The Royal Read

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ROYAL READ

Explorer visits Royal High School

Prepschool students study climate change and global warming INSIDE:

SIR David Hempleman-Adams has visited the Royal High Prep School to talk about his adventures around the world. Sir David’s talk highlighted the problems that climate change is causing.

He was able to recount from personal experience how the polar ice is retreating over time, something that prompted him to set up the Wicked Weather Watch charity.

His visit coincided with students in Year 5

Don’t throw it out!

How to upcycle household items Page 8

Pulp fact

Make your own paper Page 10

studying climate change as part of this term’s theme.

Sir David spent over an hour talking about a lifetime exploring the north and south poles as well as climbing the tallest mountains in each continent, becoming the first man to complete the ‘Explorers Grand Slam’. He signed copies of his book at the event which aimed to raise money for his charity.

More, Page 3

Snap that!

Results of our photo competition Page 12

This paper was produced by The Year 5 pupils from RHS Prep School, with help from Year 12 editing Team, Mrs Drew and Mr Rushworth

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Animals struggling to thrive in changing Arctic

By Kitty Griffiths, Chessie Gresford, Maddie Deacon, Evie Wilkins, Sophia Shishkaryov and Rozzy Commander

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N the frozen north, a variety of different animals live in this harsh environment.

They have lived here for many years and slowly, their bodies have adapted to survive in the cold climate. But there’s a problem. global warming and climate change are having a big effect on how these animals thrive. Some of them are having to travel further to find food and for some animals, their home is slowly melting away; many animals are suffering because of the changes that are happening to our planet. What are the changes and what can we do to help?

What is global warming and climate change?

Earth is protected by a layer that goes all around the world like a thick blanket. It helps Earth stay at the right temperature all year round and makes sure the world doesn’t get too hot or too cold. There are some gases called greenhouse gases that are produced when we chop down trees, when cows release gas and when we burn fossil fuels. These greenhouse gases go into the air and get in the way of the protective layer. Sunlight and heat from the sun come in through the protective layer and then the right amount of sunlight and heat travels back to the sun and the right amount stays in. But, the greenhouse gases let the light and heat in and trap more of the heat and light from escaping than usual. Therefore, our planet is warming up.

Something that isn’t helping this catastrophe is humans. We cut down trees for furniture, paper and our homes. Carbon is a greenhouse gas. Trees and other plants have carbon inside them and when we cut trees down, we are releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Trees also breathe in carbon so they get rid of some of the carbon in our atmosphere; the more trees there are, the less carbon there is. But trees are being cut down more and more each day. Hundreds a minute! We need to do something to stop it!

Another thing we are doing is burning fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are, like they suggest, fossils that are burned to make fuels. They release a greenhouse gas too thus making the world heat up.

Polar Bear’s

Although about half of a polar bear’s life is spent hunting for food, less than 2% of polar bear hunts are successful.

Polar bears main prey

consists of ringed seals and bearded seals, though they will also scavenge carcasses or settle for small mammals, birds, eggs and vegetation.

Polar bears are great swimmers and swim 7-10 hours a day. Surprisingly, they have transparent fur and their skin is actually black. These amazing creatures live on icebergs in the Arctic Circle, weigh 1,760 lb and can grow up to 8 feet tall. They live in The Arctic Circle (an imaginary circle that goes around the north of the world and they can survive temperatures as low as -50c because of their long oily hairs that trap the heat inside.

Sadly, polar bears could face extinction from the effects of climate change and hunting. Because of climate change, the icebergs are melting drastically, polar bears are losing their homes and are very hungry due to the decline in their prey, which are seals. Polar bears are also reliant on sea ice to travel and find mates. Scientists estimate that by 2050 the polar bear population could decrease by 30% and by 2100, polar bears could face extinction due to starvation from loss of habitat.

Arctic Foxes

The Arctic fox is also known as the white fox or the snow fox because it’s coat is pure white in colour.

Their fur helps them camouflage against the snow and ice of the Arctic. Their fur is also very thick and warm allowing them to survive in the freezing Arctic conditions. Sadly, because their fur is so special, the Arctic fox is hunted by humans who want to use the Arctic fox’s fur to make coats to keep them warm.

Also, due to rising temperatures in the Arctic, the foxes’ fur is not changing to white in the winter making it harder for this amazing animal to hide away, safe from predators.

Climate change is having a huge impact on the Arctic fox in lots of ways. They live in little burrows in the snow but because the snow is melting, the Arctic foxes’ homes are melting too. If the Arctic foxes cannot use their burrows for safety and sleep, they are more likely to be eaten by predators, such as seals and polar bears. This means that the number of Arctic foxes will decline.

