©ABC 2017

Questions for discussion

Australia Day Debate

1. Discuss the BTN Australia Day Debate story in pairs. What points were raised in the discussion?

2. When do we celebrate Australia Day?

3. In which year did the First Fleet arrive?

4. Which year did states and territories agree on calling the date `Australia Day’?

5. When did Australia Day become a public holiday?

6. Aboriginal people had been living in Australia for at least 50,000 years before European settlement. True or false?

7. What did Indigenous leaders hold on January 26th, 1938?

8. How do many Indigenous people feel about celebrating Australia Day on January 26th?

9. What have some councils have voted to do?

10. Do you think Australia Day should be celebrated on January 26th? Give reasons for your answer.

Vote in the BTN Online Poll

Do the quiz on the BTN website

Forest Rangers

1. Before you watch the BTN story, predict what you think it’s about.

2. Where in Asia are the forest rangers working? Locate using Google Maps.

3. Why are the forests under threat?

4. Explain what poaching is.

5. What impact does poaching have on some species?

6. Why is illegal logging also a big problem?

7. Describe what the rangers are doing to protect the forests.

8. Why is it a dangerous job?

9. Some of the rangers are expert animal trackers. Why is that an important skill to have?

10. What did you learn watching the Forest Rangers story?

Check out the Threatened Species resource on the Teachers page

Spacesuit History

1. What was the main point of the Spacesuit History story.

2. Why do astronauts wear spacesuits?

3. What keeps astronauts cool?

4. Spacesuits are made of about how many different layers?

5. When was the first spacesuit worn by an astronaut in space?

Episode 25

5th September 2017

©ABC 2017

6. What design features did the spacesuit worn by Neil Armstrong for the Apollo mission

have?

7. Describe the spacesuit created by Elon Musk.

8. What do people think about the design?

9. Create a timeline showing important moments in spacesuit development.

10. Name three things you learnt watching the BTN story.

Check out the Spacesuit History resource on the Teachers page

Zombie Lessons

1. Explain what the students in the BTN story are doing.

2. Which school is teaching students about zombie science?

3. What is the aim of the zombie challenge?

4. What tasks are the students doing as part of the challenge?

5. Why do students need to work together?

6. What areas of science would students need to know to combat a zombie apocalypse?

7. What are the benefits for students involved in the zombie lessons?

8. Why do adults like it too?

9. What was surprising about the story?

10. What did you like about the story?

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.

Rock Climbing Girl

1. Explain the sport of rock climbing to another student.

2. How old is Leah?

3. How does Leah describe the pain she feels while climbing?

4. Leah first got into the sport of rock climbing with her _______________.

5. How is outdoor climbing different to indoor climbing?

6. Which three events do the climbers compete in? Explain each event.

7. Which is Leah’s favourite event?

8. Which competition has she just competed in?

9. In some European countries, rock climbing is a _______________ sport.

10. What is Leah’s long term goal?

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.

©ABC 2017

Teacher Resource

Threatened Species

1. Before you watch the BTN story, predict what you think it’s about.

2. Where in Asia are the forest rangers working? Locate using Google

Maps.

3. Why are the forests under threat?

4. Explain what poaching is.

5. What impact does poaching have on some species?

6. Why is illegal logging also a big problem?

7. Describe what the rangers are doing to protect the forests.

8. Why is it a dangerous job?

9. Some of the rangers are expert animal trackers. Why is that an

important skill to have?

10. What did you learn watching the Forest Rangers story?

Class discussion

After watching the BTN Threatened Species story, respond to the following

questions:

Write a personal response to the Threatened Species story. Leave a

comment on the BTN Threatened Species story page. Finish one or more of

the following incomplete sentences:

• Animals that live in the tropical forests of Cambodia are in danger

because…

• Tigers are special because…

• Poaching is…

• The forest rangers are helping by…

• Without the rangers…

• We can protect endangered animals by...

• It’s surprising that...

- What did you SEE in this video?

- What do you THINK about what you saw in this video?

- What does this video make your WONDER?

- What did you LEARN from this story?

- How did this story make you FEEL?

Episode 25

5th September 2017

Students will investigate plants and

animals at risk of extinction.

