Read, wonder, and learn
Short educational articles picked for curious kids and family learning.
Is Summer the Best Season?
Summertime means fun in the sun, frozen treats, and time away from school. But summer can also usher in too-toasty temperatures and the occasional bug bite. So, is summer the best season? We asked TFK readers for their thoughts. What do you think?
https://www.timeforkids.com/g56/authors/lillian-stone/
Books are Best
Schools in Sweden have decided to go back to more traditional learning methods that include reading from physical books after noticing that their reading standards dropped when ipads and laptops were used.
Spot 5 differences
Can you spot 5 differences between these 2 images?
kidsnews.top
What is encrypted, decrypted, and unencrypted?
Suppose you want to send a secret message to your friend. Since you don’t want anyone else to read the message, you and your friend decide on a code. For example, A is 1, B is 2. You decide that space should be indicated by a semi-colon, and a comma separates two letters. So, “Come Home” becomes 3,15,13,5;8,15,13,5.
kidsnews.top
Famed detection dog ‘Bear’ retires after 10 years of saving our koalas
After a decade of sniffing out koalas in need of saving, detection dog Bear has hung up his fire boots for the last time to focus on a life of fetch and chasings. Find out why he is a true doggie legend
kidsnews.com.au
Playing Pretend
Bonobos, primates closely related to humans, are capable of pretend play. That’s according to a study done at Johns Hopkins University, in Maryland. The study was published in Science. A bonobo named Kanzi watched researchers add imaginary juice and grapes to containers. When they “emptied” one container, Kanzi could point to the one that was still “full.” This suggests that recognizing pretend objects “is not uniquely human,” the study says
Candace Dipsey
Most people will add something — even when subtracting makes more sense
Picture a bridge made of Lego blocks. One side has three support pieces, the other two. How would you stabilize the bridge? Most people would add a piece to the short stack, a new study suggests. But why not remove a piece from the taller stack? When it comes to Lego blocks, ingredients in a recipe or words in an essay, people prefer to add, not subtract.
Sujata Gupta
Is it possible to be invisible?
Being invisible is useful for animals that spend a lot of time in places with no good hiding spots, like the air or open ocean, says Kate Feller. She studies vision and behavior at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. The secret to invisibility is all about light. “The way we see things is when light is reflected back off of an object onto our eyes,” says Feller. The more light that can pass through something undisturbed, the harder it is to see that thing.
Sofia Caetano Avritzer
Kenzi the bonobo being groomed by anohter bonobo Animals A bonobo’s imaginary tea party hints that apes can pretend
Kanzi would sometimes play with imaginary juice and grapes, just as humans might. The bonobo's ability challenges old ideas about how animals think.
RJ Mackenzie
Red, Amber, Green and White?!
Yes, traffic lights in the future could have a fourth light before you set off and go! The suggestion by researchers in North Carolina, USA is for when we have more autonomous vehicles. It would not replace existing rules for human drivers. The white light would mean that self-driving cars are controlling traffic at that intersection.
https://www.thecuriousowl.net/
Cats’ Spines Help Cats Spin
For over 100 years, scientists have wondered how cats manage to land on their feet when they fall. Some questions about how cats do this have been solved. But many mysteries remain. Now, researchers in Japan have shown that part of the secret may have to do with the way a cat’s spine is built.
NFK Editors
Raccoons Seem to Enjoy Solving Puzzles
Raccoons have large brains for their size, and they’re good at solving problems. This has helped them survive in places where humans live. When they are searching for food, they can figure out how to open latches, pull handles, and turn knobs. They have strong and sensitive paws that are perfect for tackling tasks like this.
NFK Editors - February 19, 2026
10 Lessons to Learn from Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry is an American animated series of short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. It centers on a rivalry between its two title characters, Tom, a cat, and Jerry, a mouse, and many recurring characters, based around slapstick comedy.
Ilaxi Patel
And That Was The Oddest of Things
I woke in the night to a noise from the kitchen, So off I set out on a fact-finding mission.
Daniel Errico
How Firefly Got His Light
Sun and Moon need someone to tell them when to rise and set, and Elephant, Turtle, and Owl have an idea of who it should be. This story for kids is an origin tale for the best and brightest of bugs: the firefly!
Written by Daniel Errico Illustrated by Daryna Yamoldinova
THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF
Boy who called wolf
Adapted by Daniel Errico, Illustrations by StoryChimes
Happy Birthday, Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh is a talking teddy bear who stars in children’s books and movies. And now, Winnie is 100 years old! He was created by A.A. Milne based on his son Christopher Robin’s real teddy bear. Winnie first appeared in a story on December 24, 1925 along with friends Tigger and Piglet. Today, the original toys live in a library, but the stories still bring magic to children everywhere!
thechildrensnewspaper.com
3-year-old Sarwagya gets official FIDE rating
Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha from Madhya Pradesh has become the world’s youngest FIDE-rated chess player. In December 2025, at just 3 years, 7 months, and 20 days old, he received an official rating of 1572, which is higher than the usual starting rating of 1400. His achievement has made India proud and encourages many young chess players.
thechildrensnewspaper.com
फिजी में होली
भारत में होली शुरू होने से पहले ही, फागुआ (जैसा कि इंडो-फिजीवासी होली को कहते हैं) मनाया जा रहा था। प्रशांत महासागर में स्थित फिजी द्वीप समूह भारतीय समय से साढ़े छह घंटे आगे है और इंडो-फिजीवासी पहले से ही चौताल गा रहे थे , जो उत्सव मनाने की एक मौखिक परंपरा है।
मनीषा देवेश्वर
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