The Arctic foxes eat lemmings, seal pups and berries to survive. The melting ice is reducing the space that the Arctic foxes have to live on and feed on. Their habitat is shrinking and that is reducing the amount

of food which is available for the foxes to eat which is leading to some of them starving.

As temperatures in the Arctic regions rise, red foxes are moving further north into areas where the arctic foxes live and hunt.

Being much larger, the red foxes are able to beat their Arctic cousins in fights for food and territory. This means the Arctic fox has a much smaller hunting ground and less food.

Survival is hard.

Ringed seals These fascinating creatures have a diet similar to other seals, such as small fish, which are easily caught. Unlike other seals, this species is only found in one place: Lake Saimaa. Sadly this is all down to humans.

Saimaa ringed seals build their lairs with snow. This is where they give birth and the lair protects their young from the cold, predators and disturbance by humans. Over the past few years the snow has not been deep enough to build these essential lairs.

This represents a threat to them at the start of their lives when they are quite helpless. In particular, 2016 was a difficult year for them as it was the hottest on record. After that year, there were only 410 Saimaa ringed seals left. Another year like 2016 would make their numbers drop drastically and maybe lead to extinction. We must act fast to stop this terrible event.

The other problem facing these animals is sadly also caused by humans. When fishing nets get thrown into the sea, many Saimaa ringed seal pups get tangled up in them and drown.

What does the future hold?

Arctic animals are being affected by climate change but how we can help? Easily. By reducing the use of plastic or walking, cycling and using public transport instead of cars that cause pollution, we can reduce how much greenhouse gas is in the atmosphere.

Making simple changes to our lifestyles by making more sustainable choices will make a huge difference – if we all make these changes. This will help because if there is less pollution, there will be less climate change.

Not so much of the ice will melt and we may change the future for these vulnerable animals. Having adapted over thousands of years, the conditions are different to what they’re used to. What will you do to help?

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Arctic adventurer turns his attention to climate change

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HE adventurer, Sir David HemplemanAdams has visited the Royal High Prep School to explain how he is using his experiences to help raise issues around climate change through his charity Wicked Weather Watch.

Many people have a dream or ambition to push the limits of what they think they can achieve. This may be reaching a destination, climbing the highest peak or pushing the limits on what we believe is possible.

David Hempleman-Adams has done all of these — More than once.

There is no doubt that the man standing in the school hall, waiting to start his presentation has adventure running through his veins. Being the first man to complete the ‘Explorers Grand Slam’ by climb the highest peak in every continent as well as reaching the North and South Pole, David Hempleman-Adams has seen the world. What he has seen has led him to take action by setting up his charity, Wicked Weather Watch.

Wicked Weather Watch has reached many pupils: the Royal High Prep School was delighted to be their 10,000th pupil, in February this year. Through their work in primary schools, Wicked Weather Watch ensures pupils have the answers to the questions they need to know.

They also supply a wealth of resources to educate pupils about how climate change is affecting the wildlife and communities of the Arctic and the rest of the world.

David Hempleman-Adams is no stranger to The Arctic; he first visited in 1984 and has been visiting every year since.

Through this exploration he has seen first-hand the changes that are happening to this fragile environment and he knows something has to change. He also knows that children today are ready to take on this challenge.

With teenagers such as Greta Thunberg leading the

way, he wants pupils to have the information to ask the right questions and seek solutions. He is confident that young people are ready for this challenge and this is the driving force behind the charity Wicked Weather Watch.

Understanding that children are the future decision makers for our planet, the charity provides workshops for schools that give pupils unbiased and accurate information around global warming and climate change.

For now, David HemplemanAdams has taken a step back from record breaking achievements, leaving this to his three daughters. With two of his daughters holding polar skiing records, his third daughter recently broke the female altitude record in a hot air balloon. It seems adventure is in the Hempleman-Adams’ DNA. For India Gardner, from The Royal High Prep School, her encounter left her wondering, ‘if

n Sir David signs copies of his book for fans young and old he can do all of those things, I wonder what I could do’. Watch this space.

To find out more about

Wicked Weather Watch, visit www.wickedweatherwatch. org.uk

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Plastic, what’s the problem?

By Evie Temple

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AKE a second to look around you, how much plastic can you see? It is everywhere from food packaging, kitchen gadgets, soap dispensers and clothing. As a cheap and extremely flexible material, the manufacturing of plastic was once thought of as a solution to many of our manufacturing problems. But, times are changing and now plastic is the problem, but why?

Plastic pollution is when the plastic we use in the world become a problem for our environment; to understand this we need to know how plastic is made. Plastic is made using fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal. As demand for fossil fuels as an energy source declines relative to production, plastic production represents a lifeline for fossil fuel industry. Plastic is used more than environmentally friendly materials because it is cheaper than the alternatives. Few products in supermarkets are in paper bags or any other material as plastic is seen as a more durable and hygienic solution.

