Amazing Kids!Wild Jungle Writing Contest

    Amazing Kids!Magazine is proud to announce that we will be hosting a Wild Jungle Writing Contest this fall! Send us your best jungle-themed stories.This contest is open to grades K-12,with three groups of K-3,4-8,and 9-12.

    Three winners from each age group will be chosen to win Amazing Kids!prizes,along with an official certificate verifying their winning entry.All participants will receive a certificate of participation in the contest.

    Submit（提交）all entries by NOVEMBER 30 to be considered!Please look below for rules—if your entry does not comply with（与一致）our rules,it will not be considered in the contest!Email editor@amazing-kids.org or more questions about rules.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Q:What are the age limits?

    A:This contest is limited to grades K-12,with a K-3,4-8,and 9-12 age group.

    Q:How should I format my entry?

    A:Stories should be written in English,with submissions of up to 1,200 words.Stories exceeding（超出）this length will not be considered.Please submit your entry as a Microsoft Word document.Also be sure to include all essential information,including your name,grade,address,phone number(s) and e-mail address in the body of the e-mail.

    Q:How do I submit my entry?

    A:E-mail your submission to editor@amazing-kids.org.Each e-mail submission will receive a return message saying that the essay is received.

    Q:Is there just one prize?

    A:No.Nine separate prizes will be given out,with a cash value of $ 20 for first place,$15 for second place,and $10 for third place in each age group.Certificates of participation will also be awarded to each participant in the contest.

    Have you ever found yourself in this situation: You hear a song you used to sing when you were a child — a bit of nostalgia (怀旧) or “blast from the past,” as we say. But it is not a distant childhood memory. The words come back to you as clearly as when you sang them all those years ago.

    Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied the relationship between music and remembering a foreign language. They found that remembering words in a song was the best way to remember even one of the most difficult languages.

    Here is what they did. Researchers took 60 adults and randomly divided them into three groups of 20. Then they gave the groups three different types of “listen-and-repeat” learning conditions. Researchers had one group simply speak the words. They had the second group speak the words to a rhythm, or beat. And they asked the third group to sing the words.

    All three groups studied words from the Hungarian language for 15 minutes. Then they took part in a series of language tests to see what they remembered.

    Why Hungarian, you ask? Researchers said they chose Hungarian because not many people know the language. It does not share any roots with Germanic or Romance languages, such as Italian or Spanish. After the tests were over, the singers came out on top. The people who learned these new Hungarian words by singing them showed a higher overall performance. They did the best in four out of five of the tests. They also performed two times better than those who simply learned the words by speaking them.

    Dr. Katie Overy says singing could lead to new ways to learn a foreign language. The brain likes to remember things when they are contained in a catchy or memorable tune.

    Dr. Ludke said the findings could help those who struggle to learn foreign languages. On the University of Edinburgh's website Dr. Ludke writes, “This study provides the first experimental evidence that a listen-and-repeat singing method can support foreign language learning, and opens the door for future research in this area.”

    The impression you make at the beginning of an interview is very important. Employers often decide to hire someone in the first three minutes of the interview. They judge you by your appearance, attitude and manners.

    A friendly smile when you walk into the room is important. A smile shows a confident and positive attitude. When you introduce yourself, make eye contact with the interviewer. Some interviewers offer a handshake. Others don't.

    Try to be as natural as possible. But pay attention to your body language. The way you sit, walk, gesture, use your voice and show feelings on your face is all part of your body language. It makes the interviewer know how you feel about yourself and the situation you are in. Are you feeling positively about yourself？Your abilities? Your interest in the job？

    Speak clearly and loudly enough. Show interest and enthusiasm in your voice. When you speak, look at the interviewer. Also, don't say negative things about yourself, or former employer.

    Listen to questions carefully. If you don't understand a question, ask the interviewer to repeat or explain:

    "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch that."

    "Almost everyone is nervous in a job interview. Interviewers know that. They don't expect you to be totally calm and relaxed. But they expect you to try to control your nervousness. They expect you to show confidence in your ability to do the job.

