Hoopla 13: HOORAY FOR HOLIDAYS!

ISSN 3 049-52 96

Super starfish Create beach art

Lovely lollies!

for cu e n i z a g a The happy m

rious kids

Hoor y for

Find out about flags

H O L I DAY S !

HOOPLAMAG.COM issue 13

Welcome to Whether you’re building sandcastles on the beach, going on an adventure or relaxing with your family, holidays are the perfect time to have fun and make amazing memories.

This issue is packed with holiday ideas – make brilliant beach art, mix

some icy treats and craft a floating boat. And there are silly jokes, puzzles and a super story to keep you busy!

We’d love to hear what you think of Hoopla. Turn to page 35 to find out how to take our survey.

Tara

Meet the Hoopla gang!

Whirl Jem

Callie

Tanj

Get in touch hello@hooplamag.com hooplamag.com facebook.com/hooplamag instagram.com/hooplamag x.com/@hooplamag

!

Subscribe HOOPLA is only available by subscription.

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Activities should be done under close adult supervision and are done at your own risk.

Launchpad Publishing Ltd cannot accept liability for damage done.

is made by: Editor-in-Chief: Jenny Inglis Editor: Tara Pardo Illustrator: Clive Goodyer Designer: Rachael Fisher Creative consultant: Tammy Osborne Page 28-31 © Storytime Magazine Ltd, 2025.

All rights reserved. Illustrator: Michelle Ouellette.

Unit 7, Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC suppliers www.magprint.co.uk

© 2025 Launchpad Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents of HOOPLA without written permission is prohibited. Illustrations: © 2025 Clive Goodyer

CONTENTS

8 10 12

ART PROJECT

Paint a pool inspired by the famous artist David Hockney!

OUTDOORS

Create awesome beach art using stones, shells and seaweed!

FOOD

Whizz up some icy treats to help you cool down on a hot day.

THINK ABOUT... HOLIDAYS

What makes a holiday a holiday, and are they always relaxing?

16

AWESOME ANIMALS

18

SNAP HAPPY & COLOURING

20

If you visit any rock pools, you might spot a super starfish!

What makes a slippy water slide so much fun? Find out here!

© Shutterstock.com

6

Lots of baby lobsters released, plus a picture of thousands of galaxies.

DISCOVERY

The future of travel, plus meet the kids from the Flaggy Fridays club.

24

PUZZLES & RIDDLES

26

YOUR JOURNAL

28

STORY

32

LETTERS & COMPETITION

33

QUIZ

34

ANSWERS

Get set to solve some fun puzzles and ridiculous riddles!

Write and draw about your thoughts and feelings.

Benji’s new boots whisk him away on a magical adventure!

Share what you’ve been up to and win a prize.

Can you remember the answers to our holiday picture quiz?

Find all the answers to our quizzes, puzzles and riddles.

© Shutterstock.com

4

GOOD NEWS

Good NEWS LASER WORKS A TREAT!

Little lobsters

© Katie Sindle

Thousands of baby lobsters have been released.

Almost 5,000 lobsters were released in the waters around Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. They were raised from larvae and released by a conservation charity called The National Lobster Hatchery. The charity works to boost the numbers of lobsters around the UK. Although the baby lobsters are only about an inch long, they are able to burrow into sand or hide in seaweed to stay safe from predators.

Researchers in the US are developing a laser that can beam power from one place to another without needing any cables. They set a new record by beaming more than 800 watts of power a distance of 8.6 km. During the test, they used some of the power they transmitted to make popcorn! In future, lasers could be used to collect and transmit power from sunlight in space, where it is 10 times stronger than at the Earth’s surface.

Kites flying high

Photos © Shutterstock.com

Colourful creations have been filling the skies at kite festivals across the UK.

Kites at previous festivals in Portsmouth and Lancashire.

4 HOOPLAMAG.com

From giant flying teddies to soaring birds and swimming sea creatures, there are kites in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Later this month, on August 29th and 30th, the St Annes Kite Festival will take place in Lancashire. You could find out if there’s a festival happening anywhere near you, or you could grab a kite and head outside for some kite-flying fun!