However, most of the plastic we produce either ends up in landfill or into the sea.

The plastic that goes into the sea turns into microplastics which through the years made it into the food chain. Basically, this means that because plastic is in the animals in the sea, when we eat animals from the sea we are also eating the plastic that is inside them. We now know that all marine creatures contain microplastics.

However, we do not know the long-term environmental effects of this plastic pollution.

Plastic production is also a contributor to climate change. Production of plastic uses fossil fuels and the process in the factory can release industrial greenhouse gases mainly carbon dioxide. This was highlighted in a recent report ‘Plastic and Climate -The hidden costs of a plastic planet’ from the Centre of International Environmental Law May 2019. An increase in carbon dioxide is causing climate change throughout the world which we are seeing through raised sea temperatures, more extreme weather and flooding.

With plastic all around us, it may be hard to know where to start in reducing how much plastic you use in your everyday life, but there are some easy places to start. Using refills for shampoo and conditioner or bars for soap and shampoo instead is an easy switch. A big crisis is plastic bags. Most people use these in daily life when they could easily use cloth bags, bags for life or rucksacks. Switching from a plastic toothbrush to a bamboo one is another easy way to reduce your personal plastic consumption. By working together we can help our planet’s health.

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Climate change: what causes it and what can we do to stop it We often hear about global warming and the effect it is having on our weather. But what is causing climate change? And what can we do to help to turn the tide. Four girls from year 5 have been investigating.

The problem with Methane

By Phoebe Berkovitch

Fossil Fuels

By Sophie Hudson

What is Methane?

Methane is potent greenhouse gas; over 20 years, it’s 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming our planet’s atmosphere. Occurring naturally underground, methane is a gas used to generate electricity. Wetlands, marshes and rice paddies are areas where methane-producing bacteria have always existed but the problem is what we are doing to create dangerous levels of this powerful gas.

Where does this additional methane come from? The stomachs of cows, sheep and goats! Bacteria in their stomachs help to digest grass when they regurgitate it. 90-95% of methane released by cows comes from when they burp not when they fart (as people often think). Other sources include leaks from drilling sites, decomposing rubbish in landfill dumps and at the poles. Here, rapidly-melting ice is releasing rotted vegetation which is becoming the food for bacteria which then produce more disastrous methane.

If methane leaks into the air before being used it absorbs the suns’ heat warming of the atmosphere. Unless we use this methane to make electricity or reduce the amount we produce in the first place it will go on contributing to climate change.

What can we do?

Farmers can feed cows, sheep and goats foods such as seaweed, white clover, onion and garlic that lower their methane levels. Spanish scientists have found a way to do this without the milk tasting odd.

We can all eat less meat so that demand drops.

Landfill sites can use the methane they produce to generate fuel like some farms do with “methane digesters”.

People can reduce landfill by reusing, re-cycling and up-cycling.

Energy companies can prevent and repair leaks and invest in alternative fuels like solar and wind power.

Governments can make laws to help all of the solutions above.

What will you do to reduce methane?

What is fossil fuel and how is it contributing to climate change?

Fossil fuels are layers of sedimentary organisms, which are plants and animals that have been dead for millions of years. We burn fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal to release their energy and power things such as cars, trains, and planes, and to heat our homes.

Although fossil fuels are both cheap and plentiful, they release lots of carbon dioxide when they are burned and that stays in our planet’s atmosphere like a blanket, trapping the sun’s heat so it cannot escape. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap so much heat that they make the Earth’s temperature rise roughly one degree Celsius every decade. If that continues unchecked, in a hundred years it would have melted the ice caps, flooding nearby cities!

In Bath, the main producer of carbon dioxide is road traffic, and its effect is made worse because we are situated in a valley so the pollution stays trapped by the surrounding hills. To combat this, Bath & North East Somerset council has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 45% by 2026. However, reducing emissions is not enough: all the greenhouses gases we have emitted would still be present, and still lead to climate change.

What can I do to reduce the amount of fossil fuel that is used?

There are many ways we can reduce the amount of fossil fuel being used – some are big and some are small, but even small changes can make a big difference when millions of people try.

For example, it’s easy to turn off lights when you aren’t using them or to switch off your car engine while you’re waiting in traffic, and both of those mean you will use less energy. To make a bigger impact, you could also try to use more public transport such as trains or buses, which would reduce road congestion and pollution at the same time.

Climate change from cars and factory pollution

By India Gardner What is Car and Factory pollution and how is it contributing to climate change?