Students will reflect on how we can

protect threatened species into the

future.

Science – Year 4

Living things have life cycles.

Living things, including plants and

animals, depend on each other and

the environment to survive.

Science – Year 5

Living things have structural

features and adaptations that help

them to survive in their

environment.

Science – Year 6

The growth and survival of living

things are affected by the physical

conditions of their environment.

Brainstorm ways that

your class and school

community can get

involved in Threatened

Species Day 2017.

Visit this link for a list of

activities to help raise

awareness about the

issue.

©ABC 2017

Be a reporter for a day

The Koala, an iconic Aussie animal, is listed as a vulnerable species and some are concerned things will

only get worse. Today there are fewer than 40,000 koalas left in the wild. Mainly because of things like dog

attacks, cars and vanishing habitats. In this activity, students will imagine that koalas have tragically become

extinct and will write a news article telling people why they have become extinct.

Things to think about when writing your report:

• How did the koala become extinct? What were its main threats?

• What is the value of the koalas to humans? E.g. unique, native to Australia.

• What could Australians have done to save the koala?

• What other animals are on the brink of extinction? How can we raise awareness about their survival?

Structure

• Who is your target audience? Use age appropriate language and themes.

• Write a headline that is short and to the point.

• Use words and pictures in your report.

Interesting sources of information

• WWF Save Koalas

• BTN story – Koalas in Decline

Students will investigate native plants and animals found in their

local area and present their findings to the school community in

an interesting way.

• What plant and animal species are found in your local

area? Carry out an assessment of your school’s natural

habitat and investigate the different plants and animals

that call it home.

• Students will each choose a different species (plant or

animal) to research, using this research template to

record their findings.

Further activities

• Contact a ranger at park near your school to learn more

about the local animal and plant species.

• Share what you’ve learnt with your school community –

run a guided tour or a QR coding system for plants.

• Hold a tree planting day at your school to improve the

natural habitat.

• Play QuestaGame the real-world mobile game where

you compete to save life on earth.

• Create a habitat garden at your school. Students research the habitat requirements of a native bird

and design a school garden to increase the amount of habitat available to the species in your area.

Contact your local council for tips and hints on what works in your area. Watch this video to get

some useful tips for designing a bird friendly garden http://aussiebirdcount.org.au/where-to-watch-

birds/

©ABC 2017

QuestaGame

Watch the BTN Citizen Science Kids story.

The kids in the story were submitting their

animal sightings through QuestaGame.

Download the app then discover and help

preserve species by taking photos and

submitting them. They’ll score gold for

every sighting and extra gold if they can find

something rare or interesting. The

information is shared with CSIRO’s Atlas of

Living Australia and the Global Biodiversity

Information Facility which helps researchers

understand how we can protect biodiversity.

Wildlife Spotter

Help save threatened species and preserve Australia’s wildlife. Become a

citizen scientist and assist researchers by looking for animals in wilderness

photos taken around Australia. Go to the Wildlife Spotter website to register

and start classifying.

Love Nature – Rangers on the Frontline

https://lovenature.vhx.tv/videos/crime-ranger-cambodia

BTN – Koalas in Decline

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4682056.htm

BTN – Species List

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4131949.htm

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage – Threatened Species Day 2017

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/threatened-species/saving-our-species-

news/threatened-species-day

Australian Museum – Australia’s extinct animals

https://australianmuseum.net.au/australias-extinct-animals

Australian Geographic – Australian endangered species list

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2014/06/australian-endangered-

species-list

©ABC 2017

Teacher Resource

Spacesuit History

1. What was the main point of the Spacesuit History story.

2. Why do astronauts wear spacesuits?

3. What keeps astronauts cool?

4. Spacesuits are made of about how many different layers?

5. When was the first spacesuit worn by an astronaut in space?

6. What design features did the spacesuit worn by Neil Armstrong for

the Apollo mission have?

7. Describe the spacesuit created by Elon Musk.

8. What do people think about the design?

9. Create a timeline showing important moments in spacesuit

development.

10. Name three things you learnt watching the BTN story.

Negotiate with students how many activities they will need to complete.

• What do you THINK about what you saw in the Spacesuit History story?