© Shutterstock.com

Power was beamed wirelessly by a laser to cook popcorn!

New telescope peers back in time

© NSF-DOE Vera C Rubin Observatory

A powerful new telescope has released its first amazing images.

There are thousands of galaxies in this image

The Vera C Rubin Observatory in Chile, South America, is home to the world’s most powerful digital camera. It is able to see galaxies and star explosions so far away that the light has taken billions of years to reach us. Over the next 10 years it will map moving objects like asteroids, investigate the formation of the Milky Way, map the solar system and work on understanding dark matter.

pl n et e h t r o F E WS

Good N

From S mBentley

Whales return

Top idea!

Humpback whale numbers are up, thanks to conservation efforts.

Green roofs are helping to reduce microplastics in water.

At this time every year, hundreds of Australians take part in a survey of humpback whales as they swim into the cold Southern Ocean near Antarctica. They spot as many as they can and share the information with conservation groups. This year they’ve seen more than 500 whales – a new record since the survey began 26 years ago! More than 40,000 humpbacks are expected to make the trip in total. This is a huge achievement after there were thought to be only about 800 left in the 1960s.

Thanks to international conservation efforts, numbers have quickly increased!

Scientists in China have found that putting gardens on roofs could reduce microplastics in rain by up to 97.5%! Usually when it rains in towns and cities, tiny bits of plastic stay in the water cycle, flowing into sewers and evaporating with the water back into the sky. But soil can absorb the microplastics and remove almost all of them from this cycle! Rooftop gardens are also great at helping animals and insects, cleaning the air and keeping places cooler when it’s hot, so this is another great reason to make our towns and cities greener!

A humpback mum and calf

Photos © Shutterstock.com

@s mbentley

HOOPLAMAG.com 5

Get cre tive!

Paint a pool

Dive right in to this painting project, inspired by the artist David Hockney!

You will need • A large piece of

paper, A3 is ideal

• A pencil • A rubber • Watercolour paints • Paintbrushes • Wax crayons

David Hockney was born in

Yorkshire, England, in 1937, but he has spent most of his life in sunny California in the USA.

© dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com

This has had a big influence on his art.

He was fascinated by the relaxed way of life and the fact that lots of people owned a swimming pool. It was a far cry from Yorkshire!

This painting, called Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), which David painted in 1972, sold for a whopping £66.5 million in 2018.

He made lots of pictures of swimming pools. He wanted to capture the way the sunlight and blue skies of California were reflected in the rippling water.

1 Make a small border around your paper. Now sketch out your scene with a pencil. You could include features like a diving board, palm trees, seats and umbrellas.

2 Use two or three shades of blue wax crayons to create swirling ripples in the pool.

3 Add some background details with crayons too.

4

Paint your pool with watercolour paints. Make some areas lighter and others darker, and use different shades of blue.

6 Add some final details – you could use a small paintbrush and less watery paint or your crayons.

5

Paint in the rest of your scene.

Ask your adult to take a photo of you with your pool painting and send it to hello@hooplamag.com – you might see it in a future issue!

HOOPLAMAG.com 7

Great outdoors

Do you love to find interesting shells, seaweed and stones on the beach? You can use them to create fun pictures and sculptures!

Stones and pebbles

Photos ©

Shutters

tock.com

Take a photo and then leave ne your art for someo else to discover.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

Brilli a nt b

If you’re not visiting a beach, you could use sticks, leaves, petals and stones instead.

Wood and seaweed

8 HOOPLAMAG.com

© Tammy Osborne

We’d love to see your beach art! Ask your adult to send a photo of you with your creation to hello@hooplamag.com

t beach a rt Shells

Plastic problem Something you might find on the beach is plastic rubbish. Plastic is the main type of litter found in the ocean because it takes hundreds of years to break down (biodegrade).

Plastic can be very harmful to wildlife so if you find it on the beach, it’s a great idea to take it home with you.

Things like plastic water bottles can be put in the recycling but other types that you’re not sure about will have to go in the bin.

Other ways you can help:

Don’t use single-use plastic bottles – carry a refillable bottle instead.

Don’t use plastic straws. Use a reusable straw or don’t use one at all.

