linked to the new religion. The Carnival is held in the period before the start of Lent, and Lent is the time when good Christians were supposed to fast, to abstain from meat

In the UK, we don’t celebrate Carnival, but we do prepare for Lent – that is what Pancake Day is all about, after all. Traditionally, pancakes were made to use up the eggs, fat, and butter, that were not to be eaten during Lent!

Take a trip around the world with us, to find out how other countries celebrate Carnival!

Home, Health & Style, Written By You

What is it REALLY Like to Grow Up on a Farm

If you are growing up in a city or town, you may have sometimes wondered what it is like to grow up in the countryside. Clio lives on a farm in England and agreed to tell us what it is really like to grow up on a farm

Art & History

Historical Fiction for Kids – A Book Review

What better way to #jumpintohistory, than to immerse yourself in historical fiction for kids… but where to start?

With so many great titles to chose from, you might find it difficult to plump for one of them. Louise is a life-long bookworm, and lover of historical fiction, and has some great tips.

I have always loved reading fiction books about history, especially books about girls.

I grew up reading fiction books about the lives of girls: Johanna Spyri’s Heidi, L.M Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon and Anne of Green Gables, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and Susan Coolidge’s What Katy Did series. I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods series, which is the story of Laura’s life growing in 19^th century America. I always wanted to be Laura and have adventures living in the middle of nowhere surrounded by woods, although I am still not very keen about the lack of indoor plumbing.

Science, Nature and Tech

Do Carrots Help You See In The Dark?

In the first of a fab new series called #factORfable, we take a look at some stubborn myths and find out if they are true! First up – do carrots help you see in the dark?