Cars and factories both use fossil fuels, which when burnt, release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. When these greenhouse gases are released into the air, they trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and make the planet heat up. This is called climate change or global warming.

Cars and factory pollution are often thought of as the most visible form of pollution with their smokestack emissions and car exhausts.

Factories, as well as emitting airborne pollution, also contribute to water pollution, which harms animals and plants that live in rivers, streams and oceans.

Climate change is having a massive effect on the whole planet, but its effects can be seen especially in the polar regions because all the icebergs and ice are melting. This has damaged conditions for wildlife living there, causing them to be endangered with some facing extinction.

The devastating Australian bushfires wiped out millions of beautiful animals and destroyed their natural habitat.

This is a direct consequence of climate change.

What can we do to reduce the amount of pollution produced?

People should walk, scoot, ride bikes, car-share and use public transport and swap diesel cars for electric cars.

Governments should provide more affordable electric public transport.

Laws should be passed to remove pollutants from industrial waste and factories fitted with filters. Factory owners should be fined for breaking these laws.

The government should also research for further alternative forms of energy to add to the existing wind turbines and solar energy.

People should walk, scoot, ride bikes, car-share and use public transport and swap diesel cars for electric cars.

Palm Oil and Deforestation

By Rozzy Commander What is palm oil and how is it contributing to climate change?

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil from the fruit of the Oil Palm tree. It originally came from Africa only but the trees were imported into South East Asia as an ornamental tree crop, and this is where most of our palm oil comes from today.

It is very difficult to avoid palm oil because it is in nearly half of the packaged products in supermarkets today. For example, it is found in doughnuts, chocolate, shampoo and toothpaste. This is because it is versatile, which means that it can be used for lots of different things. It is odourless and colourless so it doesn’t change the appearance or smell of the products it is in, and it helps to keep food fresh for longer.

Palm oil is contributing to climate change because, when native trees are cut down to make it, this causes deforestation, releasing lots of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.

When the trees are cut down, sometimes children are made to work, day and night. Deforestation also endangers animals by destroying the habitats of orangutans, pygmy elephants, Sumatran rhinos and many other species.

What can I do to reduce the amount of palm oil used and produced?

Although you might think it would be helpful to give up palm oil altogether, this is not actually the case. Other vegetable oil crops use more land to produce the same amount of oil, and cause more deforestation, more greenhouse gases and more child labour.

The best thing to do is to check that the palm oil you use comes from a responsible source. An organisation called the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) can help you with that.

You could also look at the WWF scorecard, which tells you which products and brands use sustainable palm oil.

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Pioneering explorer with a surprising link to Royal High School

By Maisie Deane, Bella Richens, Evie Wilkins, Alice Rosa Everard, Milly Scott.

Brian Birley Roberts Born on 23rd October 1912, Brian Birley Roberts was a British polar expert, pundit, ornithologist (the study of birds) and diplomat, who played a key role in the development of the Antarctic Treaty System.

Roberts led ground-breaking expeditions to Arctic regions

and was a pioneer in his field of expertise.

Early Life Raised in Woking, Surrey, Roberts lived with his parents and siblings: Denis, Pat and Joyce. Before growing up to be a polar expert, at just 10 years old, he read a book called “In the realm of the Arctic poppy” by Raymond Raife, which established his interest in birds and photography.

Before graduating at Cambridge University, he led an expedition to Vatnajokull, Iceland, at the age of 20 and completed the first ever double traverse of Europe’s largest glacier! This incredible journey set off in 1932 and the team took in over 200km of ice.

Love being with the kids but missing some guy time?

many great accolades such as: • The Polar Medal (1940) • Bruce Memorial Prize by the Royal society of Edinburgh Edinburgh, Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh and Royal Scottish Geographical Society (1940) • Royal Geographical Society Award (1949) • Extraordinary Fellowship of Churchill College, Cambridge (1965) • Order of St Michael and St George (1969) • Royal Geographical Society’s Founder’s Medal (1976) n Brian at Penola wheel Work Life In 1934, Roberts graduated in geography, archaeology and anthropology. During his professional life, he continued to take part in more Polar expeditions. When the second world war struck, Brian was appointed by the war office to research cold climate clothing and equipment. From 1946-1975, Roberts continued to work at the UK foreign office as the first head of the Polar Regions Section and provided knowledge on Antarctic history, place naming and terminology. This work evolved to provide a political solution to the increasing post-war competition in the area.

Greatest Achievements During his lifetime, he achieved

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n Brian and colleagues

Legacy He died on October 9th 1978 and will be remembered during the establishment of the Antarctic Treaty as an important negotiator. Nobody in his lifetime did more to further British interests and British achievements in the Antarctic.