Encourage your school to start a litter-picking club!

Visit the Kids Against Plastic website for more ideas – kidsagainstplastic.co.uk

Rock pool p irs!

© Tammy Osborne

Which creature doesn’t have a matching pair?

Tick off the pairs in the list to find the answer and check it on page 34.

1.

Starfish

2.

Brittle star

3.

Anemone

4.

Shrimp

5.

Whelk

6.

Fish

7.

Crab

8.

Limpet

9.

Mussel

10. Sea urchin

s t a e r t l o o o o C !

M NO NO M

th Chill out on a hot day wi

!

M U Y

t r u h g o y y m m u Y You will need • • • • •

Serves 4

ick and 00 ml of super th 5 creamy yoghurt ed berries 500g of frozen mix y A big dollop of hone A blender ainer An ice cream cont

1 2

Blend all of the ingredients together. If the mixture is too thick, add a little cream.

Put the mixture into a container and freeze it for at least 30 minutes.

10 HOOPLAMAG.com

these icy snacks.

!

A D U LT H E L P NE E DE D

Lovely lollies You will need Makes 3 lollies • 100 ml coconut cream lime and zest of one • The juicenan a and one mango (we •

OR 1 ba ) made mango and banana lollies About 1 dessert spoon of maple syrup or honey, to taste

• A lolly mould • A blender

1 2

Blend all the ingredients together, except the syrup or honey. Add the syrup or honey to taste.

Ask your adult to send a photo of you with your lollies to hello@hooplamag.com

Pour into lolly moulds and freeze for two hours.

What do you call a banana that plays the trumpet?

Fruity fun!

Which yummy fruit should come next in each sequence?

Draw it in the box and check your answers on page 34.

A tooty fruity!

HOOPLAMAG.com 11

k n i h T

About

s y a d i l Ho Most people look forward to a holiday.

But does being ‘on holiday’ mean the same to everyone, or do we have different ideas?

Which of these things mean holidays to you?

Tick as many as you like.

Being at home

Being away from home

Being away from school

Visiting another country

Being in the UK

? y a id l o h a y a id l What makes a ho Perhaps a holiday is being away from somewhere? If that is the case, then we could be on holiday at home because we are away from school. Or perhaps it is being away from something, like our normal daily routine?

Do you have to travel somewhere to be on holiday? Do you have to be relaxing and resting when you are on holiday?

What do YOU think…?

I think…

12 HOOPLAMAG.com

You might describe a holiday as a period of free time where you can choose what you would like to do. What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to…

Some people have the idea that their ultimate holiday would be to go away to a sandy beach and do absolutely nothing. Other people love to climb mountains and be very active. Others might love to go to a theme park and go on the scariest rides! Wherever they love to go on holiday, they might describe it as ‘paradise’.

But one person’s perfect is not the same as another’s. What would YOUR paradise place be like? Think about where it would be, who would be there, what would happen there.

:

about it here Draw a picture or write

! !

O O H O WO Definition paradise:

an ideal or idyllic place or state where everything is how you would like it to be.

le?

Are perfect holidays possYib ou could ask Yes

No

Maybe

I think this because…

If we go away on holiday, our surroundings have changed but we are still the same. We might feel more relaxed, but the normal daily stuff is still there. If we are on holiday with our families, then we have taken a bit of ‘home’ with us!

other people what they think.

If you go anywhere, even paradise, you will miss your home.

Malala Yousafzai, activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner

Malala thinks that even if you were in paradise, you would miss your home and ALL the things that happen at home; indeed, many people look forward to getting back home after a holiday!

HOOPLAMAG.com 13

A change is as good as a rest A change from what we normally do – our routine – is a way of resting and relaxing to give us new energy. Neither holidays or home are perfect, but maybe holidays away from home feel special because they are a change.

Also, we have different experiences in new places and that is why we get excited and look forward to holidays so much!

Term time

How long do you think you could be on holiday before it becomes your normal routine?

I think…

A few days 2 weeks

Would we want to be on holiday all the time or would the holiday just become what we usually do, so it wouldn’t be special any more?

A month

VERSUS holiday time

We look forward to holidays, but maybe we need to remember to make the bits of time in between good, too!