What does this video make you WONDER?

o Think of three questions you have about the BTN Spacesuit

History story.

o What did you learn watching the BTN story? Leave your

comment on the BTN Spacesuit History story page.

o Why do astronauts need to wear space suits?

o Why is it important to change the design of space suits?

• Students will practice their note-taking while watching the BTN

Spacesuit History story. After watching the story, ask students to

reflect and organise the information into three categories.

Students may want to watch the story again or download a copy

of the Spacesuit History transcript to assist them with this activity.

What information was...?

o Positive

o Negative or

o Interesting

Episode 25

5th September 2017

Students will develop a deeper understanding of the history of spacesuits and the impact space has on the human body.

Science – Year 5

The Earth is part of a system of

planets orbiting around a star (the

sun)

Science – Years 5 & 6

Scientific knowledge is used to

solve problems and inform

personal and community decisions

Science – Year 7

Scientific knowledge has changed

peoples’ understanding of the

world and is refined as new

evidence becomes available

Design & Technologies – Years

5 & 6

Critique needs or opportunities

for designing, and investigate

materials, components, tools,

equipment and processes to

achieve intended designed

solutions

©ABC 2017

• Watch the previous BTN Space Suits story then respond to the following questions:

1. What are some of the disadvantages of the spacesuits being used at the moment?

2. How is the Biosuit different to the older ones?

3. How does the body change in the weightlessness of space?

4. On a mission to Mars that takes about two and a half years, you would come back with the hip bones of a_______ .

5. How does osteoporosis affect bones?

6. How does the suit help prevent it? 7. The pretend spaceship shown in the BTN story is called the__________. 8. Illustrate an aspect of the story.

• Research the history of spacesuits using a range of

sources.

o Who created the first spacesuit? What did it

look like?

o What were the early spacesuits like?

o How and why have spacesuits changed over

time?

o How were moon spacesuits different?

o What will future spacesuits be like?

Create a timeline showing how spacesuits have

changed and evolved over the years.

• Watch the following NASA video that

shows the journey engineers go through to

make a spacesuit and then respond to the

following questions:

o What are EVAs? o What design features did the

spacesuits worn by astronauts for the Apollo missions have?

o How did NASA change what could be done with space suits during the Space Shuttle years?

o Describe the Z2 space suit. o What are the special features of the Z2? o Why are prototypes important for space suit development? o What could the PXS be used for? o Why is protecting the astronaut an important consideration in spacesuit design? o What did you learn watching the video? o What information was surprising?

©ABC 2017

• Research the changes that the human body goes through in space. The following KWLH organiser

provides a framework to explore your knowledge on this topic and consider what you would like to

know and learn.

What do I know? What do I want to

know? What have I learnt? How will I find out?

Think of your own question/s for inquiry, or use the following questions as a guide:

o How is the human body affected by weightlessness? What effect does it have on:

Bones and muscles

Sense of taste

The unprotected body?

o Investigate the type of health problems astronauts have had in the past. What changes have

been made to overcome the health problems?

• Create an illustration that

shows the different parts of a

spacesuit and the function

each performs. To help with

your research, NASA has

created an interactive

clickable space suit that

shows the different features

and functions.

• What do you think of Elon Musk’s SpaceX spacesuit? Think of three

words to describe it. How is the design different to other spacesuits? Are

there any similarities?

Design your ideal spacesuit. Highlight the design features that

make it function well as a spacesuit. Your spacesuit will need to

allow the wearer to:

o Breathe

o Communicate

o Keep your body protected

Create a poster that showcases your design and present it to the class.

Explain what makes your design unique.

©ABC 2017

ABC News – Elon Musk unveils SpaceX spacesuit in Instagram post, saying `this actually works’

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-24/elon-musk-unveils-spacex-spacesuit/8838320

BTN – Space Suits

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2857386.htm

NASA – History of space suits

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/history-of-spacesuits-k4.html

NASA – Clickable space suit

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/spacesuits/home/clickable_suit.html

Space Discovery Centre – Soviet and US space suits

https://www.discoverspace.org/discover/el-pomar-space-gallery/soviet-and-us-space-suits

PBS Space Station – Why wear a spacesuit?

http://www.pbs.org/spacestation/station/living_spacesuit.htm

©ABC 2017

BTN: Episode 25 Transcript 5/09/17

Hi, I'm Nathan Bazley, thanks for joining me for BTN! Coming up today:

• We find out about one of the most challenging animal protection jobs in the world.