Found in his will, he left his whole polar library to the SPRI (Scott Polar Research Institute) together with a legacy. There are a number of places in the Antarctic named after Robert including Roberts Ice Piedmont and Roberts Knoll.

DID YOU KNOW? Fact: Brian Birley Roberts is the great uncle of our teacher Mr Rushworth!

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Who is responsible for tackling the issues around climate change: the individual or governments?

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Isabella Owers and Imogen Orr discuss

OME individuals believe that it is the government’s role to set the rules to combat climate change and the individual’s role is to follow the laws and guidelines put in place.

Since the public has voted for the people in charge, we should leave them to do their job as they have the power to raise taxes on fuel, to tax water wastage and other issues harming the environment.

The government also has the power to create laws around sustainability and recycling.

Around the world, countries have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero by 2050. Doesn’t this show that it is governments that have the power and the capabilities to really

make a difference?

Although governments can create laws, individuals also have the power to make a difference to climate change and to tackle global warming. As we can see by the reaction to Greta Thunberg, individuals can create a massive wave of change. By organising events to inform and educate others, individuals can start campaigns and gather signatures in a petition. For example, Ella and Caitlin McEwan drew attention to the plastic toys being given free by Burger King and McDonalds, convincing these food giants to replace them with fruit. However, their ideas need to be supported by individuals who share their passion.

This was illustrated on 20th

September 2019 when 4 million joined Greta Thunberg in her global protest.

Individuals become involved in many other projects, such as beach clean-ups which inspire others to do the same. In school we have all been encouraged to make our own individual pledges to make a difference and encourage others to do the same.

We can do small actions which add up to a big difference such as: growing our own vegetables, eating less meat and reducing our use of plastic. Doesn’t this show the power of the individual?

Climate change and global warming are extremely important subjects in today’s world. Although many

people believe that it is the responsibility of governments to take responsibility for ensuring change happens, many people are unhappy with what is happening and want more.

These individuals are taking matters into their own hands, believing that one person can make a difference. With passion, determination and a deep love for the Earth, individuals are fighting for what they believe is important and these individuals are beginning to see change happen. Waiting for the government to put change in place takes too long and we need change now. As an individual, I can start changing my actions now and if we all do that – it will make a difference.

Polar bears; a story by Lizzie Cox IN the cold land, as north as you can go, there are magnificent polar bears. But, now all the polar bears are disappearing, one by one, day by day their population is getting smaller and smaller. This started to happen many months ago and now all of Victorian London is on the lookout for the culprits.

This is the sort of news that spreads like wildfire and in about a week it reached the ears of our cheeky, clever and rather grubby ears of Evelynn Myers and Alexander Moss “Alex, Polar bears are disappearing; creepy don’t you think?” said Evelynn, animatedly.

“I’ll say, but who would want to take polar bears away from the Arctic? I mean what’s the point.” Alex said, “It’s a quarter to nine we should get back to the den before the cops do their night-time search.” Evelynn murmured examining Big Ben. The night-time search was to check at nine o’clock that there were no orphans roaming the streets at night.

The next day the news of the polar bears was everywhere. In the evening, as they were running back to the den, they overheard the strangest conversation between two men.

“We leave tonight. The dock will be clear and the trains won’t have many occupants” one voice said from the gloom.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” a concerned voice replied.

“Oh Ronny you worry too much, besides if we get this job done we’re rich. Just think, five thousand shillings.”

The sound of shuffling feet followed. Evelynn turned around and beckoned to Alex that he should follow “Where are we going?” he asked, “Just going…”,she muttered, “they are going to the dock and we are following them.”

And that’s what they did. As silently as they could, they followed the two men onto a boat, quickly hiding under a pile of fur. By midnight, they were far out to sea and under the pile of fur Evelynn and Alex were beginning to wonder what they had done. Tiredness engulfed them, yet they were fearful to fall asleep. Where they might be going? Could it be that these guys were the polar bear swipers and, if so, were they heading to the North Pole? …..to be continued…..!

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Making a meal of it - a bird feeder from recycled materials –

By Maddie Deacon

Materials

• A milk or juice carton • Rope/Cord/Ribbon • Acrylic paint • Paint brushes • Twigs • Glue gun

Steps 1. Cut a large hole in the centre of one side of the carton and glue the flaps back inside for strength.

4. Glue twigs to the top of the carton for a roof.

5. Cut a hole at the top to pull the rope through for the feeder to hang from.

2. Paint and decorate your feeder.

6. Fill with birdseed.

3. Beneath the large hole, cut a small hole to put a stick through, providing a perch for dining birds.

7. Hang in a spot about five feet from the ground, preferably with a good view from your window.

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Upcycling - how to make the unwanted wanted again For a long time we’ve been urged to recycle items, including clothes. But upcycling is also gaining popularity taking unwanted or old items and making something completely different with them. Year 5 student Rozzy Commander decided to give it a go.