What do you enjoy when it is term time?

1 2 3 4 5 Do you have anything that you enjoy for both times?

For example, you might like spending time with your family, having fun and playing, in both term time and on holiday.

14 HOOPLAMAG.com

What do you enjoy when you are on school holidays?

1 2 3 4 5

N O I T A S I L A U S I V

Here’s a way to get a bit of holiday relaxation at home! It can also help if you are ever feeling a bit worried or stressed.

Visualisation means creating a picture in your head. Visualising positive pictures can make a big difference to how you are feeling.

This guided visualisation exercise is about a beach. You may want to get a parent or friend to read it to you, so you can close your eyes and imagine the scene even more clearly...

1

Make sure you are sitting comfortabl y without any distractio ns.

Relax your body, close your eyes, and pictur e a beach.

2

Notice the golden sand, the blue sky and the gentle waves. As you focus on this scene in your head, notice how calm and positive it makes you feel.

3

Picture you rself standing at the edge of the sea. No tice how th e sand feels w et under your feet a s it squeeze s between yo ur toes.

How do you feel now?

4

Notice the gentle waves rippling over your feet as they drift into the beach and then draw out towards the ocean again.

5

Imagine that each time the waves draw back to the ocean they can take with them r any negative feelings from you m body. How does it feel to let the be drawn away into the sea?

6

Keep picturing being drawn these feelings ur body with away from yo ves, and keep the gentle wa ey have going until th all gone.

7

Now find a comfortable place to sit on the sand and watch the sea.

Feel the warm, golden sunlight on your body.

Imagine it passing into yo ur body and filling it with lov ely positive feelings.

8

dy Picture your bo , golden full of this warm couple of glow and take a fix that deep breaths to ind. image in your m When could you use this exercise?

HOOPLAMAG.com 15

some

Awe

S L A M ANI

Colourful starfish

ocean You could spot one of these awesome e. creatures in a rock pool at the seasid

No bones

Starfish (also know n as sea stars) aren’t fish at all! They are invertebrates, whi ch means they don’t have any bo nes supporting their bodies. Unlik e most animals, starfish also don’ t have a n central brain. Inst ead, they have a system of nerves running around their bodi es.

Around the world

bed n the sea o e v li h is Starf the n around a e c o y r e of ev rm m the wa world, fro to he tropics t f o s r e t wa n Arctic. the froze

Super stars!

This detached g arm is growin a new body!

16 HOOPLAMAG.com

Starfish have at least five arms but can have lots more.

A species found in the Antarctic can have up to 50 arms. Starfish can regrow an arm that has been damaged or lost. Even more incredibly, a detached arm can regrow a whole new body!

g e r th a n g i b ’s t a Wh h? a star fis fish! Ha y x a l a g A

ha!

Starfish are mainly carnivorous. They eat small fish, sea snails and shellfish, such as clams. Some enjoy a nibble of seaweed or plankton. The crown-ofthorns starfish eats coral polyps (the soft living parts of coral reefs). They can cause great damage to reefs.

Pho tos © Shu tte rsto

ck.com

Starfish have eyes on the ends of their arms!

Prickly predators

Starfish search Which starfish is the odd one out? Circle your answer and check it on page 34.

Messy eater

food, To catch and eat their h do many species of starfis – they something really gross t force their stomachs ou at their through their mouths around centre and wrap them digest their prey! They partly all them before sucking it back in.

y p p i l S ! e d i l s 18 HOOPLAMAG.com

It’s fun to zoom down a water slide, around all the bends and loops! You slide faster than on a normal slide at the playground. This is because when you slide down a slope, friction slows you down. Friction is the rubbing force between two objects when at least one of them is moving. A water slide has a steady stream of water flowing down it, which reduces the friction.

© Shutterstock.com

P A N S Y P P HA

Colouring calm Grab your pens, pencils or crayons to colour in this beautiful beach scene!

Discovery

DEN

Journey into the future!

ome Some bright ideas could help holidays bec more eco -friendly.

Wind-powered ships like aeroplane wings mounted vertically on them, or huge kites pulling them through the sea.