• Meet the kids learning science with a scare.

• And Rookie Reporter Leah tells us what the new Olympic sport of rock climbing is all about.

Stay with us for all that and more.

Australia Day Debate

Reporter: Amelia Moseley

INTRO: But first to the news. Over the past few weeks a couple of local councils have confirmed they have cancelled their Australia Day celebrations for 2018. It's all because of the negative feelings Australia's Indigenous people have towards this date. But the Prime Minister says he strongly disagrees with the push to move it. Soon we'll go to a poll to find out what you think. But first, here's a closer look at both sides of the issue. On Australia's calendar, there are quite a few special dates like New Year's Day, the Queen's Birthday, Anzac Day and my birthday! Just jokes. But there's one special date that's been causing a lot of controversy and that's the 26th of January. It was on that day back in 1788 that the First Fleet, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, arrived in Sydney Cove. Phillip raised a British flag and took possession of the land for England, even though it already belonged to hundreds of different groups of Aboriginal people. Over the years, January 26th became a day for celebrating New South Wales and it was often called Foundation Day, First Landing Day or later Anniversary Day. AMELIA, REPORTER: It wasn't actually until hundreds of years later, in 1935, that all states and territories agreed on calling the date 'Australia Day'. Decades later, in 1988, Australia marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet on January 26th with massive events in all major cities, but it still didn't become an official national public holiday, in the way it is today, until 1994. But let's stop there and go back to look at this period in Australia's history from a different perspective. For Aboriginal people, January 26th, 1788 was the date when the land they'd been living on for at least 50 thousand years was claimed by someone else and it started hundreds of years of mistreatment and discrimination.

©ABC 2017

AMELIA, REPORTER: On January 26th, 1938, many Indigenous leaders held what they called a day of mourning to protest against hundreds of years of terrible treatment and their land being taken from them. They also wanted the same rights as other Australian citizens. Then on January 26th, 1988, there were big protests held at the First Fleet anniversary event in Sydney. KID 1988: I'm very proud to be Aboriginal, and I'm glad I could take part in the march and be here today. 200 years from today, white man came and started to destroy the people of this land. Around then, some Indigenous Australians started calling 'Australia Day' 'Invasion Day', and protests like this continued to happen each year on January 26th all the way up to this year. Because of this, there's been a lot of discussion lately about moving Australia Day celebrations to a different date. Officially, that would need the 'ok' from the federal and state governments, but some local councils have been making their own moves. Two Melbourne councils have already voted to stop calling January 26th Australia Day and it looks like an Adelaide council could hold a vote on it soon. But the idea of changing Australia Day has made some people angry. Some say the tradition's really important. Others reckon January 26th isn't actually about the First Fleet anymore, but coming together to celebrate our country as it is now which includes welcoming new citizens and celebrating all the different parts of our culture. The PM said he's disappointed by the push to change it and that Australia Day will stay as it is while he's in charge. So, what do you think? ARABELLA: I reckon it would be a good idea to move it to a day that the Aboriginals like a bit better maybe, a day that's happier for them. XAVIER: I think it's a good choice, because then it can be a day rather than being celebrated when people first arrived and colonised Australia, it can be a day about celebrating equal rights and being given the same opportunities. ANGUS: For years, it's been an Australian tradition to have Australia Day on this day and if we move it then it might lose a bit of its charm that it's had. SOPHIA: We need to all come together and unite in unity and be happy with Australia and not just part of Australia.

Poll

So, after watching that do you Australia Day should be moved? Let us know in our online poll.

And here's the results of last week's poll.

