Romy News - 18 March 2024

Hey there, it’s Monday, the beginning of a new week filled with incredible adventures and discoveries! Are you ready to dive into the exciting world of news and mysteries with me? We’re going to explore a lot of surprising things together, and I’m sure you’re going to love it. Today, we’re going to talk about a man who has just been re-elected in a very, very big country… Russia! Then, we’ll jump into the ocean of knowledge to answer Louise’s question: why are there waves? And finally, we’ll take a trip back in time to meet the megalodon, the giant shark that swam in the seas a super long time ago. Put on your swim cap, wet the back of your neck, and… Let’s go!

Let’s head straight to Russia where Vladimir Putin has been chosen, once again, to be the president during the elections that took place yesterday, on March 17, 2024. It was a very important election and many people around the world paid attention to it, wondering if it was really fair and if Mr. Putin was playing by the rules.

Since the year 2000, he has been elected several times. There was a little break with another leader, Dmitry Medvedev, but Putin came back in 2012, then in 2018 and now in 2024. He even bent the rules of the country, the constitution, a bit to allow himself to come back after 2008. His fifth term is unheard of in Russia!

Some big countries, like France, Ukraine, the United States, and Germany, are not happy. They say that it wasn’t really a fair election and that it was rigged. Even the United Kingdom and Poland feel that something isn’t clear. Alexei Navalny, a man who disagreed with Putin, was prevented from speaking his mind and was even imprisoned, which worries a lot of people.

With Vladimir Putin still president, many things in Russia and even for other countries may change. It could make things a bit more tense between countries, and we wonder what it means for the Russians who dream of having more choices during elections.

It’s really important that elections are fair for everyone, and that no one cheats, what do you think? Don’t hesitate to talk about this super important topic with your parents or at school!

Okay, let’s switch gears! Have you ever seen at the beach, the waves that come and go as if they’re playing hide and seek with the shore? Well, today, we’re going to uncover the secret of waves and discover why they are so important for our beautiful planet!

Did you know that it’s actually the wind that is the magician behind the waves in the sea? It pushes the water and gives it energy, kind of like when you blow on your soup to cool it down. The size of the waves depends on the strength of the wind, how long it blows, and the space it has to run on the sea.

But it’s not just the wind; the Moon and the Sun also play an important role. With their gravitational force, these celestial bodies tug on our Earth and make the water in the oceans move, creating even higher waves. That’s why we have high tides and low tides, remember, we talked about it a few weeks ago?

There are different types of waves. Well of course, there are the small waves where you’ve probably played at the edge of the sea. But surfers, they love the breaking waves, you know, the ones that form water tunnels, the tubes. Brave surfers have even tamed waves over 30 meters tall! And then there are tsunamis, huge and very strong waves, that come when the Earth shakes under the water. Wowza!

After learning all that, why not do a little experiment? Take a basin of water and blow on it: you’ll see mini-waves appear! It’s amazing, isn’t it?

After observing the waves on the water surface, let’s dive beneath the surface and travel back in time for our Monday animal topic. Imagine, a very, very long time ago, in an ocean full of giant creatures… Among them was the king of sharks: the megalodon! With teeth as big as an adult’s hand, it was the largest shark of all time. Together, we’ll discover this ocean giant, what it was like, where it lived, why it disappeared, and how it became a superstar in the stories we tell today.

The megalodon was a colossus of the oceans, it could grow up to 18 meters long, bigger than a bus! It had a huge jaw that could swallow a fridge without a problem and super sharp teeth. Next to it, the great white shark, which already seems immense to us, would be like a little kitten. Not all scientists agree on its exact size, but one thing’s for sure, it was gigantic!

This shark lived where the water was warm, and it liked to travel all over the ocean, even very, very deep. Since it was gigantic, it ate very large animals, like whales. It was even very clever in hunting them! Sometimes, we find its fossilized teeth right next to the remains of its meals that have also turned into fossils.

But then, about 2.6 million years ago, no more news of the megalodon. Why? It could be that the climate changed too much for it and that other animals became too strong for it. By disappearing, it made way for other creatures.

In movies or games, the megalodon often becomes a frightening beast, larger than life, but remember that it’s often more for entertainment than being real. It’s important to know how to differentiate, even though it’s really funny to see it so gigantic on screen.

And there you have it, you now know all about the megalodon, the shark that made the prehistoric oceans tremble! By the way, in your opinion, who is the biggest current marine predator? … And there we go, we’ve talked together about Russia with its big political news, we’ve danced with the waves and their secrets, and we’ve even traveled back in time to the prehistoric oceans to greet the megalodon! Did you learn some surprising things today? I hope so, because it’s amazing all the things we can discover! If you feel like sharing your thoughts or learning more, don’t hesitate to talk about it with me on Instagram. Tell me, what fascinated you the most today? See you tomorrow for even more fantastic adventures and discoveries. Until next time!