Sometimes we just have to look at history to find solutions for the future!

Once, all ships were powered by the wind. But they needed large crews constantly attending the sails, and the ships were at the mercy of unpredictable weather.

These ships will still have traditional engines, but the engines won’t be so big. The wind-power devices will be controlled automatically so large crews won’t be needed.

Now, wind power is making a comeback. These ships won’t look like Cutty Sark or HMS Endeavour. The next generation of wind-powered ships could have what looks

And, with modern long-term weather forecasts, the ships will be able to plan the best routes to make use of the wind.

All aboard!

On the right track

ay More and more railw world are networks around the ectricity switching to using el ssil fuels, instead of burning fo ions which produces emiss that contribute to climate change.

Find a way for the train to get to each of the stations 1-4.

Check your answer on page 34.

4

3

2

1

20 HOOPLAMAG.com

Make a sailing boat

1 2 3 4 5 6

Use the elastic bands to join the corks together.

Push the lolly stick between the corks. Make sure it’s secure.

You will need • Two corks • Two elastic bands • A lolly stick • A piece of thick paper or card

Cut a piece of paper about 10 cm wide and a bit narrower at the top to make a sail shape.

Cut two slits in the paper a tiny bit wider than the lolly stick, one near the top and one near the bottom.

Slide the paper onto the lolly stick. If it slips down, secure it in place with some sticky tape or sticky tack.

Now float your boat in a bowl of water or a sink. Blow on the back of the sail and see what happens!

Flight plans

When aircraft engines burn aviation fuel, they release carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change. Electric cargo planes are being developed and some are already being used. More planes could go electric in the future as batteries become more efficient and powerful.

More sustainable aviation fuels can be made from agricultural or food waste that would otherwise go to landfill.

Some companies are even trying to make jet fuel from carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere and hydrogen produced from water using renewable electricity.

Other things can help too. Flight routes can be adjusted so that less fuel is used and to minimise contrails (the white lines you see in the sky behind a plane), which can cause almost as much damage as carbon dioxide.

HOOPLAMAG.com 21

Fantastic flags!

er country, If you’re lucky enough to visit anoth d see how find out what its flag looks like an many times you can spot it!

From Canada’s maple leaf to Nepal’s double pennant shape, every country’s flag represents its people, values, culture and history.

Before the countries we know today even existed, people have used banners, art or colours to identify themselves.

Around 5,000 yeas ago, the ancient Egyptians used flags in battle and Chinese armies did the same from around 4,000 years ago.

By Cara MacDonald from the Flaggy Fridays club.

Age of sail

Triangular flags were common in Asia until Europeans arrived with their rectangular flags.

Today, the world’s only triangular national flag belongs to Nepal. It’s shape is a double pennant.

22 HOOPLAMAG.com

Flags didn’t become popular in Europe until the age of sail in the 1500s, when European expeditions set sail to explore the world. Sailors needed to be able to quickly identify whether other ships they encountered were from a friendly country or an enemy.

Hidden meanings Flags hold clues about the history of their country.

The colours and symbols can send a message to the outside world of where they have been, how they have changed and where they are going.

Flag fans!

On Dominica’s flag, the parrot represents flying to great heights, like a bird.

On St Lucia’s flag, the blue and gold represent the sky, sea and sunshine of the Caribbean. The shape represents the country’s Piton mountains and the black and white symbolises its diverse people, living and working together.

Flags can unite citizens, reminding them of shared identity.

“I love learning about flags because they can teach you about the countries they represent and I think more people should know about flags because they can learn about a country’s culture.”

Ted , aged 9

The Union Jack combines the flags of England, Scotland and Ireland’s St Patrick’s flag for Northern Ireland.

“All flags are completely unique and different. I really like Anguilla’s flag because it has dolphins on it!”

Arthur, aged 5

HOOPLAMAG.com 23

Fu n i n t h e S u n! zzles and check u p y a d li o h e es Solve th page 34. your answers on

Bouncy obstacle course!

Which of the pictures A-D below is what the inflatable obstacle course looks like from above? Write your answer here.

A

B

C

Sandcastle search These things can all help protect you from the Sun. Find the words in the grid and circle them.

