Storm Force 162 | taster

Issue 162 | RNLI.org/superpowers THE RNLI MAGAZINE FOR KIDS

D PACKE

WITH

PLUS: SUNSHINE PRINTS, DYNAMIC LITTLE SHIPS AND A SWEDISH ICE HOTEL

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CONTENTS 4 News 5 Latest rescues 6 Lifeguard powers 8 Rescue comic 10 Swedish seagoers 12 Seaside colouring 14 Storm Force to crew 16 Your pictures 18 Puzzles 20 Comics and jokes 22 Answers 23 Send your stuff 24 Superhero activity

Some plant juices have superpowers that make them react to light. It means you can use them to make exciting photo prints in the sunshine! The next time you collect a leaf, flower or interesting object why not make it into a work of art?

YOU WILL NEED: • Pack of cooked beetroot (with juice) • Bowl • Paintbrush • Paper • Photo frame • Leaves, flowers or a flat fossil from the beach

WANT MORE ACTIVITIES? Head to the Crew Room, your special Storm Force website. You’ll find lots of fun stuff to make and do.

RNLI.org/superpowers

Why not pass your mag to a friend when you have finished?

INSTRUCTIONS:

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Eat the beetroot and pour the leftover juice into a bowl. It stains, so don’t get it on your clothes!

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4 Carefully place your arrangement in a photo frame and leave it in the sun or by a window.

Paint the juice onto a sheet of paper and leave it to dry in the dark.

5 Wait a day or so and, when the colour has faded, remove your objects. You have a sunshine print! Keep your finished prints out of direct sunlight so they don’t keep fading.

3 Arrange your objects flat on the paper.

COLOUR TIP EXPERIMENT WITH OTHER SPECIAL PLANTS TO GET DIFFERENT COLOURS. CRUSH SPINACH LEAVES TO GET GREEN JUICE, MASH BLUEBERRIES FOR PURPLE, OR SPRINKLE TURMERIC INTO WATER TO GET YELLOW. ASK AN ADULT BEFORE YOU GET MESSY!

6 Are you lucky enough to be going to the beach this summer? If so, choose a lifeguarded beach to make sure you have the BEST time. RNLI training gives our lifeguards special skills to protect beachgoers like you. Lifeguards are experts in helping people in trouble and using lifesaving gadgets – they can even stop accidents before they happen!

Let’s discover some of their superpowers.

1 POWER-UPS Ever tried running on sand or swimming through surf? If you’re an RNLI lifeguard, you’ll need these super-abilities! Before they can work on the beach, our lifesavers need to complete a challenging fitness test involving: • a 200m beach run in less than 40 seconds • a 400m pool swim in under 7½ minutes (the first 200m must be done in under 3½ minutes) • a 25m pool swim underwater and a 25m surface swim in under 50 seconds.

2 ULTRA-VISION Lifeguards are excellent at spotting and preventing trouble before it happens. It’s like they can see into the future! It’s why a good lifeguard hardly ever gets wet. The next time you see one, chances are they’ll be on high alert: keeping a close watch on people in the water, or using red and yellow flags to mark out the safest places to swim and bodyboard.

It means everyone can have fun without getting into danger.

3 ACE GADGETS Our lifeguards have all kinds of cool tools on hand to help them save lives – like rescue boards, first aid kits, radios and rescue tubes. If their special location needs it, some lifeguards are also trained in how to use rescue watercraft, trucks, quadbikes and inshore rescue boats.

A lifeguard’s clothing is a vital piece of kit too, protecting them from the forces of sun, sand and sea.

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4 MEGA-MINDS Every beach is different: from the pebbly shores of Cranfield Beach in County Down, to the soft sands of Fistral in Cornwall. So, every lifeguard must be an expert on the area they patrol – including hidden dangers like underwater rocks, mudbanks, rip currents and changing tides. They store a ton of special safety information in their super-brains and share it in ways that beach visitors can easily understand.

