Art & History

Amazing Outdoor Art

A few weeks ago on Twitter we shared a picture of an electrical tower that German students had turned into a stunning 3D stained glass window. This got us thinking about other amazing outdoor art a little bit closer to home. Read on for some inspiring examples that you can go and see for yourself…

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Written By You

Life… in Reverse

We love to publish contributions from our young readers. This was written by 8 year old Janvi, from Cardiff.

If there were to be a parallel universe I think there would be people who lived their lives, like us, only in reverse!

You would start off old with white hair, pains almost everywhere and maybe even glasses and/or a walking stick. You would live in a retirement home with lots of old people, like you. You would spend your time sitting in your favourite chair snuggled up with a quilt and would take medical pills daily. But one day when you would get up to have your daily walk you could get up much easier and you could walk around faster and more swiftly.

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Science, Nature and Tech

CURIOUS CREATURES 2 – The Stag Beetle

 

The strangest creatures are, to me,

The ones I love the best.

The creepy, crawly and the odd

Are cooler than the rest…

 

These magnificent beasties are the armoured vehicles of the insect population and the largest terrestrial-dwelling beetles in the UK. Their common name is a reference – unsurprisingly – to their antler-shaped “mandibles” or jaws, which they use to fight over territory, but not, perhaps surprisingly, to win the respect of female Stag Beetles..!

 

These Curious Creatures have intrigued me ever since I found an expired female stag beetle (see below ) in a south-west France many years ago. I drew it next to a blackbird’s feather, captivated by the different tones of black, the textural contrasts and inky depths of colour. I found it – and still find them all as a species – fascinating and beautiful, particularly the males, with their extraordinary maroon-red mandibles.

 

 

 

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News & Politics

Who Was Margaret Thatcher?

margaret thatcher

If you have been listening to the radio, or watching the news today, you may have heard that a woman called Margaret Thatcher has died.
You might not have heard of Mrs Thatcher – or Baroness Thatcher to use her correct title – but if you live in Great Britain, your life has been affected by her. Some adults find it amusing or shocking that tweens and teens haven’t heard of her, because she was such a large part of our lives when we were growing up. It is strange for us to realise that she is ‘History’ to you, not current ‘Social Studies!
So, who was Baroness Thatcher, and why is everyone talking about her death?

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