They might be written forwards, backwards, horizontally, diagonally or vertically.

24 HOOPLAMAG.com

HAT PARASOL SHADE SLEEVES SUNGLASSES SUNSCREEN TROUSERS

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Picture pairs Match the holiday items on the left with their pairs on the right!

1 Bucket

2 Palm tree

A Passport

B Spoon

3 Ferry

4 Fish

C Wetsuit

D Spade

5 Surfboard

6

E Coconut

F Chips

Ice cream sundae Write the letters in the spaces

1

2

3

STA RT

5

Riddles!

Shell maze Find a route from one end of the shell to the other.

4

1) I’m found at the beach, I can be wet or dry, I shift with the wind as time goes by.

What am I?

SH FINI

6 2) Wh a you s t can wallo w that can a lso swall ow you?

mped 3) A pilot ju ne out of a pla rachute without a pa hurt. n’t but she was How is this possible?

BEING me My name is

My mood journal The date ate is

Write about your day – the things that happened and how you felt.

Today I:

Tick as many as you like!

did something creative spent time outside saw a friend helped someone 26 HOOPLAMAG.com

I went for a whizz around on my skates!

These are things I would pack to take with me on holid ay...

M y te d

dy

A bicycle o r s c o o te r

Magazines

Homework

A colouring b ook

A camera O ut d o o r gam e s

S ome b ook s

B o ar d gam e s

Circle as many as you like!

Pens and pencils

A musical instrument Your own ideas...

I’ll pack my journal so I can write about my holiday every day!

the holidays is...

Something I like to do during Write about it or draw a pictur

e.

Story corner

Benji’s magic boots

They first caught my eye on the way to school – sturdy black boots in the charity shop window. They weren’t new or shiny, but they were the kind of boots explorers wear.

“Dad, I think I need new boots for winter.”

Dad laughed. “It’s summer, Benjamin!

Get a move on or you’ll be late.”

All day long I daydreamed about the boots. I imagined hiking through forests, trekking up sand dunes and crossing wobbly rope bridges.

All week I stared at them longingly when we passed the shop.

On Friday I told a fib. “Dad, we’re doing a play about explorers and I need some new boots.”

Dad wasn’t listening. He was messing with his phone.

“They need to be big and black, like the ones they wear on expeditions.”

“I see.” Dad nodded, still tapping away on his phone.

“Like these ones,” I said, pointing in the charity shop window. “Can we go in?”

“Those scruffy things?” Dad didn’t look impressed. “I suppose…” he mumbled.

28 HOOPLAMAG.com

As we stepped inside, a bell tinkled. An old lady stepped out from behind a curtain and said, “I bet you’re here for those boots.” She winked at me. I nodded.

She must have seen me looking through the window.

Later, when Mum saw the boots, she said, “Proper adventurer’s boots!”

When she fetched the boots, my heart sank. They looked gigantic. I tried them on anyway and the old lady tied them up for me. When she’d finished, she did a funny wave of one hand and the boots suddenly fitted snugly.

I tested them out with a big jump over the vegetable patch. But, as I leapt, the ground seemed to disappear from under my feet. There was a rush of air – like when you’re speeding downhill on your bike. I lurched forwards and my tummy flipped.

“They’re perfect, Dad!” I grinned.

Dad scratched his head. “How much are they, please?”

“Oh, you can have them for free. They’ve been waiting for the right owner. Just make sure you send me a postcard from your adventures,” said the old lady, winking at me again.

After dinner, I went outside to try them on again. “They are just like proper adventurer’s boots,” I thought.

“Whoa! What’s going on?” I cried.

I waved my arms, frantically trying to find my balance, then I crashed down, face first in the grass.

HOOPLAMAG.com 29

“Earthquake!” I thought, expecting Mum and Dad to rush out and check on me. But, when I looked around, my house wasn’t there – it was missing! I wasn’t even in my garden. I was in a park. A big green park with lots of trees – and through the trees I could see a fancy house. Where was I? I looked down at my boots and remembered the old lady in the shop – her winking at me, the funny wave of her hand, the way the boots had caught my eye.

“These boots must be magic!” I thought.