FOR my upcycle I decided to make a satchel out of an old dress and two pairs of tights.

First I made the strap. To do this I cut out two legs from the dark blue tights and one leg from the light blue tights and plaited them to make a handle. I knotted it at both ends.

Then I cut out a big rectangle from the front of the dress and folded it to make a bag shape. I used some old thread leftover from Christmas to sew up the bottom and the sides.

Then I cut out the pocket from the front of the dress and used some more thread to sew it onto the bag as a decoration. I was inspired by my grandma, who used to have a little pocket in her gym knickers to keep a biscuit in.

I had a long car journey from visiting my cousins in London so I had a lot of time to do the sewing whilst listening to Mistletoe and Murder by Robin Stevens.

My mum cut two holes in the top of the

bag and threaded the strap through them.

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Paper for the Planet Mr Woods, our school caretaker, is passionate about the environment and he is always finding ways to ensure that we are more sustainable around school. His latest project is helping us to create our own recycled paper, from the scraps around school. After he visited Year 5 and taught us how easy it is, Phoebe Berkovitch had a go at home.

Below are her instructions, why don’t you have a go too?

E

How to make your own Recycled Paper

VER wondered how you can write on a piece of paper that has already been written on? This informative but fun set of instructions show you how to make your own recycled paper. It will help you to become an expert on saving the planet one piece of paper at a time.

5. Take the fine mesh and place it on an absorbent towel. Then put a border made of wood and plastic in a rectangular shape on the middle of the mesh. An old picture frame would be suitable.

8. Finally, leave your paper in a sunny spot to dry. If it is raining put it in a warm, dry place inside such as the top of an aga or an airing cupboard. It should take overnight to dry.

Resources

• A basin • A bucket • Some fine mesh • Wooden /plastic frame • Old pieces of paper (not glossy) • A blender 1. Firstly, gather together any pieces of used paper you have in your recycling bin, your paper shredder or drawers. It doesn’t matter what kind of paper - it can be old, used envelopes (remove the cellophane windows first), magazines (not glossy), coloured or white paper.

2. Shred all the paper finely. You can do this quickly in a paper shredder, rip it by hand or cut it with scissors into relatively thin strips.

3. Carefully, add the paper to the water. You need approximately two parts water and one-part paper. Push down the paper so that none of it is visible above the water. Leave it to soak for 5 mins.

4. Take a blender and pour the mixture in with care. Blend until you have the consistency of thin porridge. This mixture is called pulp.

6. Gently, pour your pulp into the border and patiently wait for the water to drain into the towel.

7. Next slowly remove the border trying to hold the shape of the unfinished paper. Take a sponge and press it firmly but gently onto the pulp so that it absorbs the leftover water.

Occasionally wring the sponge over the bowl so that the sponge can absorb more water.

Once your paper is dry why not use it to write to the government and tell them what you think they can do to help stop climate change!

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Does Royal High School practise what it preaches on the environment?

Aibhe O’Brien asks Claire Lilley, Head of the Prep School, the important questions.

Is it important to the Royal High to be more sustainable & environmentally friendly?

Yes, it is really important for the Royal High to look at ways to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly. We are custodians of our world and we need to protect it for future generations.

What is Royal High doing to help?

Could we do more?

We have an active sustainability group which meets regularly to look at what we are doing, how successful it is and what we could be doing better. This work is supported by a Bristol based company called ‘Sustainable Hive’. This academic year we have looked at the following: Travel – Consider how can we reduce the school’s carbon footprint by improving transport links to prevent multiple cars having to come to our site.

Food – Explore if we can source items

more locally; can we reduce our meat consumption? We have Meat Free Mondays and also monitor food waste.

Recycling – introduction of more recycling bins including tetrapak recycling Energy – look at energy efficient solutions when things need replacing.

Engagement – include more curriculum lessons that focus on the subject to raise awareness amongst students.

What can the students do to help?

Prep girls have got involved in many environmental initiatives. These projects are often driven by Mrs Knights and the Eco Warrior group.

Students can help by remembering to recycle their snack wrappers, or better still bring snacks in a reusable tub so they are packaging free.

Switching off lights and being energy aware is important – there are many signs around school to remind us of this.

Ms Appleby is working on an allotment and Mr Woods is going to help make this happen.

We will be able to grow some of our own food and reduce our food miles, and in turn our carbon footprint.

Lunchtime waste – girls can really think about what they take in order to cut down on wastage – we are not very good at this at the moment, so definitely an area to work on!

We are always open to new suggestions.