5 SQUAD ENERGY Lifeguards boost their powers by working as a team. Sometimes, they create an even bigger lifesaving force by working with lifeboat crews and other rescue experts. That’s why RNLI lifesavers train together regularly so that, when the call for help comes, they can quickly adapt and work together to bring someone back to safety. Talk about a super squad!

SWEDEN

ROCKS!

Sweden is in Scandinavia, sandwiched between Norway and Finland. The country is home to almost 100,000 lakes! And was once also home to Vikings. You won’t find Vikings these days, but you will find another band of bold seagoers – a team of RNLI-like lifesavers.

DAZZLING DISPLAYS

The north of Sweden is known as the ‘land of the midnight sun’ because, for part of the summer, the sun never sets. But in the depths of winter, it hardly ever gets light! In the darker seasons, you can witness a spectacular light show called the aurora borealis, or northern lights. The magical coloured lights are caused by tiny particles colliding in the Earth's atmosphere.

In northe light show rtno Sweden, the sky puts o beat any fire works dispnlaayn unmissable

ARMOURED WILDLIFE

oose for Never moosetake a m upset an elk. They get quite

Over half the country is covered in forests. In the north you might spot a bear or a wolverine, which is related to the badger and otter, not the wolf (or the superhero – boo). Sweden is helping to save the endangered Arctic fox (Europe has less than 200 left).

But there’s one species it does have a lot of – the country has more moose than you can shake some funny looking antlers at.

Photos: Shutterstock, SNSM/Cap d'Agde

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COOL HOTELS In Jukkasjärvi, north of the Arctic Circle, you’ll find the famous Ice Hotel – a hotel made entirely of ice. Every year, the hotel is completely rebuilt and, as well as ice, the creators use ‘snice’ (a mix of snow and ice).

The temperature, even on the inside, is around -5°! The good news is, you’ll never have to ask for ice in your drink – even the glasses are made out of it!

rebuilt in a new Each year, the Ice Hotel is ncy ice sculptures form, and artists create fa

THE VIKINGS The name Sweden comes from the Svea tribe.

Swedes call their land Sverige, which means ‘land of the Svea’. The Svea – which means ‘pirate’ in an old Norse language – became known as Vikings, and made raids along the coasts of Europe. But did you know that they made it all the way to North America half a century before Christopher Columbus did? The voyage was led by Leif Erikson, son of Erik the Red.

The beard. T be a long-lost he love of the sea. Could S t relative of Er ik the Red? ormy

THE RESCUE SERVICE

Junior me about sleembers of the SSRS Storm-Fo k lifeboats like this can read all rce-style m on agazine e in their own

Like the UK and Ireland, Sweden has a maritime rescue service powered by volunteers. Formed in 1907, the Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS) plays a part in 90% of the country’s sea rescues. And just like the RNLI, the society – which has 260 modern rescue vessels – is funded by donations, and special members like you.

2,500 volunteers stand ready to launch 24/7 on the major lakes and anywhere along the Swedish coast.

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THE POWER OF DID YOU KNOW THAT STORM FORCE IS A SUPERPO AN TURN KIDS INTO GROWN-UP LIFESAVERS! TO PROVE IT, HERE ARE JUST A FEW REAL-LIFE RNLI LIFESAVERS WHO USED TO BE STORM FORCE MEMBERS — JUST LIKE YOU.

PAMELA LEITCH ‘I really enjoyed reading Storm Force when I was younger. I used to love the rescue comics and always thought it would be really cool to be part of rescues like that. And now I am! I’ve been a volunteer at Larne RNLI for 17 years. I’m a helm on the inshore lifeboat, and a crew member on the all-weather boat. I also help to arrange crew training at the station.

It’s great that kids are still enjoying Storm Force magazine today – there’s so much to learn and be inspired by in every issue.’

PAMELA USED TO READ ABOUT RESCUES IN STORM FORCE – NOW SHE’S TAKING PART IN THEM! HERE SHE IS, WITH HER LIFEBOATING HUSBAND SCOTT AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN, GRACE AND LUCY.

