What is Halloween?

Halloween is the scariest night of the year. All around the world, people celebrate spookiness.

On 31 October there are loads of Halloween traditions. If you go to a party, expect stuff like:

• Scary fancy dress
• Making pumpkin lanterns
• Trick or treating
• Bobbing for apples
• Telling ghost stories

But not everyone likes celebrating Halloween.

Some religious people believe that making a game out of evil spirits and witches is wrong.

From CBBC newsround

Would you like to play some Halloween games? Yes?

Try these links:

• http://www.webpaws.com/games.php?cid=19&s=Halloween
• http://www.nick.com/games/halloween-games/
• http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/category/topics/halloween
• http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/word-games/find-the-pairs/halloween
• http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/play-with-friends/quiz-halloween

Artist sets two pumpkin boat records in two days

Pumpkin boat man's record-breaking voyage to Isle of Wight

You may have carved one, used one to make a lantern or even eaten one but here's one man with a really unusual use for a pumpkin.

Artist Dmitri Galitzine has set not one, but two bizarre records, in a boat made out of a massive hollowed out pumpkin.He set a record for paddling 100 metres in less than three minutes in Portsmouth harbour.Then he raised the bar a bit higher and modified the boat to make it motorised.He motored off in the 'souped up' pumpkin crossing the Solent to the Isle of Wight.

Watch his amazing adventure.

From CBBC newsround

Famous 'Titanic' violin sold at auction for record price

A violin that sank with the Titanic over a hundred years ago has been sold at auction for a record price.

The rosewood instrument was played by the Titanic's bandleader Wallace Hartley when the famous ship sank in 1912.

It's been described as one of the most important objects ever discovered that sank with the ship.

It sold for £900,000!

It is the single most valuable piece of Titanic memorabilia, so far.

Other items that were sold included his sheet music and the bag he kept it in.

Wallace Hartley kept on playing while the Titanic was sinking in the icy ocean on 15th April 1912 and died in the sinking. 

Learn more about Wallace Hartley

Learn more about the sinking of the Titanic and then test your knowledge with our quiz.

One Direction boys spotted surfing in Australia One Direction surfing in Australia

A sunny beach in Australia may seem like a lovely place to relax - but it isn't when One Direction are around!

Liam and Louis took time out from their tour of Australia to go surfing on Whale Beach in Sydney.

They were soon spotted by adoring fans and lifeguards had to step in to keep them away.

Even the news helicopter from Channel 7 News showed up to snap the boys riding the waves.

From CBBC newsround

Three African lions and two rare jaguars born at zoo

There's a baby boom at a zoo in Mexico!

Two rare jaguar cubs and three African lion cubs have been born there.

One is causing serious excitement because it's completely black!

The zoo's launched a competition for local children to help name them.

See the cute cubs.

From CBBC Newsround

Present Simple of the verb BE ( Revision Exercises)

Click on the links for some exercises


http://www.inglesonline.com.br/exerciciosdeinglesonline/pres_be_formation.htm

http://www.eclecticenglish.com/grammar/PresentSimpleToBe1A.html

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/be2.htm


http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/be3.htm

How Pokemon became a global hit

Pokemon X and Y - the sixth generation of the monster-battling video game - is released worldwide on Saturday. Created by Satoshi Tajiri, it was originally pitched as an insect-catching game.

The world of Pokemon was revealed on 27 February 1996 when Pocket Monsters Red and Green launched in Japan. Pocket Monsters spent more than five years in development and was originally called Capsule Monsters.

The world of Pokemon was revealed on 27 February 1996 when Pocket Monsters Red and Green launched in Japan. Pocket Monsters spent more than five years in development and was originally called Capsule Monsters.

Retitled Pokemon for its worldwide release, the game made its way to North America in 1998 and the UK a year later. Nintendo briefly considered scrapping some of the 'cute' Pokemon, fearing Western players wouldn't like them.

Luckily Western audiences adored the cute Pokemon and electric mouse Pikachu swiftly became the poster-boy of the series.

The ability to trade and battle Pokemon with friends via a data cable made the game a best-seller. More than 245 million Pokemon video games have been sold worldwide since 1996.

The video game spawned a hugely successful anime series charting the adventures of Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum and his trusty Pikachu. It debuted in the US in 1997 and to date more than 800 episodes have been made. The series has been broadcast in 160 countries.

From CBBC  newsround

Malala Yousafzi has been tipped for Nobel Peace Prize

Malala Yousafzai , the Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban on her way to school has been tipped to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

If Malala wins the 16-year-old will be the youngest person ever to win the award.

Malala has been nominated for her work to get education for girls in Pakistan.

The education campaigner is among the favourites to win  the award at the event in Sweden.

Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela have won the award in the past.

Malala has been fighting for girls' right to education in Pakistan and all over the world. She's a really brave girl who said in the United Nations meeting that she is not going to give up her dreams though she has received threats from the fundamentalist Talibans what made her family move to London where they live now. 

White lion cubs born in South Korea

So cuuuuuute!

These two rare white lion cubs have been born at a zoo in South Korea.

There's only about three hundred white lion cubs left in the world so it's no surprise they're a big hit with visitors.

The cubs are being raised by the zookeepers for now. They'll be introduced to the rest of the lion family when they're seven months old.

From CBBC newsround