Welcome to Norton Tax Shops. We offer extensive services that can help you at

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e provide a proactive service tailored to you, processing accounts quickly, accurately and efficiently. e cater for both individual and business clients, whether based in the UK or abroad. At Norton Tax ops we pride ourselves in giving a premium service for competitive fees.

, whether you have a company requiring accounts and in-depth tax planning or you simply need a Welcome to Norton Tax Shops x Return, we are here to help!

We offer extensive services that can help you at every stage.

Welcome to Norton Tax Shops.

We offer extensive services that can help you at

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every stage.

We provide a proactive service tailored to you, processing accounts quickly, accurately and efficiently. We cater for both individual and business Accounts clients, whether based in the UK or abroad. At Norton Tax Shops we pride ourselves in giving a premium service for competitive fees.

TaxSo,Returns We provide a proactive service tailored to you, processing accounts quickly, accurately and efficiently. whether you have a company requiring accounts and in-depth tax planning or you simply need a Tax Return, we are here to help!

We✓cater for both individual and business clients, whether based in the UK or abroad. At Norton Tax Business Development Accounts Shops we pride ourselves in giving a premium service for competitive fees. ✓ Tax Returns Property ✓ Business Development ✓ Gains Property Capital So,✓whether Capitalyou Gainshave a company requiring accounts and in-depth tax planning or you simply need a VAT we are here to help!

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THE

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High quality entries for the Year 5 Photography Competition Wildlife, environment and landscape was the brief for Year 5’s budding photographers in a competition that took inspiration from the environmental theme the girls were studying. The challenge got the girls out and about before lockdown, as well as digging up those once in a lifetime snaps from further afield.

Over 12s

1. Winner - Abbie Trayler-Smith

It wasn’t just Year 5 who got involved, the competition was widened to include other age groups. From a big range of entries, the judges decided these were the pick of the bunch.

Under 8s

8s - 12s

Over 12s

8s - 12s

8s - 12s

Over 12s

1. Winner - Rose Lewis Y3

1. Winner - Maria Sohn Y5

2. Milly Scott Y5

3. Maddie Deacon Y5

2. Mrs Gardner

3. Yuna Sohn Y8

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Lexi Darby, a student in Year 5, took this stunning picture of an owl in flight. She said: “I live in the countryside and often see lots of pheasants, hares, and deer but one day I was outside using my mum’s camera when an owl started swooping in the fields behind us. It was flying around for at least 5 minutes which gave me a big chance to take lots of photos of it.

This is the best one and I’m really proud of it.”

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THE

14 daughter of Queen Sychorax. She is an adventurous, strange looking hero.

Xar – A fearless and reckless boy, son of the great Enchanter.

BOOK Reviews

Plot: A story of friendship between a boy and a girl from different tribes.

The two unlikely heroes work together to defeat the dark forces of ancient evil. This book is exciting to read, full of twists and turns and surprises along the way.

Your opinion: My favourite part when Wish’s magic is being taken from her by the King Witch because I was intrigued to know what was going to happen. Would Wish be strong enough to fight back? I learnt that even if you are meant to be enemies you can still be friends.

I believe that the parents of Wish and Xar should be more supportive of them.

The Wizards of Once,

by Cressida Cowell

Book Review by Sophia Potter Characters: Wish – A girl from the warrior tribe,

Recommend: Yes I would recommend this book, it made me question whether the mission will be accomplished, will the ancient evil be destroyed by the young Wizard boy and the young Warrior girl?

Feel the Fear,

by Lauren Child

Reviewed by Halo James Feel the fear is a book from the series Ruby Redfort that was written by Lauren Child. The series of books took many years to publish and all six books are phenomenal.

Plot In the book, Ruby struggles to remain an action agent at the age of thirteen. There is a mysterious thief that Ruby is trying to catch and Clancy who is Ruby’s best friend is dealing with a bully.

Character There are many characters in the book. One of them is Claude, who is a new character that is introduced later in the plot. Apart from him, Ruby, Clancy, Hitch are just some that are mentioned in the book. I truly love each of their personalities, as they are all unique individuals, and you can sense their connections and how they feel.

Opinion I love this book very much it is one of the most interesting books I have ever read and I’m always curious about what is going to happen next. My favourite part by far is the ending of the story, which I find quite funny.

Every book in the series teaches you something in the context but this one does not teach you as much as the other books may.

I strongly recommend this book because it’s just so interesting and the plot is very well thought out. It is a great book to read and if I had to rate it I would give it 4 1/2 stars.

This book is so gripping and it is just a great book to read at any time.