I checked nobody was looking and then took a tiny step towards the big house. Zip! I was knee-deep in a pond with a huge pelican next to me. It squawked and flapped its wings in panic. I took another tiny step. Zip! I was next to a tall statue of a stern-looking lady on a throne. The fancy house was a lot closer – and a lot bigger than I had expected. It seemed familiar too. Another tiny step. Zip! I was standing right under the nose of a man in a tall black fuzzy hat. He was wearing a bright red jacket with shiny gold buttons. He was one of the Queen’s guards!

DID YOU KNOW ?

ke lived on the la Pelicans have , for Park, London in St James’s fish ars. They eat almost 400 ye es and sometim from the lake ople’s try to steal pe lunch, too!

I tugged one of his buttons. “Excuse me, sir, is this Buckingham Palace? Am I in London?”

He jumped with surprise and his hat wobbled. “How did you get here?”

I wasn’t sure I could explain.

“It certainly is, young man, and if you don’t step back right now, you’ll be in trouble with the Queen!”

I took a tiny step back and hurtled towards the statue again. I waved at the guard, who looked confused.

ce Buckingham Pala was right there.

The bo ots really ha d taken me to Lo n d o n!

I’d never been to London. “Magic boots...

Buckingham Palace! Just wait till I tell my friends! What will Mum and Dad say? Oh no – Mum and Dad!” I knew I’d better get home quickly. If Mum and Dad realised I was missing, they’d be worried. Now, how could I get home? My heart skipped a beat.

“Okay, I need to think like a proper adventurer, and a proper adventurer would... retrace his steps!”

I took a tiny step back and zipped to the pond. This time, I didn’t land in the water. I took another tiny step and landed right where I had started.

“Okay, the first thing I saw here was Buckingham Palace, so if I turn my back on it and take a vegetable patch-sized jump, I should get home again.”

I jumped forward and off I soared.

Whoosh! The wind rushed through my hair and the world blurred around me. At last, my feet came down hard and I landed in a heap. I was almost scared to open my eyes.

Had I got it right?

I opened one eye and almost jumped out of my skin. A little man with a big beard was staring right at me! It took a second to work out it was a garden gnome. I was in Mrs Pickle’s garden, two doors down from our house!

I scrambled out of her flower bed before she spotted me, then took off my boots and crept up the street.

When I peeped through the kitchen window, Mum and Dad were chatting like nothing had happened. I ran in and hugged them.

“In already?” said Mum. “You’ve only been playing for ten minutes!”

“Yes, but I’ve been on an adventure,” I said. “I went to see the Queen!”

“Was she at home?” Dad asked.

Just then I noticed I was clutching something – it was a shiny gold button from the guard’s jacket.

“Not today,” I said. “I chatted with one of her guards instead.”

I shoved the button in my pocket and ran upstairs clutching my new magic boots, wondering where I should go on my next adventure.

HOOPLAMAG.com 31

L e t t e rs

Hi, I’m Tanj! Write to me or send me a photo of your artwork, craft or activity to hello@hooplamag.com and it might appear on this page next month plus, you might win a prize!

Aurelia, 8 , m a d e th e mi d s u m m e r c r ow n from issue 11 .

It ’s fantas tic, Aurelia!

d e s p e e dy Dhillan, 8, ma coff spread is b d n a a n a n ba a on toast with lmond sprinkling of a s am e p owd e r an d s e s u e 11 . seeds, from is this He also wrote ! brilliant poem

Wi n!

Email us a photo of your makes or bakes, your artwork, a poem, story or a photo of yourself with your magazine to be in with a chance of winning an awesome prize!

Send your photo to hello@hooplamag.com or post it to us at Hoopla magazine, Unit 7 Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ. Don’t forget to include your name, age and address.

Photos may appear in the magazine. Prize winners will be chosen at random.

Congratulations Dhill an, you’ve won this awesome bo ok!

The Sea Book

by Charlotte Milner This celebration of the sea explores the underwater worlds of incredible marine creatures and their habitats, from up on the ice to colourful coral reefs and right down to the deepest depths where the weird and wonderful lurk. It shows how extraordinary our oceans are and offers some fun tips to help us keep them that way!

