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About Junior Skeptic
For 20 years, Junior Skeptic has been organized skepticism’s premier effort to inform and inspire younger readers. Bound into every new issue of Skeptic magazine, Junior Skeptic is proudly included in every digital and print subscription.
Select issues of Junior Skeptic are also available to download as standalone products in PDF format for just $1.99.
Created in 1998 by Skeptics Society co-founders Pat Linse and Michael Shermer, and helmed since 2002 by national award-winning children’s science book author Daniel Loxton, Junior Skeptic boasts lively illustrations, in-depth ideas, and deep research. Each 10-page story offers a simple but thorough primer on a fringe claim, scientific mystery, or critical thinking theme, all told in Junior Skeptic’s engaging, easygoing signature style.
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In an era of “fake news,” “post truth,” and just plain old-as-time baloney, kids need critical thinking more than ever! They’re bombarded by good, bad, and bogus claims every day of their lives. Young people need tools to sift fact from fiction when they navigate YouTube, television, and social media. This special issue of Junior Skeptic is inspired in part by astronomer Carl Sagan’s 1987 Parade magazine article “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection” and his 1996 book The Demon-Haunted World. It is loosely adapted from the Skeptics Society’s 2001 The Baloney Detection Kit booklet by Michael Shermer and Pat Linse.
Origami Dragon
This origami figure was designed especially for Junior Skeptic by Australian skeptic, author, and origami artist Richard Saunders. To conjure up a winged dragon of your own — or a flock of them! — all you need are a square piece of paper and an internet connection. Richard has kindly made a step-by-step instruction video showing exactly how to fold the figure, which you can watch online for free. Have fun!
Junior Skeptic
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Visit the Junior Skeptic page on Facebook. It’s viewable by everyone, no account required.
Facebook users: stop in to show your support, leave an encouraging note, or upload some photos! Remember, becoming “a Fan” of the Junior Skeptic page enhances our visibility to the wider Facebook community — and helps get the message out about critical thinking education.
Post the Junior Skeptic section of skeptic.com to your own Facebook Profile, or send it to Facebook friends you know would enjoy knowing about it.
Junior Skeptic # 78
Conspiracy Theories
As the world continues the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve learned that we’re facing another enemy just as dangerous as the virus: a plague of misinformation! Even while scientists, doctors, and nurses work around the clock to prevent illness and save lives, millions of others are being misled by stories they’ve heard about shadowy groups secretly scheming against society. False rumors about wicked conspiracies are as old as time. Some seem harmless. Others cost lives. Some rumors have even changed the course of history. How do conspiracy theories work? And what can we do about them? Let’s find out!
Book Projects
The Skeptics Society is proud to reveal the first full-color, hardcover, English-language book based upon Junior Skeptic.
Published by Kids Can Press (February, 2010), Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be is a straight-ahead introduction to the fact of evolution, to its mechanisms, and to the misunderstandings that surround it. The book aims to explain how evolution works — and how we know for a fact that it happens. It is suitable for readers aged 8–13.
Learn about this and other book projects based on Junior Skeptic.
Junior Skeptic
desktop wallpaper
Free Desktop Wallpaper
Put some Junior Skeptic on your computer’s desktop with this free wallpaper available in several common aspect ratios including wide-screen, full-screen, and iPhone.
Junior Skeptic Icons
Free Icons for Mac OSX
& Windows XP
Tired of the same old folder icons on your computer? Why not organize files the way we do at the Junior Skeptic studio: custom Junior Skeptic icons! A set of seventeen of these exclusive icons is now available for you to use at home — just for fun, and completely free.
SKEPTIC App
Whether at home or on the go, the SKEPTIC App is the easiest way to read your favorite articles. Within the app, users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Download the app today and get a 30-day free trial subscription.
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