©ABC 2017

Forest Rangers

Reporter: Ruby Cornish

INTRO: This week on the 7th of September National Threatened Species Day will be held. So, we're going to mark the day by meeting some of the rangers tasked with protecting animals from poachers in Cambodia. But as you'll see from this documentary, it's not just the animals in danger there. The tropical forests of Cambodia are beautiful, and home to hundreds of different species, including deer, wild cattle, and small monkeys called macaques. But these forests and the animals that call them home are under threat. Poachers are people who illegally sell animals on the black market. Sometimes they're in demand because they're unusual. Sometimes it's because their body parts are used in traditional medicines. This has devastating effects. For example, last year, tigers were officially declared extinct in Cambodia. The other major issue here is illegal logging. This is when people steal valuable trees and smuggle them out of the country to sell over the border. Combine that with the legal logging already happening in Cambodia, and you get a country losing it's natural environment very quickly. So, what's being done to stop this destruction? That's where these guardians of the forests come in. They feature in a new documentary called Rangers on the Frontline. They're Cambodian locals who care about the future of the forest. They take down animal traps and illegal fishing lines. They set cameras to take photos of the animals passing by for research. And most importantly, they track down and arrest poachers and illegal loggers. They have to be willing to put their life on the line to do it, because it's a really dangerous job. In fact, lots of rangers die every year because the poachers and loggers they're trying to catch are often armed. To do their jobs properly, these rangers need to train hard. RUBEN DE KOCK, RANGER INSTRUCTOR: The purpose of the training happening here is to prepare rangers to operate against poachers, people who come here to cut wood and to hunt animals. They do fitness drills, practice first aid, and learn how to use weapons to defend themselves. RUBEN DE KOCK, RANGER INSTRUCTOR: Small hand signals in front of my body. Because I can't say "There's the poachers! Lie down, lie down!" Because then the poachers are going to run away. Some of the rangers are expert animal trackers. Just from looking at tracks in the mud, they can identify the species of animal, what direction it was moving in and how long ago it was there. But being a ranger is a pretty rough life. There's hardly any down-time and they may only get to see their family once or twice a month. But they're willing to put up with the long

©ABC 2017

hours and the dangerous conditions because they know the future of Cambodia's forests is in their hands. ROHIT SINGH, RANGER FEDERATION OF ASIA: Rangers are the front line. They are the ones who are saving animals in the forest. Without rangers, you can't have these forests, these beautiful natural locations and animals. You can't have them without rangers.

Ask A Reporter

Have you got a question about the National Threatened Species Day? Ask me live on Friday during Ask a Reporter! Head to our website for all the details.

This Week in News

World leaders are trying to figure out what to do about North Korea's latest weapon tests. Last week, North Korea launched a missile that flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean. And over the weekend the country tested out a Hydrogen bomb which is a really powerful nuclear weapon. While no one was hurt, the test explosion was so strong it registered as a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. Testing nuclear weapons is against international law so the UN security council is meeting to work out how to respond. And PM Malcolm Turnbull says more pressure needs to be applied PRIME MINISTER, MALCOLM TURNBULL: The time has come for China to take the responsibility to respond to this affront with strong action that brings this regime to its senses.

The Bureau of Meteorology says this winter has been the warmest on record for some states in Australia. In Queensland, the average temperature was about two and a half degrees higher than normal. Western Australia and the Northern Territory also saw above average temperatures. The Bureau reckons that most states will also see warmer than average temperatures this spring, too.

©ABC 2017

An artist in Sydney spent the weekend floating in the air! Naomi Lahkmar used 20,000 helium-filled balloons to hover about 2 metres above the ground. She stayed like this for nine hours. The people who came to watch said it was pretty interesting. SPECTATOR: When you go in deeper there's some deeper meaning but I think it’s quite cool. SPECTATOR: I think the person who did it was really brave and courageous.

Meanwhile if you love tomatoes, or a mess, check this out. It's La Tomatina festival which was held in Spain last week. The famous festival happens every year. Thousands of people take part in a massive tomato fight. PARTICIPANT: Prepare everything. You are going to get very dirty. Around 160 tonnes of tomatoes are brought into the town for the hour-long battle!

And finally, do NOT try this at home! A beekeeper in Canada's set a new world record for the longest time with his head covered in bees! Juan Ortiz brought in 100 thousand bees and sat like this for 61 minutes, smashing the old record of 53 minutes 34 seconds. Un-bee-lievable!