    At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer for her or his time. It's a good idea to send a short thank-you letter right after the interview, or deliver it by hand.

    Phone the company if you have not heard anything after one week. Ask if they have made a decision about the job.

Good luck!

    A campaign is being launched to encourage children to surrender 30 minutes of screen time a day to head for the great outdoors.

    The newly formed Wild Network—a collaboration of nearly 400 organizations—is attempting to attract youngsters away from television and computer screens to fields, woods and parks. Members of the network include the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS. Organizers say it is the UK's biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play, and claim it could help improve fitness, mental alertness and general well-being.

    A documentary film, Project Wild Thing, will forecast the launch at more than 50 cinemas across the UK from Friday. It looks at the increasing link between children and nature.

    Andy Simpson, chairman of the Wild Network, said, "The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation. Time spent outdoors is decreasing, roaming (漫步) ranges have fallen largely, activity levels are declining and the ability to identify common species has been lost."

    Suggestions on how to get more time in nature include collecting conkers (七叶树果), camping, snail racing, and observing autumn colour on trees.

    From January, the network will aim to make suggestions on how the government can do more to get children muddy and bright-eyed.

    This is not the first time the message of less screen time, more play has been brought up. Children in the 1980s were requested to do the same by the BBC TV series Why Don't You, which somewhat confusingly called on its viewers to "switch off the TV set and go to do something less boring instead".

    Hobbies in general are becoming something of the past. Our lives are already filled with classes, homework, working, relationships and sleeping. When we do have a spare moment, it is all too easy to spend it on the endless entertainment and media that are right at our fingertips.

    I do not doubt that there are some people who could become a great writer or musician. I only fear that so many people are busy pursuing their education and their careers, but they never even see the potential (潜能) they have. The next great photographer or singer could be going to college right now. But they might not even know they have a gift for photographing or singing if they've never picked up a camera or a guitar.

    Of course, the final goal of pursuing a new hobby shouldn't be to become rich and famous. For most people, a hobby is just something they enjoy doing for the purpose of the thing itself. Such hobbies are still very useful. Studies have shown that people who have a hobby are less likely to have stress and more likely to have more meaningful lives.

    Most importantly, a hobby is just something you do to make you happy. I hate to break it to you, but we all have a long lifetime of work and stress ahead of us. It will make things much easier if we can practice the piano or make some collections after work.

    Sure, it's not easy to start a new hobby while going to school, but it will likely never get easier than it is right now. So think about the thing that you have always wanted to try but were too embarrassed or busy or whatever. You never know, you might become the world's next great people. If not, you'll at least be a little more well-rounded, more interesting and less stressed.

Museum lets visitors walk in the shoes of a police officer

Police shows on TV are filled with high- speed car chases and crimes solved in a few minutes. But that's not a typical day for a real- life police officer. To get a more accurate picture, head to the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington. Exhibits there invite visitors to use their senses of sight, hearing, touch and smell to gather information the way police do.

Let's look at a few exhibits.

K-9 Units

See a video of how dogs are trained to join K-9 Units. Test your ability to smell and identify various scents(气味). Learn which kinds of dogs are better at tracking bad persons while others are better at sniffing out dangerous goods.

The Web of Law Enforcement

You' ll quickly learn that crime- solving is a team effort, not only within one department, but among organizations across the country. Inspection Service is just one of the law enforcement groups helping local police when needed. For example, six organizations worked together on a national park graffiti(涂鸦) case.

Five Communities

Every community is different. Learn how the needs and challenges of five communities are being dealt with. These communities goals are to develop programs, while increasing trust between local people and police. What might work in your neighborhood? There's a place for visitors to share their thoughts.

The Training Simulator

Those aged 12 and older can try the same training scenarios(方案) and . equipment used in professional law enforcement classes in which police try to resolve difficult situations. Short videos test participants' abilities to observe accurately and think quickly before reacting.

The exercises give an understanding of what officers face on a daily basis.

" Many kids first think it's like a video game," said Alan Davis, an educator and New York police officer." They soon realize that real- life decision- making in a second isn't easy, and they freeze. For real police there are no second chances."