GREETINGS! Hello and a very warm welcome to Brainbox magazine!

Introduction
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Hello and a very
warm welcome to Brainbox
magazine! We’re a brand new
magazine packed with fun,
puzzles, ideas and ways to
test and tease you brain!
Each issue of the magazine will come
with a special free gift, from the
acclaimed Brainbox range of toys.
And we’re looking for you all to get as
involved as you possibly can! Each issue,
we want your contributions, be it for
the Brainbox Board Of Achievement
(which you’ll find on page 18) or the
Brainbox Book Club (that’s over on
page 30).
Most of all though, we want you to
have fun with the magazine, and
hopefully get a lot out of it! Whatever
you think though, do get in touch with
us - we’re at [email protected],
and we can’t wait to find out what
you think of the magazine!
Ben
NOTES FOR Grown-Ups
As a grown-up you invest a lot of your time,
love and energy into your children. BrainBox
Magazine can help you work with your
children as well as let them learn and play
independently or in groups.
To benefit even more from your
BrainBox Magazine, you may want to
go to www.brainbox.co.uk and look
at the resources on offer. Not only can you
have fun finding out your child’s BrainBox
personality, there are lots of articles written
about subjects all parents are concerned
about, from dyslexia, to bullying, to the
magic of numbers. These guides are all free.
Fun is so important in childhood.
Each issue will be packed with ideas,
activities and articles that will appeal
to children from around the age of
eight upwards. That number again!
A child’s curiosity is something to
be cherished. Each magazine will
include something we hope will
lead to your children saying ‘Mum,
Dad, did you know…?’
BrainBox games are amongst
the leading resources to help
children with their memory and
concentration. Each magazine
edition will cover something different
from Roald Dahl week to World Book Day to
major festivals in a fun, inclusive way.
ABOUT BRAINBOX MAGAZINE
Editor: Simon Brew ([email protected])
Production Editor: Anthony Enticknap
Art: Laura Passmore, Heather Reeves
Writers: Irene Brew, Juliette Harrisson,
Aliya Whiteley
For Dennis Publishing:
Publisher: Paul Rayner
Managing Director: Ian Westwood
Newstrade Director: David Barker
Chief Operating Officer: Brett Reynolds
Chief Executive: James Tye
Chairman: Felix Dennis
For The Green Board Game Company:
Managing Director: Gary Wyatt
Sales & Marketing: Karen Nunn
Senior Designer: Susie Chester
Marketing Executive: Sarah Wyatt
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Animal C
When we give you pictures to colour in,
we want to give you something to really
give your pencils or crayons a workout.
See how good you can make our two
animal pictures look!
Giraffe
Did you know?
J Giraffes have beautiful spotted coats.
J Female giraffes give birth standing
While no two individuals have exactly
the same pattern, giraffes from the
same area appear similar.
up. Infants can stand within half an
hour of birth and can run with their
mothers ten hours after birth!
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Feature title
Did you know?
J Meerkats have four digits on each foot with very sharp,
curved claws. They use their claws to dig their burrows.
Meerkats also have the unique ability to close their ears
to keep dirt out while they burrow.
Meerkat
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J Meerkats live in
groups and have a
lookout to warn the
others about dangers.
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Add C
Ready for a colouring challenge? We’ve
taken two pictures from Roman history,
and we reckon this will really test your
colouring-in skills! See how well you do
with these!
Colosseum
Did you know?
J The Colosseum in Rome was the largest
amphitheatre built by the Romans and
could seat 50,000 spectators.
L As well as gladiator contests, the
Colosseum staged mock sea battles,
dramas and executions.
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Feature title
Did you know?
L Gladiators fought in public
displays against other
gladiators, condemned
criminals and wild animals.
L Some gladiators were trained volunteers, who
could earn large sums of money by winning their
fights. Others were slaves or captured enemy
soldiers, who were forced to fight to the death.
Gladiator
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KingsThrough the Ages
When the Romans left Britain at the end of the
fourth century, the local tribes left behind fought
each other. It took 500 years before some
leaders started to grow their influence and create
governments. The first crowned King of England
was Athelstan, who ruled from 924AD.
William I ‘
The Conqueror’
House of Normandy
Anglo-Saxons such as Athelstan and Alfred the
Great then ruled until 1066, when William I, The
Conqueror, arrived from France and won the Battle
of Hastings. He came from the House of Normandy,
and lived and died in France, but he ruled England
for 21 years and made a famous survey of the land
called The Domesday Book, which survives today.
Reigned
1066-1087
The Normans ruled until 1154. Then Henry II
became King, and the Plantagenets took control.
Henry was famous for the short jackets he liked to
wear rather than long cloaks, and he became known
to the people as ‘Curtmantle’.
There were 14 Plantagenet kings, and many spent
a long time fighting wars abroad. Richard I reigned
for ten years and spent only ten months of that
time at home. He was very popular and was known
as ‘The Lionheart’ because of his bravery.
Another famous Plantagenet king was Edward
Longshanks, who ruled from 1272 to 1307 and was
a strong military leader. He conquered Wales and
Scotland and made them part of his Kingdom.
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Born (and died)
in France
Won Battle
of Hastings
in 1066
Kings And Queens
Richard I ‘
The Lionheart’
House of
Plantagenet
Reigned
1189-1199
Henry II ‘
Short Cloak’
House of
Plantagenet
Reigned
1154-1189
Born in Oxford
Joined the Third
Crusade to the
Holy Land
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Born in France
Caused death
of Thomas
Becket
Edward I
‘Longshanks’
House of
Plantagenet
When Henry IV deposed Richard II in 1399,
new powers fought for control. The House
of Lancaster and the House of York both
thought they should be in charge. Henry IV, a
Lancaster, ruled until 1413 and spent much of
his reign fighting people who wanted to get rid
of him. The reign of the Lancasters came to an
end in 1461 when Edward IV took power.
Richard III was the most infamous of the
Yorkist kings, thought to be cruel and plotting.
He ruled for only a few years, from 1483 to
1485, but was killed in the Battle of Bosworth
Field. With his death, the wars between
Lancaster and York came to an end, and their
white and red roses were combined to make a
new symbol – a Tudor Rose.
The Tudors controlled British interests around
the world in a time of adventure and prosperity.
Famous rulers such as Henry VIII and Elizabeth
I were strong rulers, and with the death of
Elizabeth I in 1603 the Tudor line ended and
King James VI of Scotland also became known
as King James I of England, combining the two
thrones for the first time.
Born in
Westminster
Reigned
1272-1307
Devoted to his wife
Eleanor (16 children)
After she died,
he built 12 crosses,
including Charing
Cross, in her memory
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Kings And Queens
Edward I
‘Longshanks’
Henry IV
‘Bolingbroke’
House of
Plantagenet
House of
Plantagenet
Reigned
1399-1413
Reigned
1483-1485
Born in Bolingbroke
Castle, Lincolnshire
Born in
Northamptonshire
Died in last battle
of the Wars of
the Roses
Fought many battles
Skeleton found
with Wales,
Scotland and France under a car park
in Leicester in
2012
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