Anorak Magazine

There are many different types of art: drawing, making sculptures, writing, playing music or putting on a play. We love them all. Creating art is pure joy because it means we get to express ourselves and have fun all at the same time. On the days we are sad or stressed, drawing, listening to some music or writing can help to make us feel better. “Everyone is an artist!” said the famous painter Picasso. We agree: all of us are capable of making some amazing art! Staring at art is magical because it shows us the world in new ways.…

There’s nothing better than being engrossed in a book. It means we get to travel to different worlds without even leaving home. Magic! In the old days being called a bookworm was considered an insult because it referred to actual insects that used to nibble on books. Now it means someone who loves reading. Hooray for bookworms! We love to visit… libraries! Why? Because of the peace, and the books, the books, the books! One of our favourite books ever is The Little Prince. It is hugely popular the world over, with sales exceeding 300 million copies. One of its editions holds the world record for the largest book ever printed, at two metres high and three metres wide. For giant bookworms only!…

We love all birds, but when we see flamingos they instantly make us smile. They are the perfect combination of elegance and pinkness. Also, they sleep on one leg, which we think is wonderfully weird. In a bid to find a partner, flamingos will group together and perform an exquisite dance. Heads held high, they glide along their muddy habitat, like perfect (pink) ballerinas. When baby flamingos are born, they're grey. It’s the (pink) shrimp that they eat all day that turns their dull plumage dazzling pink.…

Space is a source of infinite joy, and galaxies are up there* in our love for all things astronomical. A galaxy is a huge collection of stars, dust, gas, planets and their solar systems. And a galaxy is our home, too! Nestled amongst the billions of galaxies in the universe, we live in a beautiful one called The Milky Way which is thought to house over 300 billion stars. On a good night and with some powerful binoculars, you may be able to spot our galactic neighbour Andromeda. It might look like a tiny, fuzzy cloud from down here but it is in fact almost twice as big as our own galaxy! *pun intended.…

If an alien visited Earth and asked us what the most joyful of all joyful things is, we would have to put ice cream as our number one. Before friends, family and even sunshine. Eating an ice cream when it’s hot outside fills us with joy. Have you tried eating ice creams when it’s raining? We highly recommend it, it will cheer you no end. Ice creams are comforting and uplifting all at once. We love that they come in hundreds of flavours, one for every mood. Feeling grumpy? Try a zingy lemon! Agitated? A smooth vanilla will fix that!…

Do you remember when you last learned a new skill? How good it felt? We do! Learning how to ride a bike? Pure joy. Learning how to eat an ice cream without dropping it on the floor? Best happy ever. Learning how to cook a dinner for our families? Next level happy. Learning doesn’t just happen in a classroom: we learn when we walk in a park, when we watch something on the television, when we play, or when we read Anorak!* When we learn, our brains create new connections and grow new cells. We call this process ‘fizzing with excitement’ in a non-scientific way. * cheeky fact, but fact nonetheless.…