1

Qu iz

Have some holiday fun with this quick quiz!

What are contrails?

4

a) The white lines left in the sky by aeroplanes b) The waves made as a ship goes through the water c) Clues left behind by criminals

Check your answers on page 34.

What do starfish have on the ends of their arms? a) Hands b) Mouths c) Eyes

Answer:

Answer:

new technology has 2 What been tested on popcorn? popcorn?

What does the parrot on 5 Dominica’s flag represent?

a) A telescope b) A laser beam c) A jet pack

a) Flying high b) Talking c) Pirates

Answer:

Answer:

Answer:

© dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com

a) Sunny California b) Sunny Yorkshire c) Sunny Spain

Freedom

6

What can make you slide down a slope faster? faster?

a) Friction b) Drag c) Water

Answer:

If you need a hint, take a look at these pages: 1) 21 2) 4 3) 6 4) 17 5) 23 6) 18

Photos 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 © Shutterstock.com

What inspired artist David 3 Hockney’s swimming pools?

HOOPLAMAG.com 33

A ns we r s Page 9 R ock pool pairs The creature without a pair is the limpet:

Page 20 All aboard

Page 25 Picture pairs

This is the route to the stations 1-4.

The holiday items go together like this: 1 Bucket

D Spade

4 Fish

F Chips

2 Palm tree

E Coconut

5 Surfboard

C Wetsuit

3 Ferry

A Passport

6

B Spoon

4

3

2

1

Ice cream sundae

Page 24 Bouncy

obstacle course

Page 11 Fruity fun!

These fruits come next in the sequences:

This is the route across the shell:

The correct view from above is D:

Page 17 Starfish search This starfish is the odd one out because it has six arms.

34 HOOPLAMAG.com

Page 25 Shell maze

STA

RT

S FINI

H

Page 25 Riddles

1) Sand.

2) Water.

3) The plane was on the ground.

Page 24 Sandcastle search

Here are the words:

S

Q

A

P

M

L

A

T

C

H

U

U

L

W

A

T

E

R

B

N

N

X

N

C

Z

R

W

O

D

O

S

P

R

G

S

Y

A

U

I

X

C

G

I

H

L

F

K

S

P

U

R

M

A

V

E

A

J

E

O

B

E

D

Y

Q

E

T

S

R

X

L

E

I

J

U

V

G

Z

S

M

R

N

O

K

F

E

L

C

V

E

W

B

T

A

H

S

N

P

K

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S

Page 33 Quiz

1) a – C ontrails are the white lines left in the sky behind aeroplanes.

2) b – Laser beams have been tested on popcorn.

3) a – D avid Hockney was inspired by sunny California.

4) c – S tarfish have eyes on the ends of their arms.

5) a – T he parrot represents flying high.

6) c – W ater can make you slide faster.

Coming in next month’s

Back to school!

ET S T E G ME O S R FO D N U O R P L AY G E S !

GAM

MEET WISE OWLS!

MAKE OX B H C N U L SNACKS

CRAFT A COOL DESK TIDY

Wh t do you think of Hoopl ?

We’d love to hear what our lovely readers think of the magazine! Which sections do you like the most and are there any that you are less keen on? What do you think of how it looks?

Do you have ideas of things you’d like to see in the magazine? Ask an adult if you can fill in our quick online survey.

Go to bit.ly/3zjP2jG or scan the QR

What ’s the b e s t d ay to g o to th e beach?

Sun-day!

© Shutterstock.com

y Quirk s ble t o u Q

W h at d o s heep do o n s u n ny d ay s?

H av e a b a a- b a a- c ue!

Why did the r ob ot go o n holiday? s To recharge it batteries!

What kind of sandals do frogs wear?

Open-toad!

W h at d o e s th e Sun do wh en it ’s happy?

It beams!

I want to share my passion for the world’s beauty and give others new reasons to care.

Naturalist, adventurer and wildlife presenter Steve Backshall

do Where on go sharks y? holida d!

Fin-lan

Mindful mo ments Try saying these at the start of each day to help you find fun and happiness…

• I will be awesome today!

• I can set an example to others.

• I have good ideas.

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