Spacesuit History Reporter: Sowaibah Hanifie

INTRO: Astronauts could soon be getting a slick wardrobe update. Space X founder Elon Musk has announced a new design of spacesuit that he says will work better and look better too. But what does it take to make a spacesuit? Take a look. Without them astronauts couldn't repair space stations or do experiments that help us learn more about the universe. They're spacesuits. But there's a lot more to these out-of-this-world outfits than meets the eye.

©ABC 2017

To start they have to protect astronauts from extreme heat and cold. Temperatures in space range from more than a hundred degrees below freezing to more than a hundred of degrees above. So, spacesuits come with on board air conditioning and heating. In fact, underneath it all astronauts wear underwear with pipes of flowing water to keep them extra cool and also adult nappies because spacewalks can last up to eight hours without a toilet break. Then of course comes air supply. And a gold visor provides eye protection from all the radiation above the safety of our atmosphere. Spacesuits have to be very hardy. It might seem like there isn’t much in space because there's stuff flying around like dust and small bits of debris that move at incredible speeds. So, spacesuits are made of around 11 different layers for maximum protection. All these capabilities mean spacesuits weigh a lot, from 15 to 81 kilograms. It also means they don't come cheap, they can cost millions of dollars each. Since the earliest days of space exploration, a lot of different countries have contributed to the spacesuit evolution. Russians tested out the very first version by sending a man into space with a 20 kilogram suit way back in 1961. Soon after an American team from NASA was sent out in Mercury suits however, none of these could be worn outside. In 1965 Russian astronaut, Alexei Leonov, did the first spacewalk. But he couldn't move far from the spaceship because a long hose fed him oxygen. Four years later, the Americans were more prepared. During the Apollo Mission, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon with this cool pair of boots specially designed for the rocky lunar surface and a tank that gave him oxygen and removed the carbon dioxide he breathed out. Since then suits have got better. But NASA is due for a new one and Space X founder, Elon Musk, says he's come up with a good option. It'll be used for journeys to the International Space Station. Mr Musk says it's more stylish than previous designs. The company even got help the 'Iron Man' costume designer. Former astronauts have already said they love the new design. But other experts aren't sure it'll be tough enough to use outside in space. The new design should be ready by 2019 and has many people excited about travelling to places we've never seen before. While looking more stylish then we ever have.

Quiz

Now for a quiz. A spacewalk is also called an EVA. What does that stand for?

Entry Vert Assembly

Extra Vehicular Activity

End Velocity Access Answer: Extra Vehicular Activity

©ABC 2017

Zombie Lessons

Reporter: Ruby Cornish

INTRO: Now what's your favourite subject at school? English? Maths? How about preventing the world from being hit by a catastrophic zombie apocalypse? Take a look. TEACHER: Today you need to enter the crime scene. It's a race against time. TEACHER: You guys need to mark the evidence, you need to collect the evidence, you need to take photos of it all. To find a kidnapped scientist. STUDENT: We're trying to figure out what happened to Dr Stein. Develop a vaccine. STUDENT: We've being taking samples so we can test it. And prevent a zombie outbreak, without becoming one yourself! TEACHER: Smell blood, eat our brains, all right these are the things we need to be careful of. It's pretty exciting stuff, but this is no apocalypse survival course. This is science. Teachers at Penrith Valley School have brought their science lessons to life with an action-packed un-dead challenge. The aim is to find a kidnapped scientist who reckons he's got the cure for a zombie virus. And teachers have spent hours planting evidence and clues in this crime scene that hold the keys to solving the mystery. STUDENT: There's bites, there's a hand, fingers, liquids. Just a lot of stuff. Along the way, these kids have to work together to conduct experiments and ultimately track down the missing scientist and that happens to involve a lot of science. STUDENT: We're taking samples with buds and we're putting them in a bag and we're going to research them at the lab. So, if this were to happen for real, what science would we actually need to combat a zombie apocalypse? Well, finding a vaccine to cure a zombie virus; that would involve chemistry. Studying the gory insides of a zombie means dissecting and examining body parts also known as anatomy. And it'd take a good understanding of physics to work out the fastest way to escape! But the kids aren't the only ones having fun here. The grown-ups enjoy it too. TEACHER: It's heaps of fun. This has been the most enjoyable part of my teaching days! A quirky and creepy workout for your brain, which hopefully doesn't end up as dinner for a zombie!