Seal Island,

by Julia Green

Reviewed by Cici Zheng

Plot Grace has a magical summer at

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her granny’s house [without her parents], and makes a new friend, who knows all the secrets about the island. They both explore the island and find new secrets about the island that her new friend didn’t know.

Characters -personality Grace is a young and lively girl who makes a friend named Col, a local lad, who has a type of personality that is sometimes great and sometimes not so great and has lived his life so far on the island.

Grace has had a different lifestyle in the cities where she her parents and her brother live.

Recommendation I think this is a great book, I really enjoyed the chapter when Grace went to Col’s house, and the last chapter when they had a party on the bay of the beach.

Marley & Me,

by John Grogan

Reviewed by Annika Seward Characters The characters in this book are a man called John, his wife, Jenny and their mischievous puppy Marley. Marley is the main character, as the book is John writing about all of his naughty and funny behaviour growing up.

Marley makes me laugh a lot, even though he often gets into trouble.

Plot In the preface of the book, John explains that he had a dog called Shaun when he was a child who was extremely well behaved. John wants to have a dog like this as an adult and so they get Marley as a puppy…however Marley is the complete opposite of Shaun!

Marley is hilarious. He is very naughty but cute with it as well!

My Opinion I loved Marley and Me because lots of funny things happened but there are one or two sad bits too.

Overall it was a great book for me.

My favourite part of the book was when Marley gets scared of the thunder and destroys the garage where he is kept during the day.

Recommend?

I would recommend this book, especially to people who love dogs. It is a funny book but also quite sad so it has a good balance.

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Apple Crumble

By Alice Gilbert

RECIPES for you

METHOD

Begin by preparing the apples.

The best way to do this is to cut them first in quarters, then pare off the peel with a potato peeler and slice out the cores. Now cut them into thick-ish slices and toss them in a bowl with the sugar, cinnamon and ground cloves, then place them in the baking dish and put to one side. Next make the crumble, which couldn’t be simpler, as it is all made in a processor. All you do is place the butter, sifted flour, cinnamon and sugar in the processor and give it a whiz till it resembles crumbs. Next add the almonds and process again, not too fast, until they are fairly finely chopped and there are still a few chunky bits.

If you don’t have a processor, in a large bowl, rub the butter into the sifted flour until it resembles crumbs, then stir in the cinnamon,

INGREDIENTS A small pinch of saffron strands 1.75 kg of mussels, cleaned and debearded (discard any open mussels 120ml dry white wine 25g melted butter 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 small cloves, finely chopped ½ tbsp good quality curry powder 2 tbsp cognac 2 tbsp plain flour 200ml crème fraiche 3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley Crusty French bread to serve

METHOD Put the saffron in a small bowl and wet it with 1tsb of warm water.

Put the mussels and wine in a large pan, cover and cook over a high heat for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until the

sugar and almonds, which should be fairly finely chopped by hand.

Now simply sprinkle the crumble mixture all over the apples, spreading it right up to the edges of the dish, and, using the flat of your hands, press it down quite firmly all over; the more tightly it is packed together the crisper it will be. Then finish off by lightly running a fork all over the surface.

Now bake the crumble on the centre shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes, by which time the apples will be soft and the topping golden brown and crisp.

Leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving, then serve it warm with custard or cream.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb 8 oz (700 g) Bramley apples 8 oz (225 g) Cox’s apples 1 oz (25 g) light brown soft sugar 1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ level teaspoon ground cloves For the crumble: 4 oz (110 g) whole almonds, skin on 3 oz (75 g) chilled butter, cut into small dice 6 oz (175 g) self-raising flour, sifted

2 level teaspoons ground cinnamon 4 oz (110 g) demerara sugar To serve: custard or pouring cream

EQUIPMENT

7½ x 11 inches (19 x 28 cm) and 1¾ inches (4.5 cm) deep, or a round ovenproof baking dish with a diameter of 9½ inches (24 cm) and 1¾ inches (4.5 cm) deep.

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6

You will also need either an oval ovenproof baking dish measuring

Tip: use extra butter otherwise the crumble will be sandy.

La Mouclade

By Annika Seward mussels have opened.

Tip the mussels into a colander set over a bowl to catch all the cooking liquid (discard any that remain closed) Transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl and keep warm.

Melt the butter in a pan, add the onion, garlic and curry powder, then cook gently without browning for 2-3 minutes.

Add the cognac and cook until it has almost all evaporated, then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.

Gradually stir in the saffron liquid and all except the last 1-2 tbsp of the reserved mussel cooking liquid (which may contain some grit or sand.

Bring the sauce to a simmer, then cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the crème fraiche and simmer for a further 3 minutes or until slightly reduced.

Taste and season, stir in the parsley,

then pour the sauce over the mussels.

Serve with plenty of French crusty bread.