Photos: RNLI/(Jason Bain, Kenny Gracey, Mark Stephens and Robert Stringer)

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GUY ADDINGTON

GUY’S DAUGHTER ELODIE IS A PROUD MEMBER OF STORM FORCE, JUST LIKE HE WAS!

‘As a child, I was fascinated by the lifeboats in Storm Force magazine.

I loved the idea of driving a lifeboat one day, so it was amazing when that dream came true. I’ve been part of Margate’s lifeboat crew for 30 years now! Today, I also help people learn about water safety. That’s another reason why the club is so brilliant – it teaches children so much about staying safe by the water and at the beach. My daughter Elodie is a member now, just like I was! She loves all the puzzles, stories and fun facts. Storm Force is something special that we enjoy together.’

NATHAN LENEGHAN ‘I’ve been a volunteer at Newcastle RNLI for more than 13 years. I’m a launching authority, which means I’m in charge of when the lifeboats launch. My dad was an RNLI volunteer and signed me up to Storm Force when I was just a toddler. He would tell me all kinds of stories from his time out on the lifeboat and I’d always look forward to getting my next issue of the magazine to read about other rescues. I think Storm Force is a brilliant magazine – it gives kids lifesaving superpowers!’

THE RNLI AND STORM FORCE HAVE BEEN IN THE LENEGHAN FAMILY FOR MANY YEARS. HERE’S NATHAN (MIDDLE) WITH HIS LIFEBOATING COUSINS CIARÁN AND LOCHLAINN.

BRENDAN ROONEY

OUR STORM FORCE CREW MATE BRENDAN IS NOW A CREW MEMBER AT NEWCASTLE LIFEBOAT STATION

‘People in my family were on the lifeboat when I was growing up, so I’ve always been interested in the RNLI. I loved reading Storm Force – it got me even more excited to join the crew when I was finally old enough! I’ve been a volunteer at Newcastle RNLI for 30 years now.

I’ll never forget the time we saved five people from the sea in a horrible storm. It was a big relief to get them to safety. It was a little strange reading about it in Storm Force afterwards – it was just like the rescue stories I’d read in the magazine as a child!’

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1. TRUE OR FALSE? SECOND WORLD WAR RNLI CREWS ONLY RESCUED THOSE ON OUR SIDE?

2. TRUE OR FALSE? IN 1940, THE RNLI TOOK PART IN OPERATION DOMINO.

3. TRUE OR FALSE? BETWEEN 1938 AND 1945, RNLI CREWS TRANSPORTED FOOD, EXPLOSIVES AND TOP-SECRET INFO.

4. TRUE OR FALSE? A DOODLEBUG IS A DRAGONFLY THAT’S VERY GOOD AT DRAWING.

1. FALSE. RNLI CREWS TRIED TO SAVE EVERY ONE, RESCUING THOSE WHO FOUGHT ON BOTH SIDES. 2. FALSE. RAMSGATE AND MARGATE RNLI CREWS TOOK PART IN OPERATION DYNAMO, THE DUNKIRK EVACUATION. 3. TRUE. EVERYONE, INCLUDING OLDER MEN AND WOMEN, PULLED TOGETHER AS ONE CREW, HELPING HOWEVER THEY COULD. 4. FALSE. DOODLEBUGS WERE FLYING BOMBS, AND LADY LIFEBOAT LAUNCHERS LIKE DORIS TART AT DUNGENESS LIFEBOAT STATION HAD TO WATCH OUT FOR THEM. (A DOODLEBUG IS ALSO A BUG, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE ANTLION.)

LOL!

Why doesn't Batman like fishing?

Because Robin always eats the worms!

What does Wonder Woman have in her drinks?

Just-ice!

What do you call Iron Man without his outfit?

Tony Stark-naked!

Why is She-Hulk always recycling?

Because she's really green.