©ABC 2017

STUDENT: No-one likes doing work and this is really fun.

Happiness Survey

Has your class completed the BTN Happiness Survey yet? All it takes is 6 minutes to share your thoughts on what life is like for a kid today and in return, you'll be a part of international research into the lives of children. We've already had thousands and thousands of kids get involved but we want heaps more! So please jump onto our website and share your happiness today.

Sport

To League first and St George Illawarra has had a disappointing end to its season only just missing out on a spot in the top 8. This last-minute try gave the Bulldogs the win and left the Dragons in ninth spot on the ladder. North Queensland finished eighth instead. They'll face Cronulla in an elimination final. Manly will line up against Penrith in the other one. Meanwhile in the qualifying finals the Roosters are up against the Broncos and minor premiers Melbourne Storm will play the Parramatta Eels

To netball New Zealand has won the Netball Quad Series on the weekend beating Australia by 10 goals. It was a disappointing loss for the Aussies but they say they'll be hungry for revenge when the two teams next face each other at the Constellation Cup in October.

And some teenagers from Perth are in training to swim the English Channel! That's this section of water between the UK and France, and it's no small feat. The channel is 32 kilometres long but the girls are determined to finish it. SWIMMER: I knew I wanted to do it from the get go. I heard of it and I was like, yep. SWIMMER: It's just sort of the challenge, not many people have swum it. More people have climbed Everest than swum the Channel.

©ABC 2017

Rock Climbing Girl

Reporter: Amelia Moseley

Finally today. Rock climbing is going to feature in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo for the first time. 14-year old Leah is one of our gun rock-climbing athletes. We asked her to tell us more about this sport - just as she's midway through competing at the World Youth Championships in Austria. Leah isn't afraid of heights. In fact, she's always pushing herself to go higher, even if it hurts! LEAH: Your forearms can be hurting so much. They're like burning and every muscle in your body is screaming at you to let go but you have got to really push past the pain. It's really hard. The 14-year-old from New South Wales first got into rock climbing with her dad. Now she's on Australia's National Youth Climbing Team, training indoors and out! LEAH: Outdoor climbing is really different to indoor climbing because you can't really tell where the holds are and I guess you've got to hold on for longer because you've got to try and work out where the next move is and where the next hold is. So yeah, it can be a bit harder I guess. Competitive climbers have to conquer three events. The speed wall, where you go as fast as you can all the way to the top! Bouldering, where you don't have a rope - yikes! The wall isn't as high, but it's more complicated and the aim is to make it to the last hold without having too many goes. And, finally, there's lead climbing which is a high, difficult wall where you attach your rope to bolts as you go and try to reach the top! LEAH: I think lead is my favourite event cause I am more of an endurance climber. I do sports like running and I think it crosses over into rock climbing a lot so like when I go running, it gives me good endurance for climbing. Right now, Leah's in Austria competing for the very first time in the World Youth Climbing Championships! LEAH: The Youth World Climbing Championships is one of the biggest climbing competitions in the world and it has some of the best climbers from around the world competing - some of them being as young as 14 and beating adults! In some European countries like this one climbing is their national sport so the competition's pretty tough, but Leah plans to give it all she’s got! LEAH I'm feeling pretty excited, a little bit nervous, trying to keep the nerves down, running my warmup just as usual and don't change anything so I can just feel at home when I'm climbing. Leah's done way better than she thought in her first event - bouldering! Now she's getting ready for lead and speed, and since rock climbing will be included in the Olympics from 2020 she's already setting her sights on gold in the future!

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LEAH I've just been having so much fun at this competition so far and I think I'd really love to do more big competitions like this, so the Olympics is a great long term goal and it's definitely something that I'm working towards. So hopefully we'll be seeing this champ on the highest podium in the next few years!

Closer

And that's it for today! But remember, there is always more to see and do on our website including the Happiness Survey! Thanks for joining me. I'll see live on Friday for Ask a Reporter and then next week for more BTN.